Evening star., 1901-12-31
Fiscal Agent for Government in China
Selected.
QUITE 4 RIVALRY FOR TIE POSITION
What to Do With Consumptiye
Prisoners.
GOVERNOR CRANES CASE

At the cabinet meeting today Secretary
Hays announcement Of the selection OF the
International Banking Corporation OF New
York as fiscal agents OF the United States
in China and other points in the east was
approved by the President and cabinet. A
few days ago Consul General Goodnow.
stationed at Shanghai, was selected 10 re-
ceive the first payment OF the Chinese in
demnity coming to the United States and
was therefore temporarily the fiscal agent
of the government Today's selection is a
permanent ore. and the International Bank
will become fiscal agents OF the govern
ment in the east
Great Rivalry for the Position.
There has been a great rivalry for this
position, which promises to pay well. Up
to this time the governments business in
the east has been done through English and
other fiscal agents. but with the United
States firmly planted i'm the east and a
growing commercial business I'm that sec
ton, it was but question of time when
an international bank. owned and controlled
by Americans, should do the governmental
and other business now falling to banking
concerns Of other countries The corpora
tion that was selected today was chartered
in the state of Connecticut for the purpose
OF establishing banks In the east. and with
the particular object in view of handling
the United States portioneof the indemnity
payments to be made by China. there being
a rich little sum In this business alone.
A New York trust company also wanted
the business, but its charter did not per-
NIT of doing foreign business. So when
the administration first cast around IL
found that the international Company was
not ready for business, because it's capital
stock was not paid in, and the New York
company, although IL had plenty of money,
had no legal status for foreign business.
Internal (OmnanN
cured payments of 81 GOO 600 of its capital
stock before the New York company could
get its charter amended by the New York
legislature, there being a great race on for
the work. Among the stockholders OF the
new company are a large number of COM
mercial houses doing big export business
to the east.
Consumptfve Federal Prisoners.
A number of applications for pardon on
the Presidents table today led to an inter-
esting discussion of what ought to be done
with a certain class of pardon applications.
This is the class of federal prisoners affiIct-
ed with consumption. Heretofore the De-
partment of Justice has uniformly recon-
mended pardons for prisoners i'm the last
stages of consumption. this being done for
the reason that physicians regard the dis
ease as communicable. In the Fort Leav-
enworth prison there are large number of
Indian prisoners, many of them bad men.
The Indians contract consumption more
easily than the white prisoners. and the
consequence is that there are large num-
Der of Indians suffering from the dread
disease at all times 1t is a grave question
what TO do with them.
When they take to the prison hospital
they come in close contact with prisoners
suffering from other troubles and the sur
geons and physicians declare this TO be
dangerous to the health of the others. To
pardon some of the Indians is to possibly
turn loose a number of men who although
nearly dead from consumption, still
capable of doing desperate deeds. To iso-
late them from white prisoners would look
like a discrimination. but the Attorney
General feels that something must be done,
and so he is going to communicate with
the warden at Fort Leavenworth to OBJ
tain his views as to whether the consump-
tlyes Indians and whites should be iso-
lated in a consumptive ward in the hos
pital, or whether they should be pardoned
when it is known by the physicians that
they suffering from the disease.
Gov. Cranes Case.
The endless gossip regarding the possible
retirement of Secretary Long from the
cabinet has led to an interesting story re-
garding Governor Crane of Massachusetts,
who was rendered and declined the position
of Secretary of the Treasury. This story
declares that when Secretary Long does
retire, and the time is now represented as
a good way off, he will be succeeded by
Governor Crane. Secretary Long, 1t is
stated by friends close TO him, will not
retire so long as the Schley-Sampson AFFAIR
remains open and so long as violent news
paper attacks are directed against him.
The President wants him to stay. and he is
going to stay, regardless of his own incli-
nations.
He may not leave the cabinet in seven or
eight months, or even year or more. the
information goes but whenever he does
leave his position will. II is believed. be Of
fered to Governor Crane. The declination
of the treasury portfolio by the latter is
ascribed mainly to the fact that Governor
Crane practically owns the paper mills at
Dalton Mass, that manufactures paper
from which the government prints its cur
rercy Governor Crane could not well
sever his connection with that enterprise,
but as Secretary of the Navy he would not
need to sell a penny of his ownership in
the concern.