The Elk Mountain pilot., 1900-12-18
WHAT IS BEING DONE AT
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL

| of the Blaine eXtradition treaty between
Great Britain and the United States,
signed by the representatives of the
| two governments in 1889, and which,
it is asserted. has never been passed
upon, is to be brought before the Unit
! ed States Supreme Court in the cases
| of Fred Lee Rice, Frank Rutledge and
| Thomas Jones, arrested in Chicago last
| June on the request of the Canadian
authorities, charged with being fugi-
tives from justice.
The secretary of war has sent TO the
| House of Representatives plan for the
| permanent improvement of the Arkan-
| sas river the total estimated cost for
open river navigation being S25, ,263,-
| 400. The river extends about 400
miles, from its source in Colorado TO
its mouth, but the board of army en-
gineers recommends that the improve
ments be confined to the lower reaches,
below Grand river. The usefulness of
the improvement and its value to COM
merce are set forth.
Lieutenant General Miles had slight
accident while heading the centennial
| parade, n break in his horses saddle
girth giving the general n fall. The
head of the parade had just passed the
| Presidents reviewing stand and Cen
eral Miles, having saluted the Presi-
dent, mad turned his horse toward the
House wing of the capitol. The saddle
girth suddenly parted. and General
| Miles was seen to fall sideways. Gen
eral Miles suffered nothing save the
Inconvenience and annoyance of the
| accident.
Supervising Architect Taylor has
submitted to Congress an estimate of
additional appropriations required to
complete the various public buildings
| of the country. For the Denver mint,
the original appropriation for which
was $500 900. he recommended an ad-
| ditional appropriation of S3O0,OOO OF
| the increase. 100000 is required by
reason of advance in prices of labor
and material and 5000, 600 to put bur-
| glar-proof vaults in the building. Up
on this estimate being submitted, Rep
resentative Shafroth introduced bill
providing for the Increased appropria-
| ton.
The Senate committee on military af-
fairs continues its hearing upon the
| anti-canteen provision of the military
| bill. Rev. w. +. Crafts gave the re-
suit of his own observations of the OPP
Grafton of the canteen at Newport
| News after the close of the Cuban
war. He said he had found it as low
as the lowest saloon, and that regu-
lar orgie was in progress the day hewas
there. the report being that most of
the soldiers at the post deserted that
night. He quoted General Sternberg
as saying that the canteen causes
| many soldiers to contract the drink
| habit. and General Miles as opposed
| to the use of intoxicants by the soldiers
in the tropics.
The House passed the army reorgani-
zaton bill by vote of 166 to l33.
Three Democrats. Hall of Pennsyl-
vania and Underhill and Slayton of
| New York. voted with the Republicans
for the bill, and Mr.. Mccall (Republi-
| can. Massachusetts, with the Demo-
Gratis against 1t. Otherwise it was a
strict party vote. The abolishment Of
the army canteen and prohibition of
sale of liquor TO soldiers under any con-
dition was carried by a large majority.
The clause providing for promotion
and retirement of Generals Shafter,
Lee and Wilson was stricken out
Strong opposition will develop to any
| attempt that may be made to reduce
the tax of 10 cents Il pound upon tea.
Republican members of the ways and
means committee explain that when
the war revenue bill was under con-
sideration the principal importers OF
tea and merchants appeared and eN-
grades of tea were being sent to this
country and advocated n tax upon the
ground that ii would insure the impor-
tation of better and purer article. 1t
is asserted that the tax has had the eff
feet desired, and that the tea now i'm
ported is not deleterious to health, but
is nutritious and of good quality.
At Cabinet meeting plans for a
Philippine coinage were discussed.
Nearly all the business of the islands is
transacted in Mexican dollars and
army commissaries and others supplied
with United States money are at times
greatly embarrassed in making pur-
chases from the Filipinos by the fact
that, knowing nothing of our money.
or its value. the latter ofte-, refuse to
accept it. The propositier wi N seems
to have met with favorgE < admins
tration is TO purchase silver buI.on at
the present market price and coin it in
to distinctive dollars having n gold
value of about so cents each. These
dollars probably will contain n little
less silver than the present standard
dollars.
The Senate has confirmed the follow
ing presidential appointments: Mineral
land commissioners in Idaho. G. A.
Black of Washington, T. A. Davis of
Idaho, H. B. King of Idaho; also Hunt
ington Wilson of Illinois, to be secre-
tary of the legation of the United
States to Japan; William ID. Bynum of
Indiana, to be commissioner to revise
and codify the criminal and penal laws
of the United States; B. II. Tatem of
Montana, to be assayer in charge of the
assay office at Helena, Montana; Dan
iel Fl. Mcmillan of New York, to be as
sociate justice of the Supreme Court of
New Mexico; to be RAZOR generals:
Brigadier General Lloyu Wheaton and
Brigadier General A. Chaffee, United
States volunteers.