Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1904-02-25

first class armored cruisers was lost, 90
to 1875.
A subcommittee of the House com
mittee on ways and means today heard
Commissioner of Internal Revenue Yer
kes on the Gaines bill allowing growers
of tobacco to twist and stem it without
having the tax of six cents pound.
Mr. Yerkes opposed free trade in twisted
tobacco, because there could be no dis
elimination between the twisted tobacco
in the manufacturer and that in the
growers possession. He had no object
ion to allowing free trade in the leaf, or
in stemmed tobacco, as far as it applies
to growers. E. NJ. Flach, of Hopkins
vile, Ky., speaking for the dark to-
bacco district of Kentucky, said that it
raised 40, 900, 900 pounds of black to-
bacco annually, that 50 per cent OF 1t
was exported, but that the export price
was kept down. If the tax could be
taken off, nearly all the tobacco would
be consumed locally, and the situation
would thus be relieved. Mr.. Washing
ton, of the Robinson county, KY, To-
bacco growers association, spoke along
similar lines. Both favored free trade
in twisted and stemmed tobacco and
both said that to take the tax of stemmed
alone would do considerable good.
Holmes Courad. special counsel OF the
government, continued his argument this
morning in the Machen-Grof-L orenz
trial. He discussed the subject OF rea-
sonable doubt, recounting an incident in
the star route trial in which a single
Juror hung jury because he had mis-
conception of the expression that was
interpreted by counsel as an insinuation
that suspicion attached to the juror IN
that case, drew from Messrs. Dougla
and Kunler, of defence's counsel, a
spirited objection to the theme of argi-
ment. which resulted in short passage
between the lawyers. Mr.. Douglas also
charged that Mr.. Conrad misrepresented
the position of the defence on certain
points and exaggerated the gov
ernment's evidence on certain dis
puted parts of the indictment.
During the course of his argument Mr..
Conrad said that after careful scrutiny
of the testimony he had come to the
conclusion that there was not sufficient
evidence to convict Samuel A. Croft, the
inventor of the patent fastener, but that
his brother, Diller B., Machen and
Lorenz had been proven to be conspira-
tors beyond the shadow of doubt.
Under these circumstances the jury Will
undoubtedly clear Samuel A. Croft, even
if it should convict the others. When
Mr.. Conrad concluded Justice Pritchard
took up his instructions to the jury.
The courts charge was eminently fair.
Senator Fairbanks had a conference
with the President this morning over the
project of erecting new building for the
use of the Stale, Commerce and Labor and
Justice departments. The structure will
be built on the block Of ground north OF
the State War and Navy Department
building. at is an outrage" said Sen
ator Fairbanks, "that the government is
obliged to pay nearly thosand dollars
a day for the rental of quarters in the
city of Washington.
So far as can be learned no official re-
port of Admiral Alexief7s proclamation
to the Manchuria Chinese has reached
the State department and according to its
custom the edict therefore can not be dis
eussed.
William Jennings Bryan was initiated
into membershipin the Georgetown chap
ter of the Delta Chi fraternity, which
III -,.o~;el Nase;"n inst ni0ht for that
purpose. Mr.. Bryan made a twenty
minutes address afterwards.