The Elk Mountain pilot., 1903-02-24
WASHINGTON NEWS AND
CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS

desire to denver lOrmal speeches at re-
ceptions or banquets on his proposed
Western tour This was in response
to an invitation extended by Repre-
sentative Jones of Washington to at
tend a Board of Trade banquet at Sc
attic and deliver an address. The Pres
ident appreciates the courtesy of such
invitations. but thinks formal dinners
and entertainments are not as desira-
BILE methods of meeting people as more
informal affairs.
Before passing the naval appropria-
ton bill the House made several
amendments. the most important being
one to authorize the secretary OF the
navy, in his discretion. to purchase or
contract for submarine torpedo boats,
after investigation of their merits. and
making an appropriation for that pur-
pose. The amendment was in the Ian
guage of bill introduced by Mr.. Hill
of Connecticut, and it was stated on
the floor that it had the support of all
the members of the naval committee.
1t was adopted practically without de-
bate. An amendment was adopted Civ
ing members of Congress whose dis
tricts are not now represented at the
Naval Academy the privilege of imme-
diately appointing to fill such yacan-
cies.
The conferees on the army appropri-
alton bill met February 18th and came
TO an agreement The appropriation
of $4,000 for equipping the national
guard the same as the regular army
was agreed to. The Senate conferees
receded from the amendment providing
for the purchase and preservation of
the Balls Bluff battlefield. The Senate
provision for 100000 for army post
buildings to take the place of the can
teens, remains in the bill, but 1t is
provided that not more than 1000 be
expended for any one post building.
The Senate amendment permitting all
army officers below the grade of major
general. who saw service in the civil
war, to retire with the rank and pay
of the next highest grade, was agreed
to. with further amendment making
it apply only to officers who served in
the Civil War more than one year.
Senator Teller and Senator Patter-
son called upon the director of the
mint recently and conferred with him
on the matter of completing the ma
chinery plant in the Denver mint.
The House has already appropriated
S15c,00 for this purpose, and an effort
Will be made to increase the amount to
$3.50, 900, the estimate of the director.
The director said that much of the ma
chinery in the New Orleans mint would
be removed to the Denver mint upon
the latters reduction to an assay mint.
7 Senators Teller and Patterson suggest
ed that southern senators would sue
1 cessfully oppose such measure. The
director promised that as soon as the
appropriation was available he would
proceed with the installation of ma
chinery. He made it evident that Den
yer was one of the three desirable
miEting places in the country, the
other two being San Francisco and
Philadelphia.
During the discussion of the state
hood bill in the Senate Mr.. Teller re-
sented Mr.. Depew's remarks on une-
quail representation in that body Ad
yancing to the center aisle and speak
ing with great fervor, Mr.. Teller said
it was no small thing to talk about
changing the form under which the
government had grown so great and so
strong 81 have listened to a great deal
of nonsense" said he. Il have listened
to a good deal | consider beneath the
dignity of some, but | cannot listen to
Mr.. Depews remarks without saying
here. as citizen of the United States.
that | feel the American people will
feel the insult from the senator from
New York" Replying, Mr.. Dapew said
he regretted that Mr.. Teller felt insult
ed. but when you add to the minority
representation in this Senate he said,
"and take it further away from the
people. you are calling attention to a
condition where you cannot tell what
the people may do in the discussions
of the future"
The government has formally ac-
cepted the offer of the Panama Canal
Company to sell to the United States
the canal property and all of the COM
pany's rights therein for $40,000,000,
subject only to the ratification of the
pending treaty with the Republic of
Colombia. The effect of this accept
ance will be to extend the life of the
option held by the government beyond
March 4th next, and until the treaty
now before the Senate has been rati-
fed by both countries in interest. The
President desires that the proceedings
necessary to the transfer of the title
and possession of the property be for
warded as much as possible to the end
that when the pending treaty is rati-
fed and goes into effect. nothing will
remain to be done but to consummate
the transaction by the delivery of pos
session and the payment of the con-
sideration Senator Morgan, as
question of privilege, had read recent
communication addressed to him by
Rafael Reyes, Colombian minister to
Mexico. and which appeared in the
public press, denying the accuracy of
certain statement alleged to have
been made by Mr.. Morgan in the Sem
ate February 18th, that the president
of Colombia had sold out and abdi-
Gated for $1,000.000 He declared that
if anything was said by him it was in
secret session of the Senate. Reyes, he
said, seems to be determined on the
success of the Panama scheme. THE
coincidence of the double assault on