Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1900-12-21

inc for the Presidents Christmas dinner.
IL weighs thirty pounds and was sent
from Dublin, Va. by Z. S. Barger andL.A.
TAYLOR. In all probability other turkeys
will arrive for the same board, SO IL 10
TOO coon to predict that the Dublin pro
will be eaten by the President and Mrs
Mckinley. Did the attaches OF the
White House known they would prob
abIv not tell which of the offerings
thus re ceived is given the preference and
place OF honor. I'VE could not DO So
Ia fact We dare not" said his Secretary
with smile. "This state pride 10 some,
thing really awful when outraged ana
were We to say that Virginia turkey
was to be given tho preference over
bird from Connecticut or Pennsylvania,
,ge would most certainly regret It," :,
Minister Conger has been instructed
10 sign the agreement with the powers
ut Pekin despite the fact that the In
strument demands the heads OF eleven
princes and high officials. This detet-
mination was reached by the Cabinet
AZ the meeting today, and ss soon as u
adjourned Secretary Hay cabled his in-
s,fuctions. 10 this comedy all the en-
VOWS have played parts, but it remained
for an American representative, Mr..
Copcer. to bring down the curtain on
the farce by most unfortunate mis-
construction of csbled cipher instruc-
lions. The last order sent him was 10
sign the agreement with the exception
OF the word irrevocable," in the pream-
BILE. Mr.. Conger read the message as
ordering him to sign with the major
lty" of the powers. The Cabinet
decided to let it 60 at that, out
sent Conger a cable TO notiIy
the powers that our contention
all along has been TO eliminate the
'irreyocable" from the document.
"The ENJOYS have been much mixed
I'D on the agreement" said Cabinet
member after the meeting. "lo me
first place, 1t was the general opinion
among them that England wanted the
heads. Most of the other powers
thought it too harsh, but as they wish
ed to stand with England. if possible,
thew came to it and agreed on the
heads of feature. Then it was discov-
cred that Great Britain had really not
desired that clause and about this time
decided to stand with US. The powers
took another long breath and prepared
to convince themselves that they want
ed no blood, when, presto,in comes Mr..
Coneer, the representative OF the pacifi-
| eally inclined United States, and says
he has instructions to agree to the ir.
reyocablen part OF it. Mr.. Conger has
been very unfortunate, to say the least,
| ip bis Interpretation OF our cabled 10.
! structioDs."
Some alarm was felt 10 official circles
this morning when it was whispered
that President Mckinley was sick. II
has been noticed that he has omitted
his usual morning walks for several
days, and yesterday afternoon he was
mot 10" to many callers. This morn.
| ing his secretary announced that the
President was merely suffering from o
slight cold, nothing more. "He catch
es cold once in while just like other
people,D said be, sand this is one OF the
times. DIR. Riyey is not alarmed 10 the
least. He merely advised the President
to remain in doors fer day or So"
The wife of Senator Frye, of Maine,
died suddenly this morning 10 this city.
Mrs. Frye bad been sick for few days,
but no serious apprehension was felt.
She passed away very quietly about 9:15
o'clock in her apartments at the
Hamilton, the Senator being in an ad-
Joining room at the time, and suppos-
ing that Mrs. Frye was asleep. The
silment was heart trouble. Senator
FRYE will start with the remains for his
home, Lewiston, Me-, at 4 o'clock this
afternoon. Mrs. Frye was 81 years OF
age. She was taken i'll Tuesday after
dinner with acute indigestion, but ap-
parently was recovering.
A meeting OF the House committee
on coinage has been called soon
after the holiday recess to consider Mr..
Lewis bill to make all silver coin re-
deemable 10 gold, and If the gold re-
serve be reduced, to supply it by an
other bond issue.
Representative Hay, OF Virginia, says
he is very much gratifed that some OF
| his friends think he is competent to
| ell the place OF democratic leader 10
the next House. but that he really
knows nothing more about il than be
sees 10 the newspapers.
This was one of the darkest deys ever
experienced here, so dark that at noon
nearly all the stores were lighted with
gas or electricity.
| All the Virginia representatives were
appointed on the House committee to
| attend the funeral of the late DR.. Wise.
the representative from the Norfolk
district, who died at half past twelve
o'clock last night at his home in Will
liamsburg. At the telegraphic request
of his brother, ex-CoDRressman John s..
Wise, Representative Weeks, OF Micbi-
gan, who prosecuted the Doctors con-
tested election case, was appointed
| chairman of the committee. OF the
Virginia memb ers Messrs. Rixey, Jones
and Lamb will attend the funeral.
Representative Swanson, of Virginia,
said today he is inclined to believe that
by the new reapportionment bill Vir-
eiuia will not lose any OF her represen-
| tatives.
Representative Hepburn, chairman
of the House Interstate commerce CON-
mittee, to which the Arlington bridge
hill was referred, talking today about
the efforts the Virginians In Congress
are making in behalf of that bridge, re-.
peated what he said the other day, that
no matter what they might do, he didn't
think there was any possible chance Of
passing the bill at this session.
The House river and hsrbor committee
will make no appropriation for improving
the hsrbor OF Richmond Mr.. Cstchings, the
leading democratic memter Of the committee,
| told the 0azette's correspondent this morn.