Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1904-07-15
WASHINGTON LETTER
tFrom our Regular correspondent. !,

/ tFTOUI our hcktlidT OOTTtS DOHutnl.J
Washington, D. g., July 9.-Secre
tary Hay signalized the hot weather.
term by boldly asking the British min
istry what they mean by violating thu
integrity of China by sending an armed
expedition through Tibet. The Britlst
government, as usual. has frankly dis
avowed any "ulterior purpose" and de
clares that Gen. MacDOnald's army
had made arrangements to retire b.
fore it had begun to advance! The
killing of q few Thousand Tibetans
more or less was made necessary by
the jealousy of Viceroy Curzon who
| thinks that his rights and feelings had
not been properly considered. 1t will
be interesting to the American public
| to watch the British column of Inva
sion and observe the alacrity with
| which it faces about for home Ol
course we must keep on terms of per
feet amity with John Bull and permit
him to loot Lassa if he finds it neces-
sary to do 80.
Since his arrival in this city Gre
tary Paul Morton has devoted almost
bis entire time to acquainting himself
with his new duties at the head of the
naval establishment, and studying the
details of the business requiring his
personal attention. He has called on
the various admlrals and bureau chiefs
at their desks and has found time in
the intervals of inspection to visit Arl
ington, the Soldiers Home, and some
of the other departments and to make
two trips down the Potomac on the
yacht "Sylph,' - which by al old figure
of speech is called the "che President g. :"
Paul seems to be a tender hearted
father of the floating contingent. His.
first duty was to confirm the convic-
tiOn of Lieut.. Reginal Hogan of the
Marine Corps, found guilty of scan
dalous conduct, of attempting to kill
a negro in a fit of drunkenness and of
violently resisting arrest by the police.
Secretary Morton attended to the case
by remitting the punishment and tell
ing Hogan not to do SO again.
The effort to protect Texas from the
ravages of the cotton boil weevil which
threatens to destroy the cotton crop of
that state and to sweep across the en-
tire cotton belt if not arrested, is &C
cOmpanied by many suggestions to
stay the advance of the plague. Pro.
fessor Cook of the Agricultural Depart
ment here has brought from Guatemala
to Galveston large number of voraci-
Gus ants peculiar to the fauna of Cen
trail America, whose function and
pleasure it seems to be to attack aud
destroy the weevil. A corps of expert
mentors has assembled at Victoria,
Texas, where, under direction of DIR.
Cook, they will release the carnivorous
ants into Cages covered with mosquito
netting inverted over infected cotton
plants. The result of these experiments
will determine whether this lively ex-
octic is an effective antidote to the
bane from which Texas has for ten
years been a sufferer. Another hope
full remedy is proposed in ''the cotton
tree" which grows to the height of
forty or fifty feet, multiplies very
rapidly, is immune to the bill we vii
and will yield from twenty to twenty
five pounds per tree, including seed. !
If difficulty is found in gathering the
crop, the tree is easily dwarfed, so as
to bring the cotton within reach. At
an average yield of twenty pounds of
cotton per tree, the yield would be six
teen bales to the acre. The expepse
Of planting is no greater than that of
corn, and it is able to Withstand
thoughts during eight months of the
,ear. 1t is planted only once in twenty
i've years. This tree comes to us bv
way of Mexico.