The Springfield herald., 1904-01-01

| In the suit OF that state aSuihsl lhe
Northern Securities Company has been
| filed in the Supreme Court of the Unit
ed States by Attorney General Doug
lass and Messrs. Mum and wilson
| They contend that the merger OF the
Northern Pacific and Great Northern
companies into the Northern Securities
| Company was for the purpose OF su-
| fling competition.
In reference to the alleged interview
attributed to Maj. Gen. II. c. Merriam
| to the effect that proposed promotion
| OF General Wood would be harmful TO
the army. Secretary Root has received
| telegram from General Merriam,
dated Denver in which he declares
that he has not authorized any publ
cations en- any subject. 1t Is under
stood that the generals statement
will be regarded as satisfactory at the
| War Department.
/ The President has denied thirteen
| applications for pardon, has granted
| four nardons to restore civil rights.
| and has exercised clemenc- in eleven
other cases. David Y. Rieger, who
| was convicted in Kansas City OF mis-
| applying certain credits of the Missou-
ri National bank of Kansas City, OF
| which he was president. is pardoned.
He was convicted in 1899 and SEN
| fenced to Imprisonment in the Mis-
souri, penitentiary for six years.
The secretary of the interior to-day
refused the application of the city of
| San Francisco for permission to begin
| the necessary construction toward OBJ
| tanning water supply from the
| Yosemite National Park. The depart
ment's adverse action Is based on the
| fact that the organic act creating the
park requires the government to keep
It in its natural condition. The city
| wished to build dam at the head OF
| the Hetthettchy valley and convert
| that valley into a reservoir. 1t was
proposed to dam up the end of Lake
Elenor. The department holds that
such works would oblitera:e or deface
| the natural wonders of the park.
Frank NJ. Higgins. chief examiner Of
the Civil Service Commission, in his
annual report says that during the last
fiscal year there were 1l2.625 persons
examined for the classified service of
, the government and 4O.423 appoint
| ments to all branches of the service.
| OF the appointments twenty-four per
cent. were purely clerical positions.
three per cent. to professional. technfc-
al or scientific positions. thirty-eight
per cent to mechanical positions. re-
quiring no education at examination.
and seven per cent. to skilled labor po-
sitions not exactly mechanical in their
character but requiring no education
al examination. OF all those EXAM
ined nearly eighty per cent. passed and
thirty-six per cent. of all examined
were successful in securing appoint
ment.
The War Department has made pub
lie letter from General Wood. dated
July 2S. 1903, in which he asks that
the charges made against him by
Major Runcie. in which he requests
that the matter be referred to the in
spector general of the army for such
action as may be required under the
, circumstances or to any other au-
thority which the War Department
may deem proper. He further says:
Il enclose herewith statement OF
the facts in the case. together with
true copies of letters, extracts from
letters. etc. bearing on the subject.
The statement enclosed gives the adj
dresses Of most of the persons who
have more or less knowledge of the
affair. 1t will be noted that many OF
the letters are confidential in charac-
ter. the originals of which are in the
MES VI tllt
tary of war"
The Commission on International
Exchange has received from Professor
jerks the conclusions of the monetary
commission of Japan regarding the
proposals of the American commission
for uniform coinage system based
upon the gold exchange standard for
China The resolutions declare that
lst.. 1,
it now exists in China is disadvantage
Gus not to China alone but to those
countries that have commercial rela-
tions with her. and that definite and
uniform currency system should be
speedily instituted AMI actually put into
operation throughout the whole empire
or at least in those parts of ii that are
of commercial Importance. If possible
it is desirable that this system should
be on the single gold standard lnas-
much as the currency reform cannot
be started on a perfect system 1t is re-
garded as advisable to adopt the sug-
gestions of the American commission
as a matter of eXpediency. 1t is sug-
gested also that the ratio for China of
80 to j between gold and silver coins
should be adopted for other silver-us-
ing countries that may hereafter adopt
the gold standard.
To some of the senators who have
particularly interested themselves in
the pending Wood nomination with an
eye especially to the protection OF
some of the veteran army officers. the
President has expressed himself very
plainly to the effect that these Off
GERS have nothing to fear in the i'm
mediate future. AS it was pointed out
to him that there was considerable
apprehension among the friends of
these army officers lest upon the re-
tirement of General Chaffee with the
rank of lieutenant general, the Presi-
dent might appoint Mai. Gen. Leonard
Wood to be lieutenant general, involv-
ing the jumping of number of dis
tinguished officers who never would
have chance to attain the highest
rank by reason of General Woods in
! cumbency in the place for fifteen
years. the President has explicitly de-
clared that he has no such intention.
/ Incidentally that involved an under
/ taking on his part to promote some of
| these general officers referred to after
General Chaffee's retirement. But he