The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-01-31
BUSY DOING LITTLE
Senate Dilatory and President
Growing FESTIVE.
NO FAITH IN MONTANA DIAMONDS
Mr.. ShevIin Would Have 1t Under
stood That His Mission In
Not Political.


stood That His Mission II
Not Political.
From The Jowr,.at Bureau. Room IS. Post
Building, Harrington.
Washington Jan. 31.-Congress Is not
making rapid progress with legislation
The house has done fairly well, but every
thing is being hung up in the senate.
The pension appropriation, urgency de-
fciency appropriation, Philippine tar1h
and Isthmian canal bills are some OF the
important measures with regard to which
the house has acted, but which the senate
has not yet taken hold Of in any serious
way, save the Philippine bill, which Is
being discussed with some earnestness
this week. The democrats are very badly
Off for campaign material, as their effort
to galvantZe into life the old and exploded
anti-imperlalistic theory shows. Should
the senate, for reasons which will I'M
doubtedly come out, refuse to pass canal
bill at this session. the democrats may
have a campaign issue Of some import
ance; at least. this is the fear OF the
president, who. as stated In these dis
patches recent e>is growing quite weary
Of the way in w43ch canal legislation is
being regarded by certain senators.
No Politics, of Course.
Thomas H. Shevlin, republican national
committeeman for Minnesota, does not
admit that he Is in Washington on any
political errands. At the capitol to-day,
he dropped in at the house restaurant
and had lunch with Representatives
Fletcher and Tawney. TO The jour
a man he said: ....
shall be here two weeks longer and then
go to Norfolk, Va, for week or two. am
arranging for some yellow pine contracts in
the south and am here to see after them.
My negotiations can be as well conducted
from Washington as from Atlanta or Sa-
vannah, and so 7 stay here. Washington is
always attractive place, and now, at the
height OF the social season, there is much
that interests me. By the way, called on
the president this morning and had pleas
ant chat with him. No politics.
Thinks Diamonds Not Genuine.
DR.. David T. Day, chief of the division
of mineral resources of the United States
geological survey, has no faith in the
port that genuine diamonds have been
discovered In Fergus county, Mont. He
has been In correspondence with Geo. f.
kunz famous diamond expert of New
York, old friend who tells him that
the o-called diamonds recently discov-
cred in Montana are nothing more than
white sapphires, which are plentiful in
that region. Montana also produces yell
@ low, brown, steel COlOred. Sreen1Sh blue
and blue sapphires, which are more beau
tiful than the sapphires of Ceylon. DR..
Day says that the only authentic discov-
cries Of diamonds In this country in 1901,
were three in number, and he says re-
Earding them:
The largest OF these diamonds was discov-
cred by farmer while banning for gold on
tributary of Gold creek, in Morgan county,
Indiana This was an octahedral diamond Of
41a carats. l am Informed by State Geologlst
Blatchley OF that state that several other
diamonds have been found in the same local
1ty. These finds resemble those of 1890 on
Plum creek, Wis. They are glacial evidently
OF the first ice invasion. In the southern
states are reported a diamond Of 1916 car
ats, found in the vicinity Of Knoxville, Tenn,
and another Of AZ carats in Shelby county,
Ala, making three new finds Of diamonds in
the United States for the year 1901
Washington Won't Lose Encampment
There is no truth In the report that
there is danger that the 1902 national en-
campment, G. A. R., will not be held in
WASHINGTON, owing to the apathy of the
business men. The work of Interesting
these business men to the point of making
tnem contribute literally to the expense
or the encampment has been slow work
ana recently the local G. A. r. committee
1elt oustlned In issuing scare state
ment through the local press. But that
'ieio "HS ln|enueu lOF nome COnSump-
lion only That it bore good fruit at an
early date is apparent from a later state
ment that the encampment money had all
been raised. Judge Torrance, commander
IN chief, will be the guest of honor at an
eiaoorate banquet at the New Willard. the
night OF February 49, during the annual
encampment Of the District of Columbia.
G. A. r.
National Guard Reform.
In the opinion of Secretary Root there
is no more important legislation nending,
IN congress than the bill to increase the
emclency OF the national guard and bring
It into closer touch with the regular,
army This is the bill which was agreed
TO by the national guard association at
us annual meeting in this city last week,
and It's final passage will, work wonders
rotary Root and Assistant Secretary
sanger have given much attention to ma
t1onal guard matters, even before either
OF them entered the war department. and
this bill expresses their ripened judg-
ment regarding one Of the great questions
OF the day. The fact that the national
guard association readily approved the
bill makes the recent meeting of that
body the most important it ever has held,
Inc new bill was drawn by Mr.. Root after
consultation with experienced officers of
the national guard and the regular army,
including President Roosevelt. It solves
with great simplicity many perplexing
problems. and will prevent another season
e or embarrassment and delay such as the
country encountered at the opening of the
Spanish war. 1t was carefully revised by
a committe OF the national guard asso-
citation during last weeks convention, and
has the cordial Endorsement of military
men in all branches of the service
The design of the bill is three-fold. It
will substitute a practical scheme for the
obsolete militia law of 1892, increase the
efficiency Of the militia and provide that
when volunteer force is called for it
shall be ofhcered by men whose fitness
shall have been previously determined.
It's passage is everywhere conceded.
Should Secretary Root do nothing else
worthy OF note while he has the war port
folio, his drafting of this national guard
bill will forever endear him to the coun-
try. With the proposed law In force, the
president could raise an army Of trained
and we'll disciplined volunteers on short
notice, be sure that they are properly
oficered, and send them into action
promptly.
Study of Exports.
An export record Of the calendar year
1901 is very satisfactory when It's total
is compared with that of 1900 or Of any
preceding year. While the apparent total
falls about $12, 900, 900 below the figures
Of 1900, the fact that the export figures
of 1901 do not contain any of the ship
ments from the United States to Porto
Rico or Hawaii, which aggregated proba-
bly, $30,000,000, shows that the grand total
of shipments formerly classed as exports