Milford chronicle., 1904-01-29
WASHINGTON NEWS.

A vigorous and powerful speech
was made on the goth inst by
Senator Platt of Conn, in defeAce
OF the Presidents action in Pan
ANA. He claimed that il warshlPs
and marines had not been sent to
Panama when they were,to protect
the lives Of Americans from the
threatened massacre by the soldiers
of Colombia, the whole American
people would have protested with
out A dissenting voice. He denied
there had been any intervention or
collision on the part Of the govern
ment. He asserted that the Presl-
dent had the right, treaty or no
treaty. to send even the army into
Panama if its presence was needed,
the same as American soldiers were
sent to China to rescue the Amer
lean legation at Pekin. The same
afternoon Senator Morgan made
an earnest speech in favor OF his
bill providing for the annexation
Of Panama and authorizing the
President to pay lump sum for
the pacification of Colombia. Sen
ator Hale concuTs.
The burial of another c 1ngTess-
man during the week recalls the
existence of a crying evil in the
matter Of Congressional funerals,
which both parties are responsible
for and ought to combine to eradi-
cate. Whenever a member dies
the etiquette which Congress has
established requires that a large
committee Of ten TO twenty fve
from both Houses be appointed TO
escort the body home: that one OF
more Pullman sleepers shall be
chartered by the government: that
they shall be stocked with all sorts
of food and drink and that the COM
mittee and their friends shall 60 for
aweek more OF less upon the jun
ket. These funerals cost from
S. 900 to So, 900 each. The cham
pagnes are Of the rarest brand and
the cigars furnished cost 50 cents
to 81 apiece, and each with its
aroma is enclosed in a separate
vial On many occasions some
members Of the committee have
become so intoxicated as not to be
able to attend the funeral Can
such a disgraceful custom be ter
minated too soon ?
A plan mas been proposed in
Congress for the employment Of
retired army officers. At present
they are occupied. on full pay, as
pail bearers, guests at teas, and card
devotees at clubs. Congress will
be requested to order 250 of them
to recruiting stations, to service in
connection with State militia, and
upon cOurts-martial and inquiry.
This, it accomplished, will relieve
an equal mum Der of officers on the
active list and permit them to at
tend strictly to military duties.
Graham Bell,inventor OF the tel
eDhone. arrived Monday with the
body of n mes Smithson, philan-
thropist, transferred from its rest
ing place in Genoa, to the Smiths
oman grounds in this city Nat
ural son of the Duke of Northum-
berland, and thus cut of from his
aristocratic connections. he delib-
erately chose the life OF scholar,
philosopher ,philanthropist. In the
Revolutionary War he opposed his
countrymen and sent a caustic let
ter to his cousin Percy, who was
suddenly missing from his com
mand during the battle of Bunker
Bill Smithson gave half a mil
lion dollars to found the Smithson-
ian Institution in Washington.
prophesying that the results of the
gift would bring him the fame he
coveted. after the Northumber-
lands are forgotten. 1t is hoped
that the scientist and scholar will
not be given an unfamiliar seat on
hora eback in the statue they are to
erect on the Smithsonian Grounds
in this city.