The Elk Mountain pilot., 1903-01-06

|
prior to the reassembling of the is
land Congress after the holidays The
suggestion has been made that such a
session of the Senate might be held
during the holidays for the purpose OF
passing on the reciprocity treaty be-
tween the United States and Cuba, but
according to the information received
| from Havana this intention has been
abandoned, and the measure will come
before the Cuban Senate in regular
form in January.
The Geological Survey has been re-
| quested by several western congress-
men to devote portion of the funds
available for reclamation of arid lands
under the new irrigation act to ex-
periments with artesian wells. II these
experiments should prove what is ex-
pected, great areas of land would be
made productive that neither bitches
| nor reservoirs could reach. The French
| colony in Algeria, on the edge of the
| Sahara, has made success with arte-
| sian wells. In California, thousands Of
| acres. once considered worthless, have
become remunerative through the use
| of artesian water and are as produc-
tive as any in the state. In Hawaii. the
| people have delved for this supterra-
mean flow and found water in abund-
ance. A clause of the irrigation act
authorizes construction of artesian
wells and the Geological Survey is in
clined to grant the request and to con-
duct series of experiments in arte-
sian well digging in eastern Wyoming,
the Dakotas. eastern Colorado. western
Kansas, and other portions of the arid
and semi-arid West.
Several days at least must elapse
before anything in the nature of pre-
llminary protocol can be made ready
for signature in the Venezuelan arbi-
tration case. German insistence upon
prepayment of ten per cent. of her
full claims before submitting her case
to arbitration and perhaps President
Castro's resistance to meeting what
the allies regard as the obligations of
honor. are believed to be now the
sticking points. But 1t is hoped that
these can be passed within the next
few days. and it is further hoped that
some arrangement will be made in the
preliminary protocol for the raising of
the blockade, though it is intimated
that the allied ships will be kept ready
to renew it in case of any default On
the part of Venezuela in her obliga-
tions. Washington having been the
pivot about which all the negotiations
have turned up to this point. it is sur
missed that It may also be the scene of
the final act in the shape of the sig
nature Of the protocol either by the
resident representative here of tho
powers interested. or by special agents
sent to this neutral ground for the
purpose.
The Senate committee on military
affairs has held up pending an inves-
tigation all of the army nominations
sent in before the recess below the
grade of major. The members of the
committee have received numerous
complaints about the method of selec-
ton of officers under the reorganiza-
tion law. 1t is asserted that great in.
justice has been done to officers who
have served quite a long time. Com
plaint has been made that the men
were selected from those who formerly
served as volunteers to fill original
vacancies. and that they became cap
tains as soon as they were appointed.
Others appointed, 1t is alleged. wait
ed from four to seven months before
acceptance of their commissions, which
date from the time the appointment
was made, their rank being determined
by the date of their commission. This
gives them many numbers above West
Point graduates and others appointed
service and did much hard work, while
the men who delayed acceptance were
ENJOYING themselves or. attending to
busineess interests. Another allega-
ton is that n large number of men ap-
pointed under the reorganization law
Immediately became captains of artil-
lery and were placed in charge of guns
and machinery of which they had no
knowledge. To obviate this difficulty
to some extent the secretary of war.
with the approval of the committee on
military affairs. secured the resigna-
ton of several second lieutenants of
artillery. who thereupon were named
to fill original vacancies as first lieu
tenants in other branches of the ser
vice and in some instances very soon
were made captains.
Because of abuse OF extending special
courtesies to arriving passengers at
ports of entry the Treasury Department
has issued the following circular. lin
iting considerably the granting of such
courtesies in the future: THE chief
officers of customs are hereby instruct
cd that the extension of special cour-
tesies to arriving passengers will here
after be limited to foreign ambassa-
dors. ministers charge d'affaires. secre-
taries, naval military and other at
taches of embassies and legations and
high commissioners, and to similar
representatives of this government
abroad returning from their missions.
All the above officers are entitled by in
ternational usage to the free entry OF
the baggage and effects of themselves,
their families and suites without exam
ination. In the case of invalids and
their companions and of persons arriv-
ing in charge of their dead. or sum
moned home in haste by news of afiiic-
ttion or disaster, instructions will be
issued to facilitate the landing and ex-
animation of their baggage, but such
instructions will be construed as only
relieving such persons from waiting
their turn in limo Their hauuo oa will