Rocky Ford enterprise., 1899-05-18
WASHINGTON GOSSIP
AND DEPARTMENT NEWS.

Brigadier General Corbin and Ellis II.
Roberts, treasurer of the United States,
have been appointed a national COM
mittee to take charge Of the funds with
which to purchase n home for Admiral
Dewey In Washington. The committee
will serve any newspaper organization
or individual wishing to make a con
tribution for the purpose In view.
Treasurer Roberts Is now prepared to
receive contributions of any amount.
A handsomely designed receipt Will be
got out Immediately by the engravers
ut the Bureau OF Engraving and Print
ing and all contributors will receive
such n receipt. a formal address to
the public will soon he issued. The
first subscription to the fund, $3.50.
was received from General Felix Ag,
nus. Of the Baltimore American, and
he will receive receipt No. !.
Rear-Admiral Hlchborn, chief con-
structor Of the navy. has prepared
statement showing the degree Of COM
pletion of the various warships under
construction for the United States
navy. The hulls and machinery OF the
vessels shown In this statement cost
about S:t3 ,OO0.O0O. and an expenditure
of SO. 100000 will still have to be made
for armor. armament. equipment and
stores. The battlcsliip Eearsage will
have its speed trial early next month,
and II will be followed almost immedi-
ntely by the Alabama, and then the
Kentucky. The statement issued
shows that OF the battleships the I'LL.
nois is III per cent. completed. the
Kearsngc no per cent. Kentucky SS
per cent. Alabama 81 per cent. Wis
consIn 6I per cent. Maine per cent.
Missouri per cent. and the Ohio. nj
though contracted for. has not yet been
started. The cr,isicr Alabama. which
Is building In England. Is so per cent.
finished.
1t Is stated that the plan the govern
ment of the United States IL willing. 20
establish In the Philippines. after the
surrender Of the insurgents. has been
cablcd to President Schurmnn of the
Philippines commission by Secretary
Hay at the direction OF the President.
The proposed government is to be
more civil than military. The head OF
the government Is to bc n governor.
and there Is to he nn advisory council.
composed Of natives OF the Philippines.
whose business It shall he to confer
with the governor on official matters
and suggest changes In the manner OF
exercising authority. All local govern
ments Will be entirely In the hands of
the natives. subject to certain super
vision by the Americans. The plan
proposed amounts practically TO nm au-
'tonomous system. and II IL believed
here that II will he acceptable to the
natives. The proposed government Is
to continue only until the Congress OF
the United States shall decide upon the
form OF government for the islands.
General John McNultn. receiver OF
the Distllling and Cattle Feeding Com
pnny, was u witness before the Indus
trial commission Monday. In giving
some OF the details regarding his re-
celvcrshlp for the whisky trust. lie
said II was found that one distillcry mt
Nebraska City. Nebraska. had been
sold for $4,000 at n private sale. and
later was bought by the Distilling and
Cattle Feeding Company for Si1O.Op.
There was another ease In which one
who was later an officer OF the com.
pnny had purchased u dIstillcry ana
sold II to the company for S2so.OD
more than he gave FOR II. These nnd
other things resulted In the witness
filing n hill against u number OF indl-
vidunls. including some officers. TO r..
cover SSuD.OOc. General McNulta. In
the course Of his testimony. showed
that the collapse OF the trust was due
to the extreme advance OF prices for
the products and that the speculation
of officers OF the trust In its shares on
the stock market dcmornlized the or
ganizaiion.
The Industrial commission on Thurs
day heard the first witness to be called
in connection with Its inquiry into the
operation of trusts. The witness was
Hon. James W. Lee Of Iittsburg. nt-
torney for several pipe lines and oil
companies and formerly u state scna.
tor OF PENNSYLVANIA. MIR. Lees tcsti.
mony was directed especially against
the Standard OIL Company. He said
that when the Pure Oil Company, In
which the witness Is Interested. went
into the field In New York In 1SJH they
found the Standard selling oil at 0h
cents n gallon. The price was almost
Immediately reduced to oi9 cents. ana
had remained there since. the object
being to drive out the rival. The first
price wns inordinatcly high. but the
latter was ruinously low. and while the
independent company had met the re-
iuction II had done so nt loss. lie
thought the competition had resulted
in n saving OF fully S3.OOO.00O to the
pcople OF Greater New York. The same
condition of affairs existed mt compoti-
tive points. Mr.. Lee expressed the
opipjon that the Standard Company
was still getting rebates from the rail-
road companies despite the law. ana
he thought this was accomplished by
paying cxorbitnnt prices for lubricnt-
ing oil. He estimated that the stand
nr,l Company had within the last twcn-
~ years absorbed npout 100 indepcnd.
Ont companies. but that the companies
with which he was connected had re-.
fused to sell at an advance OF 12is per
cent In cost when they were about to
he closed by the sheriff. This refusal
had been directed largely by sentiment.
Now, however. the independent COM
panics were doing profitable busi-
ness. He knew OF several renneries
which had been purchased AT hign
prices by the Standard company anu