Gilpin observer., 1901-04-25
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Our Regular Correspondent
Washington, D. c., April 81, 1901.

TldOIS Vi Uh0 Wal dCpaA "SeAN AoS
have caused greater sensation among
the army officers in the building than
did the press news from Manila, I'M
plicating in the commissionary frauds,
regular army officials of such prom
inence as Col. Woodruff, Major George
B. Davis and Capt. Frank Fl. Lawton.
Sec Root cabled Gen. Macarthur, asking
him to reply to the charges at once and
to continue and hurry the investigation
he had been previously instructed to
make into the commissionary depart
ment at Manila. Army officials on duty
at the war department express the
opinion that some petty frauds, such as
have always occurred in every country at
commissary depots supplying an army
as large as the one at Manila does, have
been exaggerated, and positively
refuse to believe that either of the above
named officers have been guilty of any
dishonesty, although they admit that
they have been victimized by dishonest
subordinates. Major Davies, who is a
West Pointer and who has been con-
nected with the commissary department
since the beginning of the war with Spain
is now in Washington on sick furlough.
He Indignantly denies the charges as
far as he is concerned and says that un-
less they are at once cleared up, at Map
health and demand court of inquiry
for his own vindication. Gen. Weston,
chief of commissary, says he would stake
his existence on the honesty and intreg-
rty of Col. Woodruff, whom he hts
known for years and against whose char
acter he has never heard the slightest
imputation. That's the present status
of the case. Everybody is waiting to
hear from Gen. Macarthur.
At the annual meeting of the national
Academy of Sciences, held in Washing
ton this week, the Draper medal, the
highest honor in the gift of the academy,
was accorded to Sir William Higgins,
of London, who is foreign member of
the academy, for his researches in as
trophysics. This medal has in the past
been conferred upon Samuel p. Langley,
Edward c. Pickering, the late Henry a.
Rowland, Ii. G. Vogel, and James e..
keeler.
Washington will soon have hotel
that in the elegance of its furnishings
and fittings, and, of course, in the altitude
of its prices, will su-pass the famous
Waldorf Astoria, of New York ,sand other
hostel ries which cater exclusively to the
patronage of the wealthy. Said the
manager of the new hotel: 1.-The furni-
ture and fittings will be the finest that
can be bought. Such policy pays,
and that is the reason it is adopted.
There is very large class of American
travellers who are willing to pay almost
any price for their hotel accommoda-
tions, provided they are given the best
of everything to be had. This hotel and
others of it's class are standing NOM
uments to one of the most notable tend
encies of the wealthy Americans of to-
day-extravagance in personal expend-
itures. There are other things that
they ara, too-standing temptations to
the snobbishly inclined to spend money,
sometimes not their own, in order to
be thought richer than they are.
Mr.. p. w. Waterlow, who the head of
London's largest printing establishment
which employs 5000 hands. accompanied
by his wife and daughters on an Ameri.
,nn,hnl Wa.lirnt,Y, ,l,s ,,,anly
He said of the publications concering
industrial and commercial depression in
England: "rhere is depression in Eng
land, but the story of our industrial de.
aggerated. We have had long war in
South Africa, our consols have depreci,
atcd, and there are some grounds, un-
der such circumstances, for the gloomy
statements that are current. But bust
ness is not decidedly poor"
\ s5,OO0,0OO naval station is not to
be established in the Philippines, if
congress approves the plans of Il board
of naval officers, which are now being
prepared, by direction Of secretary Long,
At present all the large warships in
Philippine waters have to be sent to
Hong Kong to be docked and repaired
and the charges are said to be little
short of extortion.
The president is said to have ordered
Gen. Wood to come to Washington ahead
of the committee OF the Cuban consti,
tutiona convention, which will reach
Washington early next week, in order
that he might be on hand IN hear what
the Cubans had to say and TO show
them the high esteem in which he is
held by the president. 1t is said that
the presidents order was actuatcd by