Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1902-03-14

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Within ten years there will be a redn,
ton Of so per cent in the e%xpenlitur,
Of the government for pensions. accor.
ing to the predictions of an official of t..
pension bureau. Taking as a basis t.
figures for last year, when the expen
lures for pensions amounted to $13S,OUu
OOO. this means a saving OF $O0.00O.U.
for the government. not including the u
duction in the cost Of clerk hire in Il.
pension office as u result Of the lack d.
work. During the next year there W.
be a decrease in pension payments of j..
OOO.O0O. as the pension appropriation b.
just passed by the House carried on
$135.OOO.O00. as against $13S,OUO, 900 las
year. There are now approximately ID
QUO pensioners on the rolls, and abo.
100000 claims pending. Many of thes
claims IRE duplicates and will not be Al
lowed. Almost half the claimants hav,
filed two claims. one uader each law. $,
as to be sure of getting u pension unde
ono of them. About 10000 pensioners
die each year, and from this time on th.
rate of deaths will be much higher. as
many of the veterans and their widows
have long since passed the average length.
of human life. AT the rate of IO.OO,
deaths each year there would be 10000,
deaths in the next ten years, thus reduc-
ing the number of pensioners to 2O0,ON
II no more pensions are granted. 1t is
estimated, however, that enough claims
will be allowed during the decade to keep
the number at the 100000 point.
Speaker Henderson will at the end of
his career as Speaker be able to estab-
fish a museum with the gifts that have
come to him from all parts of the world.
The latest addition to his collection, a
present from his loyal and admiring con-
stitucncy, is a cane of curious workman
ship. Its handle is formed from a deer's
foot killed near Buena Vista. in the
Speakers district. long before he was
elected to Congress. The stick was cut
from a dogwUod tree ut Mount Vernon.
and is deliberately carved by hand with
three scrolls. The first hears the inscrip-
ton: II defend the flag with the sword
and justice with the gavel." Under this
appear four Masonic emblems and u min
iature of the capitol. The second scroll
. MtNu u ~ Va
Cox, provisional grand master of New
York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania in
| the middle of the eighteenth century. The
last scroll is inscribed: .Col. d. B. Hen
| derson was wounded in the battles .f
Fort Donelson aud Corinth: was elected
to the XLVIIIth Congress; made Speak,
err of the LVIth and LVIIth Congresses"
President Roosevelt has no intention OF
sending a special message to Congress on
the Cuban reciprocity question. He has
made his recommendations and will leave
the question with Congress. This was
the Presidents reply to the report that
he had ready a message. Speaker Hen.
derson and Congressman Cannon, chair.
man of the Republican caucus, called up.
o the President and had n lengthy con.
ference, at which the President told them
the report about a special message was
false. The President expressed the most
earnest solicitude that a satisfactory ad
justment be reached by Congress. sayin.
that this was an ''inherited problem"
meaning that it had come to him from
the Mckinley administration. Further.
MORE, the President. it is asserted. indi-
Gated N positive determination in favor
of m particular idea, but rather a de-
sire that Congress should deal with the
subject according to its best lights. \
All indications point to a large increase
in the nav at this session of Congress.
The naval committee is considering the
appropriation bill, which provides for an
increase Of the naval force both in ships
/ md man Tharn 10 crOtcoly N 6n,,1Nt
that the committee will authorize the
increase recommended by the Secretary
Of the Navy. If this is done there will
be three new battleships of the first class,
TWO armored cruisers Of the first class,
three gunioats Of 1000 tons displace-
mcnt, three gunboats of 200 tons displace-
ment, three steel sailing training ships
of 1000 tons displacement, one collier Of
$4,000 tons displacement and four tug
boats. 1t is also highly important that
the number of seamen and marines be
increased as well as the officers. The bill
is likely to provide for an increase Of
5000 seamen. $50 marines, as we'll as adj
ditions to the corps Of constructors and
civil engineers.
Gov. Taft told the House committee on
insular affairs that slavery in the Phil
ippine Islands was so thoroughly ingrain-
ed that it would require much time and
care to eradicate it. A majority Of the
slaves are held for debt. Until they can
buy their liberty the obligation runs from
generation to generation. The greatest
difficulty in the way of a solution of the
problem was the attitude of the slaves.
who do not appear to desire freedom. Eff
forts to free them by force, he said.
would probably result in all Of them TAX
ing up arms. against the Unitetd States.
Gov. Taft estimates the number of slaves
at 100000. all Of them to be found in
the southern Moro Islands. The authori-
ties were very anxious to assist in any
way to eradicate the system in compii-
ince with the desires of the United
States.
Within a short time the Attorney Cen
eral will file a bill in some court of cgnity
not yet designated for the purpose of de
termining whether certain railways
which persistently violate the interstate
commerce law cannot be restrained 10y
process of injunction. The determination
to do this is due partly to representations
made by the Interstate Commerce Com
'%nissioners. who have for n long time been
principally cognizant Of the fact that the
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