The Press. (Stafford Springs, Conn.) 1883-1935, 1902-11-06
WASHINGTON LETTER.
washington, November 4. 1sos

voting. The apathy which characterized
the early days of the campaign has given
place to greater interest as the elections
approached, and there is prospect of a
reasonably heavy vote. The managers of
both congressional committees claim vic
tory, although they are wide apart on
their figures, and the majority of unprej
udiced authorities in Washington look
for a republican victory, but with reduced
majorities.
There was Wild scramble among the
newspaper correspondents a few days ago
for Information In regard to the attitude
OF the United States of Columbia towards
the construction of the Panama canal,
and as result some very sensation al
stories were sent out of Washington
Subsequent events have shown that meny
OF these were unwarranted. The state
department is now assured that Minister
Concha has erred In judgment of the posi-
tion OF hts government, and, on the repre-
sentations OF U. 3. Minister Hart at Bo-
gotta, it Is not improbable that this gov
ernment will complete the purchase of
the Panama Canal Cos property without
waiting for the formal ratification of the
treaty In process of negotiation. Advices
from authoritative sources in Bogota are
now reaching the department, which war;
rant the statement that complete concord
will not be difficult of attainment. The
surrender of Gen. Uribe- Uribe and his re-
turn to Bogota, 1t Is predicted, will soon
be followed by that of General Herrera,
commanding the insurgent forces on the
isthmus, and that will bring the insurrec-
tion to an end. 1t is believed that with
the restoration of peace the claims of
the United States will be promptly taken
up and favorably acted upon, and that
actual operations on the construction of
the canal can be commenced In the very
near future.
Considerable prominence has been Civ
en- in the newspapers of the country t6
the alleged discovery by Lieutenant Geo.
7. Emmons, retired, of the navy, of GER
tain boundary marks on the disputed line
between Alaska and the British possess
sions. That Lieutenant Emmons may
have discovered such monuments, build.
ings, etc., Is not improbable, as 1t is
known that at one time the Russian mis-
sionaries penetrated at least 100 miles in
land and established missions, many of
them In stone buildings. These land
marks, have, however, no bearing on the
argument between the United States and
Great Britain. 1t Is matter of record
that after prolonged negotiations Russia
and Great Britain signed, in 1926, a treax
establishing the boundary along that
tiOn OF Alaska which Is now under d
pute, at three leagues from the coast, thu
entirely irrespective of any previous ar.
rangement or settlement. The United
States interprets that agreement to mean
80 miles from tidewater. The rights of
that treaty were purchased by the United
States for 81 OOO, 600 In 1867, and all evil
dence calculated to establish other bound
aries has no bearing on the case, but is
merely encouraged by the Canadian Of
f1cials with the hope of beclouding the
real issue. Secretary Hay perfectly un-
derstands the situation, which Is as clear
as could be any legal case, and he will not
only pay no attention to such evidence as
Lieutenant Emmons Is now preparing to
submit to the navy department, but he
will. never submit the matter to arbitra-
tion, which usually results in the arbitra-
tors concluding to ''split the difference
between the claimants. In this case the
United States would have everything to
lose and nothing to gain by arbitration,
and Mr.. Hay will not take any chances.
With determination quite character
istic of him, the president moved into the
renovated white house last week. He
said that between the architects and the
contractors the renovation promised to
last the rest Of the winter, and he had
| concluded to move in, whether the work
| was completed or not. He could settle
| In two minutes, II he was on the ground,
questions that were now argued for days.
He proposed to hustle the renovators,
from the chief contractor down to the Ia
borers, and he has been doing it. He
stopped the work long enough to hold a
little reception, shaking hands with all
the men, and then told them that he was
being put to serious Inconvenience by the
slowness with which the work was pro.
crossing, that he proposed to bring Mrs.
Roosevelt back with him from Oyster
Bay after election and he wanted them
to hustle" and probably never was the
work on a public building pushed with
such energy as has been that on the white
house since. Every man feels that he is
In way. personally responsible to the
president to have the white house ready
to receive Mrs. Roosevelt.
The alluring tales Of quail and turkey
which some Virginia gentlemen have been
telling proved too much for the president
and he determined to slip away and gel
at least two days shooting. Accordingly
he ordered special train, and, accompa.
MED by Secretary Root and Secretary Cor.
| telyou, he went down to the grand old
place OF Representative Rixey. Mr.. Rix.
ey's farm contains 1900 acres, much of II
located on the battlefield of Bull Run
and large area has been permitted to
run wild and is overgrown with sassafras
and other underbrush. The turkeys and
quail are abundant, and when Mr.. Roose.
velt left Washington he anticipated some
excellent sport. It was his intention to
pass through Washington tonight and
proceed direct to Oyster Bay, where he
will cast his vote. He will leave Oyster
Bay on Wednesday morning, accompanied
by Mrs. Roosevelt, and will stop over in
Philadelphia to assist at the sesqui-cen.
tennial Of the initiation Of George Wash.