Omaha daily bee., 1904-09-30
BITS OF wAsHrxeroN LIFE.
minor Scenes and Incidents sketched
on the spot.

/ Society gossip In washington Phllauel-
phia and New York has settled on the
enga cement OF Miss Alice Roosevelt, daugh-
ter OF the president to Nicholas Long
| worth, representative in congress from the
First Ohio district. No announcement Of
the engagement has appeared, but gossip
insinuates that It cannot be delayed very
long. dispatch to the Chicago Tribune
states that the expectant happy couple"
were guests of honor at a dinner given by
Mrs Ogden Mills at her country home on
the Hudson last Monday night. They sat
side by side. In the course Of the meal
Dongworth showed the daughter OF the
president a newspaper clipping reporting
that they were engaged.
Miss Roosevelt laughed and Longworth
laughed, too. The other guests, discover
ing the cause Of their amusement and the
purport Of the clipping, proceeded to chafr
them.
| Both Miss Roosevelt and Longworth,
| pressed for a confirmation or denial OF
| the report, evaded all questions with such
skill that at the close of the dinner 1t was
agreed by the other guests that neither
Miss Roosevelt nor the congressman had
expressly admitted that they were engaged
nor had they expressly denied 1t.
Nicholas Longworth is a millionaire rs
years old, and old Harvard man. handsome
! and witty. He is descended from revolu-
| tionary stock and Is a member of the
| cream of the sristocracy OF the Ohio me-
tropolis. From his grandfather and his
father he inherited great blocks of valuable
| real estate in the congressional district he
| represents.
From the time of his arrival in Washing
ton he has been most attentive to Miss
Roosevelt. He was her devoted attendant
at receptions, and he accompanied her to
}, places of amusement. During the last
summer. when Miss Roosevelt was travel
ing from place to place as the guest of her
friends, Longworth was never far away.
| He frequently was seen with her and other
young women Of the Washington adminls-
tration set at the house restaurant at the
luncheon hour during the last session.
There are thirty-seven vacancies in the
grade Of second lieutenant in the United
States marine corps, and Secretary Nor
ton will have to fill them by November IS.
4 He will give preference to boys from the
| west. Applicants must be between H and
| u, and as for the examinations there will
| be physical examination and then a pro-
| fessional test. The latter will cover such
subjects as English grammar arithmetic,
simple equations in algebra, geometry,
| surveying, geography, history and the con-
| stitution. The candidates personal apti-
tude and fitness for the service will go a
| long way toward determining whether or
not he is to pass. on passing the examina-
| ton the lucky ones will be commissioned
| as second lieutenants at a salary of 81 400
a year and sent to Annapolis for a course
| OF instruction at the school of application
AS further incentive 1t is promised that
promotions in the marine corps will be
rapid for some years to come"
| The government of the Republic of Pam
anna has applied to the government mint
for stock of money of various denomina-
tions, 1t wants 81 10000 in native currency.
as follows: 100000 pieces equivalent to
our half dollar, L5OO.OOO pieces equivalent
to our quarter, 1.126,oOO pieces equivalent to
our dime, 100000 pieces equivalent to our
scent piece and an equal number of 2Ik-cent
| pieces. --. -.. '..
| Director Roberts gave. instructions that
the Panama government be notified that
the United States mints would produce
these coins, as wellras prepare the dies for
them II suitable designs were submitted.
The work will be done at cost. Practically
all the South and Central American re-
publics take advantage of the mint facili-
ties of this government in issuing circula-
tion They find 1t far cheaper to get the
work done at cost here than to establish
| expensive mints of their own
Ohcers OF the navy who have charge of
the recruiting for that service have devised
a means of extracting money from the fed
eral treasury. According to a decision re-
Gently made by Comptroller Tracewell It is
unlawful to pay the expenses incurred by
officers detailed for recruiting duty He
holds that all they are entitled to receive
Is their mileage, amounting to s cents for
each mile actually Travelled. Mileage will
not cover the expenses, because most of the
journeys are short and the stays In a par
ticular city rather long.
The plan is to send the officers around
! Robin Hoods barn. When It Is desired that
an officer shall open a recruiting Office in
Baltimore for a week or ten days he is to
be ordered to st. Louis and then to Ralti-
more. His stay In St Louis is to be limited
to about five minutes. Then he is to go on
TO Baltimore By the operation the officer
| comes into possession of about $16O, out of
| which he has to pay about $50 for railroad
fare. The remainder will pay his expenses
ior TWO weeks stay In Baltimore.
/ After he has done" Baltimore. Pittsburg
may be his next stopping place Instead OF
going there from Baltimore and getting
about 24 he, under the new plan. will Jour-
ney to Denver and return before beginning
operations in Pittsburg, and so on to the
end OF the recruiting itinerary
1t is believed that the comptroller will not
dare question the discretion OF the secretary
| OF the navy to send an officer wheresoever
he thinks his services are required and that
the scheme will work. II It will not, then
recruiting will have to come to an end until
| congress can act. That would be a calam-
ity, as the navy needs 800 men to man the
| ships In commission. The seaboard cities
are not good recruiting grounds, because
there the satisfactory men know too much
about the life of an enlisted man in the
! navy to be persuaded to enlist, except as a.
last resort or as a means OF bracing up
As there is no way for an enlisted man to
get commission so he can become a gen
tleman," there is no such incentive for an
ambitious boy to enlist in the navy as there
Is In the army where, after two years
service. he is eligible TO be ordered up for
an examination. which. II successfully