Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-04-29
AT THE WHITE HOUSE
Idea Of Retiring Gen. Miles
is Dropped.
CASE OF VETERANS
PLEA FOR FOUR EX-CoNFED-
CRATES IN CENSUS OFFICE.
Chinese Exclusion Bill to Be Signed
Today-Cowboys Call on the
President.
CASE OF VETERANS

Secretary Long attended his last cabinet
| meeting today, and informed the President
| that he had cabled to Venice for the facts
| in connection with the conviction in the
| courts of Venice of some of the officers and
| privates Of the marine corps serving on
board the Chicago. The officer command
ing the Chicago has made no report Of the
! trouble there, and Secretary Long Is going
to make an investigation to reach the bot
tom of the affair.
Secretary Long will go out Of office on
Thursday. Representative Moody, his sue
cessor, will be sworn in at the Navy De-
partment that day. The officials and clerks
will greet the incoming Secretary and bid
| goodbye to the outgoing one at the same
| time.
| Secretary Wilson talked for half an hour
| to the cabinet about some experiments that
/ have been making in his department in
wireless telegraphy. 1t is hoped by the Sec
| retary that wireless telegraphy can become
| an important feature of the work of the
Gather bureau.
The cabinet discussed for some time the
question of how to deal with cattle ranch
| ing on public lands In the west so as to Sc
| cure the land for small settlers while doing
minimum of hardship to the cattlemen
now occupying the lands. Some Indian
matters were also discussed.
Gen. Miles Not to Be Retired.
There will be no further consideration by
| the President of the subject of retiring
Lieutenant General Miles so long as the
commander of the army maintains his pres
ent attitude of reserve. The President has
| reached this conclusion without waiting to
discuss the matter with Secretary Root,
who will shortly return to Washington
ron -icff 70 rho
Root went away from here it was pretty
well understood that within a compare
| lively short time an order would be issued
placing General Miles on the retired list
The Presidents change of mind is due to
appeals to him to permit General Miles to
serve until his retirement is brought about
by the regular process, and by assurances
that General Miles would not in the future
do anything to attempt to embarrass the
administration in its Philippine policy or
in other directions. The case will be al
| lowed to remain just as it is unless General
Miles himself should do something or take
some action to revive the original determi-
nation Of the President.
1t is not improbable that General Miles
will in a voluntary way gradually relinQuish
some of the authority he mas possessed and
turn over portion of the work of his
office to others, thereby lessening the
danger Of further friction with the Off
Gals of the War Department and the Presi-
dent.
The Presidents conclusion has been quiet
ly communicated to friends of General
Miles and to political friends who had join
ed In urging him to let the Miles case rest
until it solves itself in regular order.
Confederate Veterans in Census Office.
Representative Clayton of Alabama talk
ed to the President this morning about the
status of four ex-co1federate veterans who
are in the census bureau, but who will be
barred from appointment to the permanent
census force because of their age. The
President explained to Representative Clay
ton that he had issued no peremptory order
TO Director Merriam as to the retention of
Union veterans Of the civil war who are
also beyond the age limit set by Mr. Mer-
r1am. The President said he had merely
requested the director to show what prefer
ence he could to federal veterans. Outside
OF this he was naturally compelled to leave
the construction of the permanent census
force to the director. Representative Clay
ton hoped that the President would be able
to do for the four ex-confederates what he
had done for the Union veterans, and the
President said he would consider the case
The Presidents friendly attitude to vet
Grams OF the civil war has entailed upon
him good deal Of unnecessary detail that
Is taking great deal Of his time. In and
out of every department of the govern
ment there are meritorious cases of vet
Grams that need consideration The trouble
IS, however, that when these cases are not
handled in the departments to suit friends
or each veteran they carry it direct
to the President, and the burden laid upon
him of disposing of it. In this way the
president is forced to handle mass of
oetall that does not belong to him in any
form and is simply carried to him because
or his friendly feeling for a soldier. Nearly
every day the President is required to
listen to something of this kind from in
dlVlduals and committees or delegations
representing organizations. The President
Is understood to be willing to decide any
case that would establish a precedent or
policy, but it is not likely that he regards
1t as exactly right to burden him with
the individual case of every veteran of the
civil or Spanish-American war who has
! not been able to obtain just what he want
ed before some other official
The Chinese Exclusion Bill.
Representative Kahn of California was
at the White House today to arrange for
the signing of the Chinese exclusion bill by
the President. Congress passed a bill pro-
viding for exclusion yesterday, and the en-
crossed bill will be laid before the Presi-
dent this afternoon by Mr.. Kahn. The
pen with which the bill is signed will be
taken to San Francisco, to be placed in the
| museum in Golden Gate Park Mr.. Kahn
says that the bill is fully satisfacto to
the Pacific coast.
Cowboys Pay Call
Five or six cowboys who knew the Presi-
dent personally when he was living on his
| ranch in the Dakotas called at the White
House today with Senator MilIard of Ne
| braska. They received a most friendly
greeting from the President.
A number of the members of the National
Editorial Association were received by
the President. The association held its an
| nual meeting in Hot Springs Ark, and
then went on a tour to the Charleston ex-
position and elsewhere.
The President shook hands with the
youngest baby who has visited him at the
White House. The infant was about six
months old and was with it's mother, who
was presented, along with other friends, By
Representative Bishop of Michigan
James r. Garfield. who will in a few days
enter upon his duties civil service com
missioner. to succeed Mr.. Rodenberg called
on the President this morning and had a
talk with him.
Mr.. Moody's Nomination Sent In.
The following nominations were sent to
the Senate today by the President:
William H. Moody. Massachusetts,, to be