Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1904-12-05
From Washington.

beautiful women leaning over the pal
lustrades. statesmen lounging IN the
smoking rooms swapping stories ana
campaign experiences-mostly true ones,
Aoral pieces. the offerings of admirers or
expectant constituents. covering desks
and aisles and overlooking into the loo'
bies: guides eagerly pointing out the
celebrities to the sightseers in their
charge and fashionably gowned women
and smartly attired men in the private
galleries reserved for the friends of the
President, of the Diplomatic Corps and
of Members of Congress marked the
opening Of Congress today. Suddenly
the fall of gavel and silence reigned in
both Houses.
As usual the main interest centered
about the short proceedings in the Sen
ate. Senator Fairbanks, of Indiana,
vice president elect was a conspicuous
figure. Ceckrel, Of Missouri, the VIC
tim of the unexpectedly his State, came
in for much attention. Knox, OF Penn
sylvania, and Crane, Of Massachusetts,
the new members succeeding Quay and
Hoar. stood in the background chatting
with friends. Tomorrow they take the
oath of Office. The desks OF the men
whose places they are to take were
draped and bore floral insignia OF mourn
ing. 90
In the House where $50 gentlemen
occupied the available floor space, there
was, perhaps, less ostentatious dignity
and more noise and laughter than among
the 90 veterans of the Senate There
had been a procession to Speaker Can
mons room, it being the custom OF the
wise ones to put their irons In the ilre at
an early stage of the proceedings. There
had been procession, also, to the
basket on the clerks desk, in which 1t
is customary to deposit new bills, reso-
lutiops and petitions. There were petit
tons on the Senate side, also, and most
of them suggested that it would be
to the welfare of all the people to deny
Senator Smoot the august place which
he yet occupies. -,
But two new members awaited the call
to ioin the hall of celebrities. One is
W A. Thomas, of Ohio, the successor
of Charles Dick, who has been promoted
to the Senate; the other j. R. Knowland,
of California, whose predecessor, Victor
Metcalf. has been made Secretary of
Commerce and Labor The sessions OF
each house was of short duration and
the prearranged programme was carried
out as published in this correspondence
of last Saturday.
General James n. ryner, former As
s.stant Attorney General for the Post
Office Department, and who was recently
tried and acquitted on charges in con-
nection with the issuance of fraud orders
in the Postoffice Department, died this
morning at his residence in this city,
AGED 20 years. He had been i'll for more
than a year. General Tyner, during the
past wear, made several efforts to get
President Roosevelt to reverse the opin'
ions he expressed in his memorandum to
the Bristow report respecting Iyner 5
guilt, but without avail. In the latter
part of the Grant administration he was
Postmaster General for short while.
The Joint commission of the Senate
and House which Las been investigating
the needs of the American merchant
marine will submit its report to Congress
on the Goth instant. The most import
ont recommendation will be for an in
crease Of tonnage taxes. This increase
will fall entirely on foreign ships, as the
amounts paid by American ships will he
rebated in various shapes and forms.
American ships will be required to carry
one boy for each 600 tons burden, and
the government will Lake provision Tor
the maintenance of the boys, as we'll as
payment TO the ship owners for giving the
boys an education in matters maritime.
The money for the purpose will come
out of the tonnage tax paid 10y foreign
vessels. 1t is estimated that the amount
thus raised will be SO, 500, 600 annually.
No payments are to be made out Of the
fund until next July. The other i'm
portant recommendation will be for The
establishment of Ten new mail routes to
territory hitherto practically unknown to
American trade. -Four of these routes
are to be from Gulf ports to southern
countries; four from the Pacific coast to
the Orient; and two from the Atlantic
coast to points, perhaps in Africa. The
government will pay these lines for car
rying the mails at such figure as to en-
courage them to undertake the carrying
of American goods to foreighn ports,
where as vet there is but little business
with the Uuited States. The mail con.
tracts in question will not, it Is under
stood, exceed 81 500, 900 per annum.
Senator Tillman gave laugh that pen
etrated every nook and corner OF the
chamber today when he found a huge
floral design covering his desk.
Representative Bourke Cochran in
troduced a bill in the House today
providing that Whenever any sums ex-
ceeGing $50 shall be contributed to the
funds of political party, or any money
shall be expended by or on behalf OF
any candidate for representative IN
Congress or for presidential elector, a
statement shall within three days from
such contribution or expenditure shall
be filed by the person making such con-
tribution or expenditure in the Office of
the clerk of the district court or the
United States for the District in which
the person resides. specifying the amount