Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1904-03-01
From Washington.
Correspondence of the Alexandria Gazette. J
Washington, Mar. /.

him to accept the chairmanshlP OF the
national republican committee II 1t were
offered him by the President.
Mr.. Daniel has introduced a bill In
the Senate for the relief of the legal rep
resentatives of Joseph ii. Maddox, de-
ceased. This is an old claim and was
once passed by Congress, but was vetoed
bv President Cleveland.
Merritt 0. Chance, late private secre-
tarv to Secretary Root, has been selected
for the position of chief of the division
of supplies in the Postoffice Department,
vice Michael w. Louis, removed several
months ago. Mr.. Chance was formerly
private secretary to the Fourth Assistant
Postmaster General. He was transferred
to the War Department in 1901 and sery-
ed as private secretary to the Secretary
of War until Mr.. Roots resignation.
Because of the absence of A. 5. Worth
ington, principal counsel for the defence,
and of the non-arrival of the witnesses
summoned from Utah, the Smoot inves-
tigation, which was to have begun this
morning before the Senate committee on
privileges and elections, was postponed
until tomorrow morning. Former Sec
retary of the Treasury John F. Carlisle
and ex-Congressman Robert W. Taylor,
of Ohio, were present this morning TO
represent the protestants, while Valdez
man Van Colt, of Salt Lake City, was
the only representative of Senator Smoot
on hand.
Rendered confident by the verdict OF
guilty in the Machen -Grotf-LOrenz con-
spiracy case, District Attorney Morgan
Ii Beach purposes to push diligently the
other postoffice fraud indictments now
pending in his office. Before the other
postoffice cases, however, are taken up,
the trial of James NJ. A. Watson,
charged with embezzling S73, 600 from
the District of Columbia, will be dis
posed of. Mr.. Beach denies that the
recently tried indictment was the strong
est of the fourteen against Machen, but
saws it was first tried because of its i'm
portance. Samuel A. Grof's motion for
a new trial will be argued tomorrow.
Much of the time of the Cabinet meet
ing this morning was spent discussing
Panama canal affairs. Among other
things it was decided not to send troops
to the isthmus and to depend altogether
on the marines for guard duty there, for
the present at least. Accordingly, after
the meeting, Secretary of War Taft an
nounced that he would Immediately
withdraw the orders issued last week for
the Third infantry to prepare to 60 to
Colon.
Undismayed by the recent failure OF
his air ship to do more than turn Hip
flop from the launching platform into
the waters of the Potomac, Prof Lang
lev. is said to be pushing repairs to the
"buzzard" in a secret workshop. APP
parently Mr.. Langley is confident Of
funds, although he refuses to talk on the
financial prospects of his work.
Oscar j. Ricketts,, foreman of printing
in the Government Printing Office, was
heard by the House committee on reform
in the civil service today. He said
that from fifty to sixty per cent of the
printers are competent to work machines.
If machines were installed, it was his
opinion that the force could be reduced
thirty per cent. There are 4, 2S6 en-
ployes in the Office under the classified
service. The old and disabled employees,
he said, are taken care of by being made
watchmen.
In order to allow Major Thowas W.
Symons, corps of engineers U. 5. A.,
now serving as superintendent OF public
buildings and grounds, to accept the ap-
pointment by the governor of New York
to serve on the advisory board in con-
nection with the improvement and en-
lsrging of the navigable canals OF New
York State, Mr.. Alexander today intro
duced a resolution in the House en-
the Secretary of War to grant
the necessary permission.
Secretary Shaw has not yet determined
when he will call upon the government
banks Tor the $s5, 900, 900
needed to help pay for the Panama
canal property. The litigation in the
French courts may delay the payment
for weeks or months if the administra-
ton decides to pay any attention to the
injunction proceedings. The President
and his advisors may decide, however,
to ignore the foreign court proceedings
altogether, in which event the money
will be paid shortly to the accredited
of the canal company
and they can dispose of it as they see
fit or as the French courts will let them.
Senator Gallinger introduced bill in
the Senate today providing that on and
after March 4, 1905, the following an
nual salaries be paid: President, $751;
300; Vice President, and members of
The Cabinet, $4,000; Speaker of the
House, $4,000; and Senators, Repre-
aud Delegates, $4,000.
The House committee on interstate
and foreign commerce today authorized
favorable report on the resolution intro
duced by Mr.. Martin, of South Dakota,
requesting the Secretary ofCommerce and
Labor to Investigate the causes Of the low
prices of beef cattle in the United States
since July lst, 1908, and the unusually
large margins between the prices of beef
cattle and the selling prices of fresh beef
aud whether the said conditions have re-
suited in whole or in part from any con-
tract, combination, in the form of trust.
or otherwise, or conspiracy, in restraint
of commerce.
While ex-senator John G. Carlisle is