North Park union., 1902-04-11

OfUefeQ favorable repOft ou Tue uiA
of Representative Mercer. establishing
a coinage mint at Omaha, Nebraska
and appropriating $95O,OOO for buiio
ing.
The House committee on foreign af
fairs voted to report the bill OF Repre
sentative Adams of Pennsylvania. Il
reorganize the United States consular
service and place II on a civil service
basis. 1t provides for the appointmen,
by the President of committee OF two
senators. three representatives and one
State Department official to assist In
the reorganization of the consular ser
vice; which is to be graded with fixed
salaries; fees are abolished; board of
examiners is established, and provision
is made for an eligible list from which
appointees may be selected.
The following bills were passed in
the Senate April I'd: Authorizing the
appointment of John Russell Bartlett
as q rear admiral ON the retired list of
the navy; providing for the issuance of
patent to the town of Basin City,
Wyoming, to the municipal authorities
thereof for the use and benefit Of said
town; to extend the time for presenta-
ton of claims to reimburse the COVER
nors of states and territories for ex-
pense incurred. by them In aiding the
United States to raise and organize an
army In the war with Spain to jan
uary /, 1903; granting land near Salt
Lake, Utah, for a miners home, and
seventy-one private pension bills.
The civil service commission will
shortly Institute test system of an
nual examinations of its employees,
which, IL proven practicable, Is desig-
mated to be extended to all branches Of
of the government service. These ex-
aminatiOns will he required of all, re-
gardless of whether they are seeking
promotion or not, and the employees
will be reduced In grade and pay II
they fail to score seventy per cent. In
the examinations. The regular Ell.
cheney records will be counted on the
basis of forty per cent. out of the maxi
mum of 100 per cent. The commission
is instituting the scheme in its own
offices first. before taking steps look
ing to its general adoption.
The scheme for Philippine currency
rs agreed on by the Republican mem
bers of the currency committee is that
there shall be coined Philippine dol
lnr of the same weight and fineness as
the Mexican dollar and the British dol
lar. 1t Is to be n bullion dollar, but
the volume IL to be limited only by
the demands of business. The coin will
carry an American device on one side
and an Oriental design on the other,
and 1t is calculated that 1t will in time
be a very popular coin throughout the
eastern world. The amendment also
provides for subsidiary coinage suf-
ficient to meet the wants of the Philip
pine people The coinage of this silver
dollar will be done both in America
and In the Philippines
The House does not seem to want
Liberty to enllghten the world. Dur
ing the consideration of the sundry
civil appropriation bill Mr.. Sulzer of
New York offered an amendment to
appropriate $4,000 for lighting the
torch of Bnrtholdfs statue Of Liberty
In New York harbor Mr.. Sulzer said
this light was put out March list.
Since the statue was erected in 1886
until now, he said, the sundry civil bill
had always carried nm approprition for
this light He had read n poem writ
ten by nm antI-imperialist on the ex-
tlnguishment of the light in Liberty's
torch. When Mr.. Sulzer concluded Mr..
Cannon congratulated him on the
speech and the poem, and then asked
him II he withdrew the amendment.
Mr.. Sulzer replied In the negative,
whereupOn Mr.. Cannon said the pend
Ing bill carried $1,0O0,0OO for lights,
the expenditure of which, he said, was
entirely within the discretion of the
lighthouse board. Mr.. Cannon said
the appropriation committee had made
some investigation and had ascer-
tained that the light on the Bartholdi
statue was valueless for commercial
purposes. On n rising vote the amend
ment was carrled-43 to 33. Some
New York school teachers in the gal
lery applauded vociferously. Mr.. Can
non Immediately demanded tellers.
You will have to carry this by tellers
and mn aye and no vote before 1t Is
finally adopted" he declared, EN-
phatically. Great interest was taken
In the vote by tellers. The. pages
scurried out to the restaurant and COM
mlttee rooms to bring In absentees.
When the vote was finally completed
the first vote was reversed and the
amendment stood defeated, 81 to 81.
The Investigation of charges made in
connection with the Danish West In
dies purchase was begun April LIST be-
fore the special committee appointed
by Speaker Henderson. Beside the
members of the committee there was
present Niels GrOn, who brought the
charges to the attention OF Representa-
tive Richardson and quite number of
Interested spectators. Mr.. Gron ex-
planned how the Danish parties oppos-
ing sale of the islands had persuaded
him to come to Washington and place
the Christmas report before Congress
and the public, so that the facts would
be known. He told of having secured
n note Of Introduction to General Gros-
venor of Ohio, now In Washington.
General GrosvenOr Mt first seemed
quite indignant, Mr.. Gron said, and
spoke of laying the matter before the
proper parties In order that suitable ac-
tlOn might be taken. The witness said
that later General GfosvenOr conclud-
ed that 1t would be proper to lay the
matter before the Secretary of State.
This WINS done and Mr.. Gron said lie
learned that the state department held
that 1t could take no action and that
the authorities here had In no way
committed themselves to Christmas.
Gron said that he had prepared state
ment for the Associated Press, but was
informed that the Inter could not use
it Mr.. Gron said he was a Republican;
had canvassed for that party In 1892
and 1896, and In 1897 had been a can
didate for the Danish mission. He pro-
sIurod n lottny fu ~ bJo - a ~,