The Springfield herald., 1900-03-16
WASHINGTON NEWS.
What Congress 10 Doink.-Notes From the
White House and the Departments.

Representative Harmer of Pennsyl-
vania. the father of the House IS
dead. He served in Congress for
twenty-six years.
The secretary of war has lately ruled
that no more appointments would be
made in the regular army from civll
life. Hereafter all vacancies Will be
filled by promotion.
A stock company has been formed to
establish n telephone system at Whlte
Oaks. The company further plans to
light the town and the principal mines
with electricity.
The House committee on public lands
has reported favorably the bill extend.
ing the provisions of the soldiers
homestead act to soldiers of the Span
ish war and Philippine insurrection.
The ratifications of the Samoan nrbi-
tration treaty We're exchanged at the
State Department on the 18th by Secre-
tary Hay for the United States, Lord
Pauncefote for Great Britain and Dr.
Won Holleben for Germany.
The members of the committee of
ways and means still insist that the
Puerto Rican tariff bill is one of the
best pieces of legislation ever proposed
yet at the same time they deny its au-
thorship and claim that the president
was to blame for its passage.
The President has commuted to I'M
prsonment for life the sentence of
death imposed by court-martial In the
case Of Private George Murphy, Com
pany G, Twenty-fourth infantry, con-
victed of the murder of another sol
dier of the same company in the Phil
ippines.
TT is n singular fact" said member
of the senate recently, that of all the
hundreds of letters l am receiving
about the South African war not one
has ever expressed the slightest sym
pathy with England. Everybody fn-
vors the Beers. My experience is
so far as know. The friends of Great
Britain are not appealing for sym
pathy."
The president has received n beau
tiful copy in Wedgcwood ware of the
bust of Houdin's Washington, the gift
of Merton Russell Cotes, eX-mayor of
Bournemouth, England. The bust
bears this inscription: This bust of
the great Washington. founder of the
United States of America, is presented
to the nation through President Nc
Kinley, Feb. %, 1900, by Merton Rus
sell Cotes."
Formal discussion of the Puerto
Rican tariff and civil government Dill
began in the Senate Thursday, and con-
tinued unlntcrruptedly for four and
Il half hours. The principal speakers
were Mr.. Foraker of Ohio, in charge OF
the measure, and Mr.. Pettus, Demo
crat, of Alabama. but at various times
during the debate lively colloquys oc-
Cured in which other senators were
participants.
The remains of sIxty-six soldiers who
died in Cuba were buried at Arlington
cemetery Wednesday with military
honors. The bodies of about 500 SOL
diers who died in Cuba now rest IN TINS
historic spot. The officers at Fort
Myer had charge of the services, which
were very simple. A Protestant ana
Catholic clergymen read the burial ser
vice. taps We're sounded nnd Volley
fired over the graves.
The Senate committee on Indian af-
fairs has adopted in part Senator
Tellers amendments to the Indian ap-
preparation bill and Incorporated in the
bill $4,000 for dormltories at the
Grand Junction Indian school; $l2oOo
for boys dormitories. $1,000 for indus
trial shops, $1,000 for laundry and 80
600 for light plant at the Fort Lewis
Senator Warrcn's amendment appro-
prating $3.50 for repairing the Wind
river bridge on the Shoshone Indian
reservation, Wyoming.
Acting Secretary Meiklejohn has
sent to the House of Representatives
n statement of expenditures by the
War Department covering the mill
tary operations in the Philippines, in
cluding outstanding liabilities. from
May l, 1898, to November l, 1879. The
total is given at $4S,92S,O6O. the prin-
cipal items being: Quartermasters $
department, $50, of which ST.
136S64 is for army transportation;
subsistence department. $S.93O,OOo;
medical department, $l,206.137; pay
department $10,S33, 1874; ordnance de-
partment, S1,SG0.2 .239.
1t is proposed to amend the Hay
Pauncefote treaty so that it shall
conform to the Monroe doctrine and
| Justify the United States in controlling
and defending the Nicaragua canal by
any methods it may deem necessary
| and making this government solely
| responsible for its naturalization. This
| will be acceptable to the president and
| Secretary Hay. The right to forlify
| will be included, although it is the
unanimous opinion among military eN-
pcrts that battleShipS are inuch Detter
than forts for the protection of the
| canal.
Secretary of State Hay has declared
that there was absolutely no founda-
ton for the report that either Mica
ragua or Costa Rica had made any
protest against the proposed neutarli-
zation of the projected Nicnragunn
| canal, nor had there been the slightest
| evidence of dissatisfaction on their
mart with that section of the Hay
| Pauncefotc treaty which deals with
the subject of fortitications, oitlclhl
and otherwise. which had reached the
State Department from the parties IN,