The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1902-10-03
WASHINGTON LETTER
Especial Correspondence,l

Especial Correspondence
Workmen employed in tearing out
the inside of the White House the 9TH
er day unearthed, deep down under the
basement, a portion Of a human skele-
ton. The mysterious discovery was
made while the laborers were excn-
waiting a subcellar below the floor Of
the basement for the new heating APP
paratus. After going down about ten
feet a massive stone vault was en-
countered. 1t proved to be what was
apparently the foundation walls of an
old house that had evidently stood on
the spot where the White House was
afterward erected. 1t will be remem-
bered that the land upon which the
White House and adjacent public
buildings stand is made land, devel-
oped to it's present condition by filling
in and grading. In this same a
ton was found an immense oven inn
bedded in the stone wall, and in close
proximity to the oven We're found the
bones. The workmen believed they
had unearthed an ancient tomb.
N-1..L1 Ia IX1111xSleTsw 81
Senior Ojeda, the new Spanish min,
lister, who succeeds the Duke of Arcos,t
begins his American mission under the
most favorable auspices. He has al
ready secured the friendship of such
representatiye men as Senator FRYE Of
Maine and former Secretary Of State
William r. Day, with whom he was
associated as secretary of the Spanish
commission which met in Paris to con-
slider terms of peace after the Spanish
war.
The minister has an interesting fam
lily, who will join him in the early au-
tumn. Sonora Ojeda has a large ac-
quaintance in Washington and is de-
scribed as a handsome and gracious
matron. A daughter, who is about
twenty, and a son, who will be an at
tache of the legation, complete the
household. Senorita Ojeda is said to
be unusually lovely, and her advent
will be warmly welcomed. The diplo-
matte corps at present contains but
one woman, the Countess Marguerite
de Cassini, daughter of the Russian
ambassador. The pretty young count
ess has been undisputed queen, but it
is said that she will find a rival in the
daughter of the Spanish minister.
Improved Postal Finances.
For the first time in nineteen years
the postal system promises something
better than a big deficit on it's annual
business. AS far as it has beer possi-
bic to forecast, the excess of expendt
lures over receipts for the fiscal year
1902 will not exceed and may not quite
reach $1,000, 900, or less than half Of
the smallest total since 1883.
The fiscal year 1883 ended, leaving q
postal surplus for the year represent
ing a net revenue Of about $685. 900.
The next year this was turned into q
deficit Of more than 100000. For
the two years Of 1893 and 1894 it rose
to between $4,000, 900 and $1O,0OO,O0O
In 1897 it rose to its high Hater mark,
$1l,lOO,0O0, and since then has de-
clined annually.
Next year, If reforms now under way
can be carried through, there is a fair
prospect that we shall. have a surplus
for the whole twelve months, the first
for twenty years. That will be the
next step to l cent letter postage.
Printing Bureau Bid Lowest.
The government probably will print
its W postal stamps as the result Of
the bids opened at the postofice de-
partment the other day for the con-
tract for supplying the adhesive post
age stamps for the four years begin
ming Oct. l.. 1t had been stated that
the price asked by the bureau Of en-
craving and printing was considered
e~xorbitant and that the work would
have to go to a private concern. The
bureaus bid, however, proved the low
est. 1t is 5 cents per thousand for or
binary postage stamps, z cents per
thousand for postage due stamps, Is
cents per thousand for special deliv-
cry stamps, $2.S2 per thousand books
containing twelve stamps each, $3.45
per thousand books containing twenty.
four stamps each and $4.46 per thou.
sand books containing forty-eight
stamps each. The only other bidder
was the American Bank Note and En-
craving company OF New York, whose
bid is estimated to be about $4,000
higher for the four years than the bu-
reau's bid.
C1ubheuses For Enlisted Men.
Arrangements are being made by the
war department. to spend half a million
dollars on clubhouses for enlisted men
of the army. A board of officers will
shortly be convened and will visit the
various garrisons and inspect carefully
the local conditions. In some cases if
will be necessary to erect a special
building for this purpose. At other
places it will be possible to utilize
buildings already in existence, wk:ch
can be readily converted to the pur-
| poses of a recreation hall.
The abolition of the canteen feature
of the. post exchange. materially re
duced the revenue from that source
and it has become necessary that the
government shall provide some means
of entertainment for the soldiers. It
is probable this appreciation of the
i cify1nf 1n- s-1,,1oI ,.a 49, -