La Junta tribune., 1899-02-18
CONGRESSIONAL NOTES
AND WASHINGTON GOSSIP.

all lands and buildings now occupied
or cinimed by the United States FOR iis
federal building. national cersr,ery,
schools, and also reserves any
private land grants that may
have been or may hereafter be
confirmed by the Court Of Private
Land Claims or other authority Of the
United States II also authorizes the
mayor and clerk OF the city to'executa
deeds of quit claim to persons epsitlei
to their present holdings OF real estate
Chairman Hopkins of the census
committee wants to keep the expense
Of taking and printing the next census
within S10.OO0.OO. The censps Of
1880 cost s11 $40, ,G6o.50, but it Is pro.
posed to reduce the subjects OF in.
quiry by omitting vital statistics,
which are furnished now weekly by
boards of health; debts and NOR.
cages, the Indians. which can be re-
ported upon by the Indian bureau;
Alaska. which was covered ly the
last census: crime, pauperism and be-
nevolence. which are covered by stale
boards of charity: fish and fisheries,
pensions, insurance. transportation,
irrigation. ownership of farms aud
homes and education. which are Gov
cred by other branches of the govern
ment or the several states in annual
inquiries.
There is no doubt Agoncillo knew on
Saturday that the American forces
were to be attacked. because he slip
ped out of town nearly twelve hours
before the first information was re
ceived in Washington and his absence
was unknown 10 the clerks in the hotel
until Sunday night. Mr.. RalstoIu his
attorney. explains that Asoncillo has
gone TO Montreal in order that he may
communicate freely with his principals
in the Philippine islands. as his cor
respondence was interrupted by cen
sorship at Washington. That not
true. There is no censorship exercised
here. The telegraph companies have
refused no dispatches he has offered
and they have been promptly forward
ed TO the Philippines. but 1t is very
likely that some of them were inter
cepted there.
The promised effort on the part of
the committee on military affals 10
get immediate consideration OF the
army reorganization bill promises TO be
the most important feature Of the pro
ceedings of the Senate during the
present week. Lines are divided very
sharply on this bill. and the contest over
its consideration will unquestionably
be both fierce and stubborn. The Re
publican members OF the committee
manifest strong determination 10
press the bill. regardless of all other
measures, and their first effort WV be
to secure consent from the committee
on appropriations to set the appropr.a-
tons bills aside until the army reorgan-
ization bill can be disposed OF. The
Democrats, not only on the military
committee. but throughout the Sehlte,
will resist any effort to ge the army bill
through. They say, however. they viii
not try to prevent consideration 0Aethe
BILL
A message was received Mt the War
Department Thursday announcing the
dispatch OF the First Tennessee reg
ment to Iloilo to reinforce General Mil
Ter, but 1t Ia not certain that II will ar
rive ut its destination In time to take
part in the attack. 1t developed to-day
that under the terms of the instructions
sent to General Miller by General Otis
the former is to present an ultlmatum
to the natives, directing that they evac-
uate the town and permit the landing
OF the American forces by D O'Clock
February 10th, or II will be immediate
ly bombarded and forcibly occupied.
General Miller now has between $500
and 5000 men. and the First Tennessee
will increase his command by another
thousand. 1t is not expected that Gen
eral Miller will find any great difficV'y
in occupying the port as 1t is easily ap-
proached. Decentralization under the
guns Of the naval vessels can be readily
MI fSt t,es<l ard tl,a pf- xIrtn
materially assist the military In driving
the natives out of the city
The commission which has beeif in
yestigating the conduct of the war
made its report to President McKin-
ley at the White House on the 9th.
Recorder Mills then read aloud for
nearly an hour the salient features of
the 65,OOO-word document. He was
interrupted frequently by the Presi-
dent, who questioned the commission
at length upon the various sections as
they were presented. Concerning Sec
retary Alger the members seyerally
stated their conviction that there were
evidences of bureaucracy in the War
Departments conduct OF the war, and
that the secretary had failed to have
the necessary councils with the heads
of bureaus In his control. In effect
they intimated that the secretary Has
not fully informed, as he should have
been, with reference to the practical
operations Of his chiefs and Of the
field manipulation of the army. The
President drew out from the comAis-
sion unanimously structures upon Gen
eral Miles. 1t was stated to him that
the commission could not touch upon
the matter in detailed report. as II in
part concerned strategical operations
with which they were not supposed TO
have anything to do. Nevertheless.
they were firmly of the opinion that
General Miles has trilmped up the beef
scandal because the War Department
refused to carry out his plans OF cam
paign. Several of the commissioners
declared their belief that had General
Miles been permitted to have his own