The Lamar register., 1900-12-12
WHAT is BEING DONE AT
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL

VI IlllySlclhnS upon tne nltfatlOH OI tue
water supplied to the city of Wash
ington, Mr.. Gallagher called attention
TO the fact that the death rate of
Washington from typhoid fever was
seven or eight times as great as in
European cities of the same class.
Senator Wolcotts bill, which he in
troduced in the last Congress to create
a tenth United States judicial circuit
has been reintroduced by Senator
Thurston. The bill proposes creating
judicial circuit to include Kansas,
Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah
and Montana, with two circuits and
three district Judges. The measure is
strongly urged by all the representa-
tives from the states Interested.
The first formal social function of the
season Mt the White House occurred
on the night of December 9Th, when
the President and Mrs. Mckinley gave
a dinner to the commissioners of the
United States to the Paris exposition
and their ladies. The table was set in
the state dining room, which, with the
east room and the red, blue and green
parlors, had been appropriately deco
rated for the occasion. The Marine
band furnished the music.
At Cabinet meeting plans for a
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 often refuse to
accept it. The proposition which seems
10 have met with favor by the admins
tratiOn is TO purchase silver bullion at
the present market price and coin 1t in
to distinctive dollars having a gold
value of about 30 cents each. These
dollars probably will contain a little
less silver than the present standard
dollars.
The bill of Mr.. Shafroth of Colorado
for the adoption of the metric system
by the United States was favorably
reported by unanimous vote of the
House committee on coinage, weights
and measures The bill as reported
provides: THAT on and after January
l, 1903, all the departments of the gov
ernment of the United States in the
transaction of all business requiring
the use of weights and measurement,
except in completing the survey of
public lands. shall employ and use only
the weight and measure of the metric
system, and on and after January l,
1903, the weights and measures of the
metric system shall be the legal stand
ard weights and measures of and in
the United States"
The report of the canal commission
makes the following comparisons: The
Panama canal. after completion, would
be shorter. have fewer locks and less
curvature than the Nicaragua canal.
The measure of these advantages is
the time required for Il vessel to pass
through. which is estimated for an av-
erage ship Mt twelve hours for Panama
and thrty-thrce for Nicaragua. On the
other hand the distance from San Fran
cisco to New York is 377 miles, to New
Orleans $40 miles and to Liverpool 1856
miles greater via Panama than via
Nicaragua. The time required to pass
over these distances being greater than
the differences in the time of transit
through the canals. the Nicaragua line,
after completion, would be somewhat
more advantageous to the United
States, Notwithstanding the greater
cost of maintenance of the longer ca
nal.
The report of the Isthmlan canal
commission submitted by the President
to Congress gives as the unanimous
conclusion of that body that the most
practicable and feasible route for an
isthmian canal. under the control, man.
agement and ownership of the United
States, is that known as the Nicaragua
canal route" The commission estimates
the cost of this route at 2OO,54OOOO.
The com mission also estimates the cost
of a canal by the Panama route at
S142, ,342 80. according to one route, or
S156,37S,25S according to another
route As between the Nicaragua and
and Panama routes the commission
sums up number of advantages ia
vorable to the former. 1t states also
that under the concessions given by
the Colombian government to the Pan
ANA canal company that government
is not free to grant the necessary
rights to the United States except up
on conditions made by the company.
1t is estimated that the bill introduc-
ed by Chairman Payne of the ways and
means committee to reduce taxation
under the war revenue act will make
the following reductions: Beer, S9.S32,-
712; cigars, S3.1S9.164: special taxes
(section q commercial brokers, S132.-
PSI; custom house brokers. SIS, 167; cir
cuses, S11. IA; theaters, SAT us; exhi-
bitions not otherwise provided, Ssh
21S. Total special tax. $2S7 $50. Sched-
ule A-Bank checks. S7.OO0,OOO, certif-
Gates of deposit. S20O,OOO; drafts, in
land. S5OO,OOO: promissory notes, 3d.
100000: postal orders. S6O2OOO; foreign
bills of exchange. 100000; export bills
t..A.