Gilpin observer., 1901-05-30
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WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Our Regular Correspondent
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.

The United States supreme court VIII
adjourn to-day until October. AL
though it may possibly hand down its
decision in the insular cases, involving
the constitutionality of the administra-
ton policy towards Porto Rico and the
Philippines, on that day, the general i'm
preston among lawyers who practice
before that court is that the decision
will not be handed down until the fall
term.
Sir Wilfrid Lamiers statement, to the
Canadian Parlim9nt, that he expected
the Anglo American joint high commits
sion to meet again this year, was dis
cussed with interest in Washington,
where it caused no little surprise, owing
to the belief in official circles that the
commission will never reassemble. At
the department of state it was said that
there had been no correspondence with
either Great Britain or Canada on the
subject of another meeting of the COM
mission for many months, and when the
last communications were exchanged
there was no prospect that there would
ever be another meeting. Perhaps Sir
Wilfrid was playing politics.
The announcement that the Secretary
Of War had approved the dismissal of
five West Point cadets and the suspen-
sion of six for one year for connection
with the recent insubordination, as re-
commended by board of army officers,
and that he would not consider appli-
cations from congressman or anybody
else for modification of any of the SEN
tences, indicates a determination on the
part OF the war department to show
these young men who are being educat-
ed at public expense that they must
either behave decently or get out and
make room for Others that can. While,
of course, there is public commentator
of the sentences.
Young men do not half realize the
progress of the last half century. This
fact was emphasized by conversation
of John n. Bland, of Arizona, who stop
ped in Washington on his way to his
old home in New York, which he has
revisited only once before in fifty years,
He said, rehectively: ''The world is
getting to move little too fast for al
old man like me. l wondered the other
day as l came across the plains what the
world would have thought if president
of the United States had proposed visi-
ting the coast when l first went to Cali
forcia. 1t would cause no more amaze
ment to-day should President Mckinley
announce that he intended setting out
on an expedition to the North Pole.
Even if president had been willing to
devote good share of his time to visit
ing the most distant part OF his domain,
the lack of communication would have
rendered his going impossible. Us fell
lows who crossed in prairie schooners
had to leave the world behind us, and it
was almost en-to-one chance that we
would never get back to civilization.
And to think that people now go from
Washington to California on summer
vacation trip, purely for the pleasure
of it."
In report to the department of state,
the United States Commercial agent at
Moncton, New Brunswick, gives some
interesting facts about the subsidized
railroads of Canada. The total subsiees
given by the Dominion government to
railroads is SSS,S5i, ,557 and 39,755, l30
acres of land, of which the Canadian
Pacific has received 25,000000 acres of
land and s62,7l2,S16. Besides the prov
nces have given s31,3lO,l7O and the
municipalities Sl5,SSi,5l2, making
total OF 5l36,O79,269 of public money
paid in subsidies to railroads every mile
OF which is in private hands. The Prov
ince of Ontario has, in addition to the
above, given 100000 acres of land to
the Manitoulin and North Shore rail
road, said to be the boldest railroad
scheme ever proposed in Ontario, which
will begin at Medford, run up the Bruce
Peninsular, cross by ferry from Tober
Moray to Manitoulin, and run through
Mantoulin 10 Little Current, whence it
VIII 20 uOFLH anu "CSt toNuTu lAdht
Superior, with branch to Sudbury,
and possible line to connect with the
trans-continental system at Port Arthur.
The conditions of this subsidy are; the
railway shall be in operation by June,
1906; the erection of a smelter of 800
tons capacity for nickel or other ores,
within two years, that no spruce shall
be exported in an unmanufactured state,
and that at least 1000 settlers shall be
yearly placed on the lands granted
j. f. Miller, Chief Engineer OF the
Isthmian Canal commission, reuched
Washington this week from Nicaragua,
xhnrn he Inns ham having n anrvnv