The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-05-03
LIVE TOPICS ABOUT TOWN.

The boxes containing the testimony in
| the Butler-H Horton contested election case
were opened yesterday{by Clerk Mcdowell
| of the House of Representatives Mr.
| Mcdowell was enjoying himself in the
| West last week. but was obliged to come
| nearly a thousand miles to Washington
| in order to be present, according to the
custom. at the opening of the cases con-
| tanning the testimony. Only one side
that of the contestant-has been filed. but
it fills four good-sized boxes, two of them
| four feet long and over two feet wide.
| The boxes contain ballots and ballot
| boxes, as well as the written dispositions
! The contestants side is set forth in about
| 1900 pages of typewrtten foolscap
| pages. Nothing has been filed as yet on
! the side of the defendant. The contest is
| from the Twelfth Missouri district. The
| validity of the election of j. J. Butler, a
| Democrat, is questioned by his Republi-
! can opponent, w. NJ. II. Horton. Mr..
Butler is a thorough going politician ana
the owner of one of the st. Louis variety
| theatres the Standard. The contest is
based on alleged repeating and Illegal vot-
ing in other ways. The entire testimony
| will be printed, and Mr.. Mcdowell has
sent the typewriter contents of the
boxes to the Public Printer.
Laborers are now engaged in putting
the coping around the pedestal which will
some day support the Sherman statue.
The grounds will be ready whenever the
statue comes, if Colonel Bingham can
accomplish it. The plan for the parking
which surrounds the pedestal includes
good deal of alteration in the grade, and
when everything is cleared away and the
statue is put in place, it will be one of the
fF,,1lx cit tod in ha cit
will stand at the south end of the Treas
ury. surrounded by a large space of park
ing with a background of trees. The
space around it will be brought to a level
| and will be traversed by gravel paths:
! The present condition of the ground
makes it necessary to place some parts
| of the coping on piers in order to bring
! il to the level Il must take when the space
! has been filed in. This part of the work
| will be taken up in few months.
There are numberless little things of in
terest hidden away in obscure corners of
| the grounds around the Agricultural De-
partment buildings In the midst of
/ clump of pine trees, near the main build
| ing are two rows of bee hives. The bees
! in these hives are called Cyprians, and
| though they are quick to defend their
| hives against the smaller enemies who
| attack them and kill them off, they rarely
! sting men unless upon great provocation.
! There is only one kind of bee more good
! tempered. 1t is the Carniolan, and behind
! a greenhouse near the pine trees is to
! be found a group of Caruiolan hives. The
| bees do not belong to the Department Of
! Agriculture but are the property of
Frank Benton, assistant entomologist of
the department in special charge Of api-
| culture. He is conducting experiments for
. do, 4rfy 1..y1t hs int ~iV AND
cultivation, breeding and protection of
bees. His special work recently has been
! to find out the ability of certain bees for
| pollinatiOn of plants, which is necessary
| for plant reproduction and for fruit bear
! ing.
| The work along this line has been made
! necessary because of the destruction,
! through some means not yet understood,
! of the humble bee, through which the
| red clover crop Is p0llinated and repro
| duced. Farmers whose main crop is red
| clover have found it falling off each year,
and this is now attributed to the disap-
| pearance of the humble bee. The Depart
ment of Agriculture has been casting
about for some insect or bee which will
take the place of the disappearing species.
Through correspondence and through ex
great Indian honey bee is adapted for
the work and an attempt will be made
10 import it and to cultivate it. This bee
is a native of the Philippines, and from
United States. Mr. Benton has been in
structed to prepare for trip to the Phil
ippines. to investigate conditions of api-
culture there and to bring back the great
| Indian honey bee for culture in the
! United States.
General satisfaction is expressed in
Washington over the appointment of o. L.
Pruden, Assistant Secretary to the Pres-
dent, to be major and paymaster in the
army Major Pruden is familiar figure
around the Capital and has been iden-
tined with the White House staff for
nearly thirty years. He has the distinc-
ton of having delivered the messages of
seven Presidents TO Congress and has
been entrusted with more official secrets
than any other man in Washington.
Djellad Bey. the new First Secretary Of
the Turkish Legation in this city, has
the reputation of being the handsomest
man in Turkey. He is six feet four inches
in height, weighs 300 pounds. and is said
10 be one of the most gifted linguists
in Europe.
g,s - a r|Irr