The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-04-14


position. The case. as you see. is of rose
wood. lined with purple silk velvet"
Speaker Henderson, in response, said:
Accept from me my grateful aeknowledg-
ment OF this handsome and suggestive gift.
Please say to my friends how very much 1
appreciate it, 1t will always remind me
of faithful Minnesota. of kind Minnesota,
my near neighbor. cannot, of course,
accept without some modification OF the
pleasant things said regarding me in pre-
senting 1t, but your generous estimate will
be standard for me to work toward. The
box is gem worthy of the gavel. Again
and again most heartily do 1 thank YOU"
The Senate recently adopted resolution
calling upon the heads OF departments TO
inform the Senate as TO the number OF en-
ployes in the departments, together with
their ages and a statement as TO the num-
Der incapacitated for any reason. The an
swers have been coming in, and they con-
tain some suggestive facts. The report
from the treasury shows that there are 22l
employees between forty-three and forty-six
years old, one hundred between forty-five
and sixty, fifty-six between sixty and sew
enty, forty-five between seventy-five and
seventy-nine years, and ten who are over
eighty years old.
Fourteen persons IN the Office of auditor
for the War Department are partially lack
ing I'm the physical mental capacity
necessary for the full discharge of their
duties. About fifty persons in different
bureaus are physically disqualified for
manual labor but not for clerical service
G<x-n t.
clerk Of the treasury are physically or men,
tally unable in part for manual labor. In
the Interior Department there are 162 en-
ployes between sixty-five and sixty-nine
years old inclusive, fifty-six between sew
enty and seventy-five twenty-eight between
seventy-five and seventy-nine years inclu-
sive, and four who are over eighty years
old. The total number of employees in the
department is 1855 Presidential appointees
and laborers are not included in these fig
ures. From the estimates furnished by
the different bureaus and officers of the
department 1t may be stated that some
thing over $50 persons now on the rolls
must be considered as permanently inca
pacitated, either physically or mentally, for
the performance of manual labor, in whole
or in part" This condition, in many cases,
results from the loss of limbs, old wounds.
or health impaired in the government
service. $50
The commissioner of internal revenue has
received number of inquiries from regis
ters Of deeds, clerks of courts of records
and others. asking whether they would be
justified in recording deeds, etc., which are
sent to them unstamped. They represent
that deeds are often received from parties
who cannot conveniently procure stamps.
asking that they be affixed by the recorder.
The commissioner answered In the negative
and in his reply states that the grantor. or
person who makes or issues the instrument,
should affix and cancel the stamp. II he
omits to do so he incurs a penalty of not
more than 500. If, however. the omission
is inadverdent, he may present the instru-
ment to the collector within year of the
date of issue, pay the stamp tax. and the
collector may then affix and cancel the
stamp. renting the penalty. The grantee
may also pay the stamp tax and present
the instrument for post-stamping. The
commissioner advises that when un-
stamped instrument for record be received
it may be returned to the sender to be
stamped, charging for postage and time
occupied in the correspondence made neces-
sary by the omission Of the stamp.
The Navy Department has signed a con-
tract with the Holland Submarine Tor
pedo Boat Company for the addition of
some of their boats to the navy. BY the
terms of the contract the government pays
$4,000 fer the Holland. 1t also agrees to
pay $75.0O0 each for any boats of the Hol-
| land type 1t may purchase hereafter. pro-
vided the boats shall be similar in di-
mensions to the new Holland, which will
be larger than the old one. The company
undertakes to protect the government
against any claims for infringement or
patents, and also to sell to the govern
mept at price to be fixed by a board
of appraisers any OF the patents used in
| the construction of the boat which IL may
| be desirable for the government to pos
sess. A further obligation on the com-
pany is to furnish experts for reasonable
| time to train a naval crew in the man
| agement Of the Holland. The company
| also bonds itself In the sum of $4,000 to
| complete the Plunger.
| Now that the Holland has become a
| naval vessel under the terms of the con-
| tract the government must proceed with
| in reasonable time to provide COM
| mander and crew for her. Notwithstand-
! ing the novelty of the craft and the ele-
ment of danger supposed to be involved.
there is no lack of applicants for the first
| command from junior naval officers. The
disposition is to refrain from ordering any
one to the post. but to give it to voiun-
No response has yet been received from
| the Turkish government to the strong pro-
test lodged by the American charge at
| Constantinople. by direction of the State
| Department, against the proposed decree
| excluding American pork from importa-
| ton into Turkey. and it is not known here
| whether or not the decree will actually be
| executed. Meanwhile the Department of
| Agriculture is preparing an elaborate pres
| entation of the reasons why American
| pork should not be attacked in this fashion,
| and 1t probably will be the purpose to make
| the defense of our meat products. as en-
| bodied in this statement, sufficiently COM
| prehensive TO meet not only this proposed
| Turkish decree, but like hostile orders and
| enactments by other European govern
| ments.
| Col William j. Kolkmar. assistant adju-
| tant general of Chicago. has been ordered
before an army retiring board. Of which
| Brigadier General Wade is president. for
examination as to his fitness for active