The leader., 1900-04-04
WASHINGTON LETTER.
Plan to Increase Our Exports-FIne
Engraving of the President.
Bits of Capital News.

Plnn to Increase Our ExpOrts-Fine
Engraving of the President.
Bits of Capital News.
Especial Correspondence
Representative jenkins of Wisconsin
Is In favor of increasing the exports
from this country and with this end In
view has introduced n bill authorizing
the president to appoint commission
of seven members to visit the principal
colleges Of commerce In Europe and to
inform themselves as to the main
tenance and results of these schools.
The commission, If authorized, will
make its report to the next congress.
Its members will be selected for their
special fitness for the service. An APP
preparation of So, 900 is made to carry
out the provisions of the proposed law.
The resolution declares that the for
eign relations of the United States
have recently become greatly, magni-
fed and their Importance enhanced.
Foreign commerce has assumed gigan-
| w piopoh 'IohSJ WIN ploSpNNt VI an
indefinite increase If wisely fostered
and directed. This country has no
schools for young men either for the
consular service or for the adequate
exploitation of our manufactured goods
In foreign lands. All the European
nations have many such schools, which
are partly or wholly supported by their
respective governments.
A bill similar to this has been pre-
sented by Senator Spooner, and it is in
line with those which propose to ap-
point commissions to visit China and
Japan to inquire into commercial con-
ditions and the needs of those coun-
tries.
Fine Engraving of the President.
The bureau of engraving and print
ing has recently finished n fine line en-
grayed vignette of the president which
is perhaps the best portrait ever made
of him. 1t Is, at least, more pleasing
to the subject than any of the count
less others in his collection and meets
also with the approval of Mrs. McKin-
ley, who is difficult to please in this re-
gard. The pose Is easy and character
istic. Three quarters of the face is
shown, the eyes look intently from
under the heavy brows straight at the
observer, the mouth wears happy ex-
preston, and the whole bearing is
statesmanlike and dignified. This en-.
craving has become part of the gov.
eminent archives and later on, when
the president has been gathered to his
fathers, will be used to decorate bank
notes and stamps, it being provided by
law that the portraits of living persons
shall not be so used.
Senator PIatt's Cigar.
Senator Platt of Connecticut has a
trick cigar.
1t looks like a very good cigar, but
nobody has yet had a chance to try it.
Mr.. Plat has a pleasant way of en-
gaging a fellow senator In conversa-
ton and adroitly bringing the talk
around to the subject of smoking.
Then he puts his hand in his pocket,
! fumbles for little while and finally
produces a very good looking cigar
with light wrapper.
"Now, this cigar" begins Senator
Platt as though he were lecturing, "is
| really quite curiosity. 1t has filler
of Porto Rico tobacco and wrapper
Of Connecticut cut leaf. 1t shows that
Porto Rico tobacco will come in COM
petition with our own produtt"-
At this point the listening senator
reaches out his hand to take the cigar.
ooh - 1ot ;c ie,<
only one I haver' Then the cigar
drops back into his pocket.
Porto Rico filler and Connecticut
wrapper may be a good combination,
but nobody In the senate can testify to
the fact from experience.
The General Sherman Statue.
Carl Roll Smith, sculptor who Sc
cured a contract to build a figure on
! horseback in memory Of General w. T.
Sherman, is reported in n local news
paper to be really at work in a studio
at the south of the treasury upon some
subordinate figures to be made part Of
the Sherman group. The pedestal to
receive Mr.. Smiths work has been
| completed for months, and fence has
been built around 1t to prevent it from
being carried away piecemeal by visit
Ing vandals. The sculptor has made
some progress, 1t Is reported, on figures
representing the artillery. infantry,
cavalry and engineer corps of the ar
my, but has gone no further toward
completing General Sherman and his
horse than to collect so photographs Of
the general. Those gentlemen who are
to be handed down TO the ages along
with Sherman by being pictured in
bronze on one of the panels to be af-
fixed to the pedestal will be dfsappoint-
ed to learn that he has not started with
that work.
Government Work at CavisE.
There will be large appropriations
for naval stations abroad this year,
and fully half a million dollars will be
required to pay for labor and material
at Cavibe, where according to the lat
est reports, nearly 1000 men are con-
stantly employed lnd where they will
be at work until July at least The
chiefs of naval bureau US during the last
few days have appeared before the
committee on appropriations with lib
eral estimates for operating these for
eign stations. The information given
by the experts was something of a rev.
elation to the congressman, most Of
whom had no llea of the extent of the
work or the m agnttude of the projects
at those places.
The Elks Of congress are still pre-
pairing for their grand session." said
Representative Dovener of West Vir-
ginia. "The night session will be held
some time In April and Will be followed