Gilpin observer., 1899-11-09
WASHINGTON NEWS.

| AhS annual report OF the auJutauI
general OF the army, Brigadier General
Corbin, to the secretary of war, sums
up the military forces now In the SER
vice of the United States as follows:
Regular army, 64, $50; volunteers, 34,-
514; total, 90, 16O.
The report of Paymaster General
Bates of the army shows the following
main items of expenditure during the
last fiscal year: Regular army, $34,-
III, l,225; volunteer army, $35,S77,1 ,177;
disbandment of Cuban army, $9O5, 100;
extra pay to volunteers war with
Spain, $443,932; extra pay regulars
war with Spain, $500, ,592.
Secretary Hay for the United States,
| Mr.. Tower for Great Britain, and Mr..
Mumm Won Schwartzenstein ON the
part of Germany have signed con-
| vention providing for the adjustment
by arbitration of the claims of the in
habitants of Samoa for damages re-
sulting from the naval and military
operations there last spring. King Os-
car III. OF Norway and Sweden is spec
lhed by the treaty as the arbitrator. 4:
The postmaster general has issueds
an order forbidding postmasters in the
United States to collect postage due in
excess OF the domestic rate on any let
tiers sent by soldiers. sailors, marines,
or other persons in the United States
service in Guam and the Philippine isl
ands. The order is given immediate
effect and poStmasters are directed to
disregard all ratings of postage due in
excess of the domestic rate, made prior
to this date
There are three features of interest
above all others in the annual report
of Admiral Crowninshield chief of the
RllrpDn nf ING H.
lie. First, in an arraignment of Con-
gress because of the failure to reward
the officers recommended for advance
ment as result of the battles around
Cuba; second, the recommendations for
change in the present system of re-
ceiving ships, and third, the sugges-
tions touching the new system of train
ing landsmen
The Cincinnati Enquirer says that
Pension Commissioner II. Clay Evans
has been offered the governor general
ship of Cuba by the administration,
providing he would resign as pension
commissioner. In letter, Commits
sioner Evans stated he positively re-
fused the offer; that he was doing his
duty, and was not to be intimidated
or exchanged" If he should be eX-
changed for doing his duty in the pen
sion office and sent to Cuba, he might
be exchanged there also.
For some time negotiations have
been in progress in Washington to-
wards establishing treaty relations be-
tween China and Mexico. The nego- |
tiations have been carried on by Am
bassador Aspiroz of Mexico and Min
lister WI Ting Fang of China, and are
now so far advanced that the signing |
of the instrument is expected to occur |
early next week. Aside from its i'm
portance in being the first treaty ever |
negotiated between the two countries, |
its terms are such as to yield large |
benefits to each of the contracting |
parties.
recapitulation of the casualties in |
actions and deaths in the regular and |
volunteer armies between May !, 1898, |
and June 30, 1899, contained in the an
nual report of the adjutant general of |
the army, shows grand total of 10,076 |
men. The casualty list alone aggre-
gates 3,S54. of whom 30 officers and |
4oS enlisted Elen We're killed and 191 |
officers and 2,7G4 enlisted men wound |
ed. The death list, numbering 6,619, |
was made up of 224 officers and 6,395 |
enlisted men. OF this total but 3S Off |
GERS and ass enlisted men were killed,
the remainder of the deaths resulting |
from various causes.
The Cabinet has discussed the point |
involving the right under the law of |
our soldiers in the Philippines to send |
through the mails to friends in this |
country souvenirs of little or no COM
mercial value. Under II strict construc- |
ton of the law articles of any CONNER
cial value except books are prohibited |
from being sent through the mail But |
the government, realizing that with the |
approach of the Christmas holidays the |
soldiers serving in the Philippines un-
doubtedly will wish to send home some |
mementoes of their service, an earnest |
effort will be made to overcome the diff |
ficulties presented. 1t is probable that |
Secretary Gage will formulate some |
regulation which will meet the situa-
tion.
The auditor of the Postofiice Depart-
ment in his annual report shows that |
during the last year the number of |
pOstoffices in the United States in
creased from 1876 to 74,3S4; the num-
ber of domestic money orders issued |
increased from 2T,79S,O7S. representing
S4O1, ,113.T17. to 29,O07. so, represent
ing S442, ,4S3.3J4. n net increase in the |
number of 1.2O9.19 and in volume of |
S41 ,396.G36. During the year the reve.
nues OF the postal service increased |
from SS9,012,61S to S05.O21 1854, and the |
expenditures from $9I.S50, ,407 to S1O1,. |
632. 100. net increase in the receipts |
of SG.OOS, ,IG3. and in expenditures of |
S3.IIS.I52 Upon this showing the |
auditor asks for an increase of thirty |
clerks as II minimum requirement for |
the year 1900.
Chief Examiner Serven of the Civil |
Service commission. in his annual re-
port, just made public, says 4S,5O3 ncr-
min fn,.
the government service. Not quite rs |
per cent. of the candidates passed. The |
commission has decided to abolish the |
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