The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1900-04-26
At Washington.

committee ON Invalid pensions of which
Represe ntative Sulloway of N H., is
chairman, has determined to report To
the House Senate bill 147T which has
attracted widespread attention In Grand
Army circles and is known as the "Grand
Army BILL" The final draft of the bill
aggregates the disabilities under which
application may be made for pension
under the act of June 81, 1890 The
other radical changes in existing law is
the changing of the rate of income for a
soldiers widow from the present rate of
500 per year to an "actual net income of
$3.50 per year"
Senator Hale has introduced a bill
authorizing the purchase of about 100
acres of land in the vicinity of Pearl
Harbor, Hawaii, for naval purposes
One hundred and fifty Thousand dollars
is proposed to be appropriated for the
purpose specified.
One of the highest records for expor
tation of American merchandise in com
mercial history is afforded by the COM
plete statistics for the month of March
The declared value of the exports. was
1874, 1913, 348 as compared with SIP $780,
400 in March, 1893, and $104,559, $50 in
March, 1899. The imports have risen
considerably, but have not prevented an
excess of exports of $47,87l,17l for
March last, as compared with SO ,73S, 943
for March of last year.
The imports for the nine months. end
ing with March last were $641 1886, $50,
compared withimports for the cores
ponding nine months of 1899 amounting
to, $500, 022,579. The excess of mer
chandise exports over imports for the
the last nine months was $415, 1896 715.
Lord Griscom, the United states
charge d'affaires at Constantinople, has
cabled the state department that the
Turkish minister of affairs has informed
the ambassadors tn 1t the Porte will not
raise tariffs without previous agreement
with the powers An imperial trade has
been promulgated at onstantinople,
authorizing the building of the prop.
erty of the American missionaries at
Kharput, and the construction of an an
mex to the Robert college at { onstanti.
nople.
The President has sent the following
nominations to the Senate: Frank l..
Campbell of the District of Columbia, to
be Assistant Secretary of the Interior.
j. n. Hollander of Maryland, to be
treasurer of the island of Porto Rico.
John r. Garrison of the District of Co.
lnmbia, to be auditor of the island of
Porto Rico. Charles o. Huff of Maine,
to be collector of customs for the dis
trict of Kennebunk, Me.
Matthew S. Quay Oh Tuesday was
refused seat in the United States
Senate on the appointment of the gov
Of ,,fn l.x, Df 10
81. The day was devoted entirely to
debate upon the question, many of the
greatest lawyers aud orators in the body
making speeches. Senator Frye voted
in favor of seating. Quay and Senator
Hale against il.
1t can be stated on authority that the
negotiations respecting the American
missionary claims are progressing in the
most satisfactory manner in the view of
this government. The department has
received from Mr.. Griscom, the United
States charge, a cablegram announcing
that the Porte has undertaken to meet
all of the engagements made with the
United States minister respecting the
payment of the claims set up on account
of the destruction of American mission
property in Turkey.
The House, Wednesday, put its heel
down on the pneumatic mail tube ser
vice now in operation in New York,
Boston and Philadelphia and if its action
stands the whole service will be crushed
out. The post office committee had
recommended an increase in the appro-
priation for this service from 1926, 900 to
$725, 900.
After brief debate, Wednesday, the
Senate agreed to the conference report
on the Hawaiian civil government bill
the provisions relating to the right of
franchise and imprisonment for debt hav-
ing been amended to conform to the
ideas of the Senate. The agricultural
appropriation bill WAS passed, carrying
over So 900 900.