Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1901-11-08

President Roosevelt's first message to
Congress will break one of the time-hon-
ored traditions of the republic. 1t will
be short. 1t will not contain Il long re-
view of the detailed work of the various
departments of the government. For more
than a hundred years Presidents have fol-
lowed the example, first set by George
Washington, of making their annual mes
sages Il sort of history of the government
during the preceding year. In many in
stances more than half OF the space filled
by Il message has been occupied with a
summary of the reports of heads of de
partmcnts-a repetition in condensed form
of the same facts and conclusions those
officials had themselves submitted either
to Congress or to the President. MIR.
Roosevelt secs no necessity for this sort
of thing. He will cschew the review,
combining his mention of the reports of
the members OF his cabinet to those sub
iccts about which he wishes to make rec
concentrations. In this new departure
President Roosevelt hopes not only 10
shorten his message. but to make it what
a modern message intended for the read
ing of nearly SU,UGO,Ooo Americans should
Dt-u Coliilpltl, NilCtl, lICuCiu dOCttlilSiits
lneaty with thought and suggestion and
view, which is read, ii read ut all, as a
matter of duty and not OF choice.
-Four hundred and ninety-ive persons,
firms and corporations want S~oI,00O.O0e
from the United States for damages done
to their property in Cuba during the las;
insurrection against Spain. The last
claims have been filed with the Cuban
claims commission, and IN examination
of them shows that most OF them think
the United States will pay high prices
for low commodities. The largest single
one is 81, LII, G9S.S5. which was present.
ed by a Cuban sugar company Incorporate
ed under the laws of the State of New
York. From this sum the claims run
down to $1,000 or $4,000, although such
small amounts are the exception, the av-
erage claim, not counting those filed on
account of the disaster to the bttleship
Maine, being between 100000 and $780,
600. Most of the claimants evidently
think Uncle Sam is about the easiest
picking" the world ever knew. The
statements they have flied with the COM
mission setting forth the damages they
have suffered might well rank as humor-
GUS literature. An examination of some
Of them furnishes more entertainment
than Mark Twain's' sketches.
The remains OF Senator Cushman Is.
Davis OF Minnesota have been inferred
quietly at the Arlington National ceme-
terry in Il lot specially assigned for the
purpose by the Acting Secretary OF War.
Mrs. Davis accompanied the remains
from st. Paul. The funeral party was
met at the Baltimore and Ohio station
by Sergeant-at-Arms Ransdell and rep
resentativcs of the quartermaster's de-
/ partment, who superintendent the remov-
al of the casket. Senator Davis was a
first lieutenant in the volunteer army dur
ing the Civil War, and it was that fact
that gave him the right of burial in a
national cemetery.
During the year the bureau of engrav-
ing and printing has turned over to the
>Postofice Department. 70 35O.SSO sheets,
Or 4,230, OSS, GOO postage stamps. The di-
rector of the bureau in his annual report
states that the total number of sheets
delivered to the government was 121.55S,-
sJl, llcliulus, III aGtItiUu W Stamps, ~
072,Io0 sheets of United States notes, cer-
t~iticates and bonds, 33.2230,9S1 sheets of
rational bank notes. 52.9T9.26S sheets of
internal revenue stamps, 10000 sheets
Of customs stamps and 1.695,412 sheets
Of checks. drafts, etc. This work cost
! 81 . ,I94.26.
President Hutin of the Panama Canal
Co. called ON Admiral Walker of the
Canal Commission and offered to sell the
concession. railway and al! rights pos
sessed by the French concern to the Unit
ed States government for several million
dollars less thar the valuation heretofore
placed on the property, which was $10I,-
100000. The Panama stockholders are