The Springfield herald., 1899-06-16
WASHINGTON GOSSIP
AND DEPARTMENT NEWS.

y
the wives. mothers, children and near
relatives of the officers stationed at
Guam an invitation to take the trip
there on the transport Solace, which
leaves San Francisco July list with II
large amount of supplies for Guam and
the Philippines. No women or chill
dren will be permitted to go TO the lat
ter islands, however.
The administration has decided TO
reduce the American armies of occupa-
ton in Cuba and Puerto Rico in order
TO send additional troops to General
Otis in the Philippines. Orders have
been sent 10 General Davis. military
governor of Puerto Rico, instiIctins
him to begin recruiting natives for use
in the army. He is first to enlist Il bat
talon, 400 men. and then, if the expert
ment promises we'll the number will
be increased until probably an entire
native regiment has been raised.
Instructions have been sent to all re-
cruiting officers in the United States to
enlist as many men as possible for ser
vice in the Philippines until further or
ders. Thanks TO the Interpretation of
the army reorganization law made by
the comptroller of the treasury. the reg
ular army has been unexpectedly in
| creased by 2.6OO men. and the PrcSi-
dent is spared the necessity of calling
| for volunteers or depicting the force
now maintained in Cuba and Porto
Rico. Under the decision rendered 10
the War Department by the comptrol-
Ter the hospital corps. heretofore count
| ed part of the regular establishment,
is not to be so considered. so that its
1900 men. while still retained in ser
vice, create that number of vacancies
in the regular army, which will be
promptly filled.
Although the members of the com
mission which was sent to Porto Rico
by the President We're not unanimous
upon some important points, they
wisely decided not TO submit minority
reports, but to omit entirely all refer
| ence to matters upon which they did
not agree For this reason there is no
| reference to the tariff in the report
submitted. nor is any permanent form
of government recommended by them.
| They keep their counsel very closely.
| but it Is understood that each of the
| three commissioners has his own no
tions on the latter subject. which was
| the most important submitted to them
They decline to be interviewed, but il
is believed one of them thinks Porto
| Rico ought TO have n form of govern
ment similar 10 that of our territories;
another advocates system like that
of the District of Columbia. with three
commissioners. two from civil life and
one engineer from the army; while the
third believes it would be better TO
give the Porto Ricans the broadest
kind of home rule by filling all the of
fees with natives under the direction
of n governor general appointed by the
President.
1t Is expected here that modus vi
vendi regarding the Alaska boundary
will be signed in day or two. Assum-
ing that the agreement is on the exact
lines of the instructions sent. the
modus will fix the provisional bound-
ary line between Alaska and Canada
Mt three points near the head of Lynn
canal. These will be sufficient, it is eX-
pected. to prevent any further con
flcts. These points are as follows: On
the White Pass, at the old Canadian
custom house in the pass: on the Chill
coot Pass. likewise at the Canadian
custom house. which has existed for
the past eighteen months: on the l)al-
; ton trail, just above the Indian village
, of Kluckwan. The first two points
were easily fixed: the hitch of moment
has been over the location of the
divisional point on the Dalton trail
The point mentioned is at the head of
canoe navigation and fifteen miles
above tidewater which the Canadians
sought so strenuously to reach. The
inodus provides only for a temporary
delimitation, but there is great reason
to believe that the lines 1t will estab
lish in the end will be accepted by both
: parties as the best solution of the veN
: ed boundary issue.
Vice President Hobart has gone tc
Long Branch, where he will spend the
summer trying to recover his health
and strength. He has had Il very Sc
we're siege, and for several weeks his
recovery was doubtful. Shortly aftel
Congress adjourned he fell a victim I,
the prevailing epidemic In grippe, ant
provoked Il relapse by going out be
r fore he was thoroughly well. The frs
attack was pretty bad, but the secont
t was worse and he has been for NOR,
t than two months trying TO recover
, from 1t. He is so far himself that h,
. can drive out. but he has scarcely
t strength enough to walk across an or
binary room. and the disease has lef
his heart very weak-so weak rs TO oc
: casion very great alarm among hi
t friends 1t is believed, however. tha
5 n quiet summer in the lnvigorating sal
, atmosphere of Long Branch will pul
, him around all right again. Presiden
Mckinley has watched the slow recov
cry of his colleague with great anXi
> ETY.. has visited him once and some
l times twice every day. and since tn
$ weather became warm has taken hin
9 as companion on his afternoon
drives. The President intends to visi
! the Hobarts at Long Branch som'
time during the summer. No Presi
dent and vice president have eve
t been so intimate as Mckinley and Ho
: bart. The vice president goes over Il
t the White House, walks into the Pres