Gilpin observer., 1903-03-12
WASHINGTON NEWS AND
CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS

Rear Admiral A. S. Crowninshield.
commanding the European squadron.
has asked to be placed on the retired
list of the navy under the provision
OF the personnel law. Admiral Crown
inshield is now No. 20 on the list of
rear adnirals and his retirement will
place him in the first grade, where his
retired pay will be 81, 1925 per annum.
His retirement will promite Captains
Cook and Harrington to be rear ad-
mirals.
The amendment to the sundry civil
appropriation bill, providing for the
appointment by the President of a
commission or the use of other means
to bring about an understanding be-
tween this country and the silver
standard countries as to an equitable
ratio between silver and gold monies,
remained on the bill and became a
law. 1t is generally understood that
the President will open negotiations
with the countries in question, with a
view to getting them to go into such
conference. The appointment Of a
commission will probably come later.
One hundred thousand dollars is ap-
propriated to defray the expenses of
tne Investigations.
The secretary of war has sent to the
Senate records of courts martial held in
the Philippines since the military oc-
cupation of those islands by the United
States, including the cases of General
Smith and Major Glenn. The tran
script also covers the opinion by the
attorney general in the case of Capt.
G. M. Brpwnell Sixth infantry, charged
with ordering the punishment which
resulted in the death at Banate of Fa-
ther Augustin, in which the attorney
general found that Brownell could on
ly have been tried by court-martial,
and that now that he is out of the ser
vice and peace has been proclaimed in
the Philippines, he is not subject to
trial by a court of that character.
A Swede who gave his name as 2.
Berg of Providence, Rhode Island,
tried for an hour to see the President.
He was urged by the White House at
taches to reduce his communication to
writing. This he endeavored to do,
but failed. One of the secret service
officers interviewed him and found
him possessed of hallucinations. Berg
said that several years ago he had in
formed the United States government
that the Spaniards had intended to
blow up one of his battleships, and
wanted the President to see to it that
he received 100000 for the informa-
ton. Berg was persuaded to return to
Providence and there place his claim
in the hands of a lawyer.
President Roosevelt sent a letter to
Hon. David B. Henderson, late speak
er of the House of Representatives, of
which the following is a copy: my
Dear Mr.. Speaker-As l did not see
you to-day at the capitol, wish to
write you line to congratulate you on
the work accomplished by the Con-
gress which has just closed. There
were certain measures of Importance.
the failure to act upon which l greatly
regretted; but 1t is nevertheless true
that. taken as a whole, no other Con-
gress of recent years has to its credit
q record of more substantial achieve
ment for the public good than this,
over the lower branch of which you
preside. I congratulate you and it and
I wish you well wherever your future
may lead you"
The plumber of bills introduced dur
ing the Fifty-seventh Congress aggre-
ported and more than 1000 passed.
The House calendar is clearer at the
close of this Congress than it ever has
been before. only seventy-eight bills
remaining undisposed of. In the Fifty
fifth Congress 2.214 bills were reported
and 1.473 passed. In the Fffty-sixth
2.7S7 were reported and 2.204 passed.
The nearest approach to the number of
bills introduced in the Fifty-seventh
was in the Fiftieth Congress. when IA
339 were brought in and the greatest
number reported was in the Forty
ninth Congress, the aggregate being
4,181. The number of private bills
passed by this Congress have been ex-
ceedingly large. Fifteen members OF
the House died during the Congress
Just closed. an unusually large num-
ber.
The conferees on the agricultural ap-
preparation bill came to an agreement.
The House accepted the Senate amend
ment appropriating $500.000 for the
eradication of the foot and mouth dis
ease and other contagious diseases. The
Senate receded from its amendment In
creasing the total appropriation for
the general expenses of the bureau of
900. thus leaving the appropriation of
81, 100000. The amount for the pur-
chase of seeds was fixed at $3.50. 900:
that for the bureau of plant industry
at $674,930; for the bureau of forestry
at $350.000; for the bureau of soils at
$212,4S0. The Senate provision allow
Ing the secretary to care for wild ami
mails presented to the department is re-
tanned. The appropriation for the ir-
rigation investigation is fixed at $685.
600.
Among the distinguished men who
retired from public life at the close OF
the Fifty-seventh Congress. none is
held in higher esteem by his col
leagues than Hon. Galusha A. Grow.
representative-at-larg from Pennsyl-
vania AS token Of their regard for
him, the members Of the Pennsylvania