Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1903-04-04
FROM WASHINGTON.
&c Jurisprudence of the Alexandria Gazette
Washington, ID. c., April 4.

menb OF the COuiV'Oios
zuela and the powers that blockaded her
ports is inevitable, as result OF the
new demands put forward by Great
Britain, Germany and Italy Their
proposition that, in case the decision at
The Hague is adverse to preferential
treatment of their claims, Venezuela
should pay the cost of the blockade, has
never been advanced before and officials
here are at loss to understand the rea-
son for the continued attempts to inter
iect new questions into case which has
already been specifically defined. Diplo-
mates not connected with the three allied
powers are today seeking the reason for
the evident desire of these powers thus
to delay the signature of the protocol
which would send their demand for
preferential treatment to The Hague
court. The only reason suggested so
far is that they still hope to prevent the
close scrutiny of their claims against
Venezuela before the eyes of the world,
which would result from the reference
of the matter to The Hague, by arriving
at a private settlement with President
Castro through the medium of the Selig-
man Brothers, of New York, and the
Disconts Gesellschaft, Of Berlin, who
are trying to make loan Of $50, 600, 900
to Venezuela for the purpose OF paying
off all foreign claims.
Three additional inspectors were put
to work today by Fourth Assistant
Postmaster General Bristow and the in
yestigation now in progress Of several OF
the more important divisions OF the
Postoffice Department are being carried
forward aggressively. A large force OF
inspectors is engaged in sitting the
charges of extravaganza in the divisions
of the free deligery and of salaries and
allowances. A. w. Machen lis General
Superintendent of the former. Geo. w.
Beavers was General Superintendent OF
the latter until his recently enforced
retirement. Among other things it is
charged that these two divisions carried
on the advertising for bids and the con
tracing for certain supplies, which
duty it is said belonged to the division
Of postofice supplies. Another specih-
cation is that the postoffice tOpographer
was ignored and private contracts entered
into for the purchase of great quantities
of maps for the rural free delivery sys-
tenn.
Considerable trouble is being expert
enced by the Navy Department in ar
ranging the distribution of naval con-
structors. The chief difficulty is the
lack of a sufficient number to cover ali the
posts. Seventy-fve are needed now and
by 1905 only seven or eight additional
officers will be available. Hong Kong
is regarded as one of the most important
places where a constructor should be
/ stationed. So long as a large fleet IS
maintained on the Asiatic station there
will be constant need for repairs aud
until the dry dock has been constructed
and hoated half way ground the world,
from New Jersey to Cavite, these must
be made by private contractors at Hong
Kong.
The City Gas Company of Norfolk,
Virginia, filed a complaint against the
b. & O. Railroad Co. before the Inter
state Commerce Commission today,
alleging that it is subjected to unreason-
able and unjust rates of transportation by
virtue of an increase in the rates on coal
which went into effect April l. The in
crease is for ten centsa ton to Baltimore,
when destined to be shipped by vessel to
Norfolk and other points inside the
capes. The rate on coal to points out
side the Capes has not been increased.
Admiral Walker and other members
of the Isthmian Canal Commission will
leave Washington Wednesday and sail
on Thursday for the Isthmus of Panama,
there to arrange the preliminaries of the
work on the canal, which remains con-
tingent, however, on the ratifcat IN of
the treaty by the Colombian Congress.
The speech made by Secretary of War
Root in Boston, of which "no tariff
tinkering'' was the keynote, has aroused
the opposition of Congressman Babcock,
of Wisconsin. 81 regard the 5Sth
Congress pledged to a revision of the
tariff" he said. ''But let it be remem-
bered in this connection. that the re-
publican party is standing squarely on
its plank of protection to American in
dustries and that any tariff reforms
which it would inaugurate would be
with that plank as a working basis"
Congressman Babcock did not feel at
all sure that the pledge in question will
be kept. 81 can only say that it ought
to be kept" he said at ought to
have been kept at the last session. 1t
was the desire of President Roosevelt
But the solid opposition of Is republ;-
can Senators blocked it. These Is
Senator's" he added significantly, "are
still holding their seats"
William H. Barrett, the horseman,
forfeited $25 in the police court this
morning for persisting in paying atten-
ton to two young women who attended
the races yesterday. The women OBJ
ected to Barrett and he was arrested.
Out of the possible 500 nominations to
cadetships at Annapolis only 200 have
been made up to the present time. Just
what the reason for this may be is not
known to the Navy Department but it is
believed that the remaining 300 will be
filed speedily as the examinations are to
be held throughout the country on April
81 next. A second examination will be
held here May II and the third on June
at the Naval Academy.
A suit in equity was filed by the
Knights OF Labor today against Simon
Burns, president of Local Assembly of
Window Glass Workers. X. of l.. OF