The Elk Mountain pilot., 1902-09-02

United States Minister Bowen nj
Caracas, Venezuela. advises the State
Department by telegraph that govern
ment warships recently arriving at La
Guayra report that for two days they
bombarded Ciudad Bolivar. after
which she withdrew, having exhausted
their ammunition.
A private dispatch from Solicitor
General John X. Richards, now at his
summer home at Duxbury, Massachu-
setts, says the published report that
he will resign his office and go into n
law partnership with Abner Mckinley
is without foundation. Mr.. Richards
says in the telegram that he has no
intention of going into partnership
with Mr.. Mckinley, or anybody else
An imperial order has been issued
from Constantinople commanding that
all the demands made by the United
States upon Turkey be conceded and
the relations between the porte and the
United States legation here have re
sumed their normal condition. United
States Minister Leishman and Robert
$. Mccormick, United States ambassa-
dor at Vienna were present ut Selam-
lik.
The Washington citizens committee
y. L
fent Roosevelt to issue an executive
order permitting members of the
Grand Army of the Republic employed
in the service of the United States to at
tend the encampment, If the interests
of the public service will so permit,
without loss of pay or without having
time so occupied deducted from the an
nual leave.
Commissioner Yerkes of the internal
revenue bureau has issued circular
letter TO collectors directing them to re-
port the names of banks which have
not made complete amended returns
for the year ending June 30, 1902, and
in case OF neglect or refusal to make
proper returns. collectors will report
them for assessment 1t is the inten-
ton to collect taxes upon undivided
profits and profit and loss accounts.
An official report of the trial trip of
the first-class battleship Maine over
the Cape Ann course, August 23rd, has
been received at the Navy Department
from Captain Train, president of the
trial board. 1t reads as follows: 'The
trial of the battleship Maine success
fully completed. The mean speed, un-
corrected for tidal errors, was 1I.W
knots" 1t is stated at the Navy De-
partment that the corrected figure for
tidal allowances may make slight
change, showing greater or less speed
Between June 25th and July 10th
seventy-two deaths occurred among
the enlisted men of the division of the
Philippines. OF the total number of
deaths. thirty-five were due to Asiatic
cholera. The War Department has re-
ceived this information from General
Chaffee. at Manila, together with a list
of those soldiers who have died. In ad-
dition to the thirty-five who died of
cholera, seventeen died of dysentery,
six of malarial fever and the remain
der of various other diseases. OF those
who died of cholera. nine were Philip
pine scouts and natives.
The part which postal employees are
to be permitted to take in a political
campaign is outlined in the following
instructions which Acting Postmaster
General Wynne has addressed to. n
postmaster who sent a letter Of in
quiry: 'Ih reply to your letter. you
are Informed that you are not prohib-
tied from joining political club, nor
making voluntary financial contribu-
tions outside of government office or
building, nor from acting as a delegate
a
convention. You should not. however.
serve as chairman of state or county
convention, nor take active part in con-
ducting political convention, nor
make yourself unduly prominent in 10
cal political matters"
The Navy Department will recon-
mend that Congress enact some legis-
lation which will clear up the anomal-
t.l. -t.,t, al II 4
of Guam. The administration of JUS
tice is one of the things which calls
most urgently for action. 1t is possl-
BILE that way out of the difficulty
might be found by extending over the
island the provisions of the act winch
extends the federal statutes over the
Guano islands and gives the United
States court into whose jurisdiction
an offender from those islands is first
brought jurisdiction over his case.
Legislative action is also needed to in
sure the stability of the tariff laws now
in force on the islands. This tariff was
created by an executive order of Pres
ident Mckinley, and according to the
decision on insular cases is unconstitu.
tional. The receipts from customs du-
ties have made the island elf-support.
ing, but unless legislation is enacted
by Congress test case could be
brought in a United States court which
would nullify the present tariff. and
thus destroy the revenues of the island
The Navy Department has made a
decision which affects the rank of ma.
rine officers appointed from civil life
under the naval personnel act. Under
that act the President was authorized
to fill vacancies in the marine corps
from civil life. and several groups OF
appointments were made, the largest
being eighteen, on May 81, 1900. The
appointces. after passing their exam
nations. We're commissioned by mum
bers and took rank according to theii