The Springfield herald., 1900-05-18
CONGRESSIONAL GRIST-
WASHINGTON GOSSIP.

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Senate rejected the proposition to erect,
without reference to the price at which
che government could secure arnor
plate for its warships, an armor plate
factory. The vote uDon the direct prV
position was % to "a.
The Supreme Court resumed its hear
ing Tuesday In the Kentucky governor
ship case Hon. w. o. Bradley, for
mer governor being the only speaker.
He appeared for Governor Taylor. TAX
ing up the first claim of the opposition
that Taylor had never possessed any
title to the office. He concluded that
Tnylor's title was as good as that Of
any other man who had ever held the
office. He argued that Taylor's title
was complete; that he was not only de
jure governor, but de facto governor
as we'll, and that every step that he
| had taken as governor was legal Mr..
Bradley attacked the finding of the
Legislature in the case as Irregular and
therefore void. When Mr.. Bradley
closed, the court took a recess until
May 14th.
The Senate committee on Indian dep
relations has reported favorably Sen
ator Warrens bill to strike out the
amity clause of the act providing for
the settlement of Indian depreciation
claims 1t will be recalled that the
original act required the claimant to
show that the Indians who destroyed
his property Were at ainity with the
United States. This requirement bar
red hundreds of legitimate claims arfs-
ing from the raids of Indians In Texas,
| Arizona, Wyoming, New Mexico, Utah,
| Idaho and Washington. as well as In
some of the states further east. 1t
was found to work great hardship and
| injustice to legitimate claimants, and
consequently Senator Warren introduce
ed bill to corerct the law. 1t Is I'M
possible to predict the outcome of the
bill at this session. but 1t is almost GER
| tain to pass the Senate, though 1t may
be stalled in the House.
The leaders of the Liberal party, who
have been engaged since last June In
an attempt to overthrow the govern
ment of Colombia, which is conserva-
| tive in policy, have sent emissaries to
| Washington to ask the recognition Of
their belligerency by the United States
AS consideration they agree, when
they come into full power, to cancel the
| concessions for canal granted to Ma
| poleon Wyse under which the Panama
company is now operating, mt the date
of its termination in July, 1902, and
make new one with the United States
government which will give us control
of the isthmus. The de facto govern
ment at Bogota, In the person OF DIR.
Saclamente, constitutional president OF
Colombia, has recently extended the
| Wyse concession for six years, until
1908, and is said to have received g.
600 600 francs therefor from the Pana-
ma company. AT the same time that
company Is released from the payment
of certain fines and penalties and from
certain annoying obligations that have
been imposed upon 1t from time to time
by the government, but neither these
releases nor the extension of the ca
nal concessions are valid without the
ratification of the Colombian Congress.
Senator Mcmillan of Michigan has
| introduced bill for new kind OF
money to be called post "check notes."
fixed so that they may be made paya-
BILE to the order of any person to whom
they may be sent through the mails. On
the back Of every note blank lines are
to be left to write the name, postoffice
and state of the payee and the sigma
| ture of the payer, as on ordinary bank
checks. Thus when John Doe owes
Richard Roe $50. instead of making out
a check he can take an ordinary bill,
| fill the blank lines with the words,
"pay to the order of Richard Roe, Chi
cago, Illinois, John Doe" and stick on
two-cent stamp. which is intended to
| pay the government for the trouble and
expense of doing the business. Thus
this note Is worthless If 1t falls into the
hands Of any other person than Mr..
| Roe, who, however, is compelled to go
to the postoffice and have himself iden-
| titled before he can get 1t cashed. Tho
| fA,.x nr1c thN n n
treasury for redemption and new ones
are issued to similar amount and in
| similar denominations. The notes Of
the Bank of England, which are print
ed on white paper with good deal of
blank space, are frequently used IN
n similar manner by common consent,
although there is no law authorizing
such n practice. Mr.. McAlillan's bill
receives considerable favor from the
postoffice authorities. as they believe 1t
will be a great advantage to the postal
service, but the treasury people do not
regard 1t with favor.
In the discussion in the Senate of the
question of providing armor plate for
battleships now being built notable
speech was delivered by Mr.. Lodge Of
Massachusetts upon the necessity of
building up the United States navy
without delay. The speech was deliv-
cred with the vigor and earnestness
/ characteristic of Mr.. Lodges discussion
of public questions, and attracted much
attention. In opposing an amendment
to delay buying armor plate until the
United States could erect its own plant
he said: Il hope and believe that we
shall have no war, but great fleet is
the greatest assurance of peace. How
ever. we would be foolish, indeed, If
we should close our eyes TO the posi-
bilities of the situation. We could new