El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1901-01-19
ID. OFF," Chats In
Light Vein Of Current
Event At the Capital.

ney general. Pettigrew has started a
fight on both nominations, naturally
enough. His time is growing short
now and he is waltzing around with a
sharp stick poking everybody in
sight.
Police Protection for Luzon Island.
The war department intends submit
ting police protection for that of the
military in Luzon towns. Discharged
American soldiers will be offered in
ducements to remain as policemen.
paid out of insular funds. Manila will
is equitable enough; the islands should
pay for their own protection. Many
Of the volunteers are anxious to remain
as policemen and the department is
seeking to meet this desire by provid-
ing more or less temporary employ
ment. Probably in time our soldiers
will grow up into a land owning aris-
tocracy in all our own possessions,
controlling the property interests.
That is an ideal to which our efforts
should be directed. There is a great
young men and the colonies will give
an outlet for it, providing opportuni-
ties for those who in former days
would have gone to the frontier. 1t is
announced that nearly half the mem
bers of the 9th regiment which sailed
on the 10th, will remain in the Phil
ippines in various capacities.
Asphalt Trust and Venezuela Locking
Horns.
The asphalt trust and Venezuela are
still locking horns, and the question
is approaching an acute stage. it is
said at the state department today.
The New Workers are throwing up
earthworkS and preparing to defend
their property, while Venezuela has
filed a protest against our government
taking any hand in the controversy.
Really it's not necessary it should. If
a good healthy trust-and there's
nothing the matter with the asphalt
people-can't get away with one small
South American country, it hasn't any
excuse for living. The Standard Oil
fought Russia to a standstill at one
time. procuring an agreement for the
of the earth between their own
product and that of the Baku fields.
Forward Steamship Company and the
Nicaraguan Canal.
Speaking about Spanish America,
the notification through the British
government that the Forward Steam
ship company owns an exclusive 30
year franchise for navigating the San
Juan river. has come as a bump on the
nose for the advocates for the Nicara-
qua canal. The river is a necessary
link in the canal and if the franchise
is valid-which it is said to be-we
will either have to buy out the conces-
sionaires or wait till the thing ex-
pires in 1927. The price is $4,000 900
or toll on all vessels. Spanish coun-
tries still keep up the good old prac-
tice which we abandoned in English
speaking countries after the time of
Charles 1.-THE gentleman who lost his
head at a critical time in the history of
England. with disastrous results to
granting patents for all
manner of private monopolies.
ran up against lot of them at
one time when l was in Guatemala
One was the exclusive rigt to construct
and operate sawmills within the re-
public. This confiicted somewhat with
he ideas of local Yankee. Guatemala
had just then unexpectedly changed
her tariff on imported lumber from a
rate on square measure to one by
all came in in a watersoaked
condition and this was a little game on
the part of the administration to
fleece certain importers-andm my man
had dazzling CLEANS of millionaireship
boating before his eyes. Under their
influence he brought in complete
plant, intending to work up the abun-
liant pine timber in one of the DEPART
nents. Heidi till the patentee came
around with a request for royalties.
when his dreams backed up and ran
he other way; became financial night
mares. Nobody is saving timber in
Guatemala now-the man with the
franchise never did it and never in
ended to. Another case was that of
lighter company over in Honduras.
They had the exclusive right to en-
park and land all goods on the east
coast, and when the railway company
1t Puerto Caballos ran piers out to
enable the loading of bananas from
he cars directly into the steamer, the
lighter outfit came around and calmly
collected SO much per bunch just the
same. Ballentyne, a New York man
was at the head of the road, and he
stood the imposition for a year or two
and then stopped payment. AS he hap
pened to be personal friend of the
president, his pull was great and the
patentees had to succumb. There were
lots of other franchises kicking around
and they were nuisances all of them,
but none was what this San Juan river
right promises to be in magnitude.
Not Interested in Messages From Mars.
Scientific men are not much inter
ested in the alleged messages from
Mars, nor is the war department for
some unknown reason. but the crankS
for whom Washington is hot bed and
a forcing house and all that. have TAX
en- up the subject with great random"
as Mark Twain's knight used to say.
All the spiritualists are a unit in say
ing they have received Geographic dis
patches and point with pride to
Flournoy's recent book. From India