The Springfield herald., 1904-06-24
LATE WASHINGTON NEWS

Gently started on a trip of inspection
of mints and assay offices, which will
include the mint at Denver and the as
say offices at Boise, Seattle, Spokane
and Nome, Alaska.
Charles Hartzel formerly of Denver.
at present secretary to Porto Rico. ar
rived in Washington on the 14th inst.
Mr.. Hartzel comes to Washington upon
a number of matters relative to his Of
flee, having business before the Treas
ury Department. He expected to remain
about week and then return to Ponce.
President Roosevelt has announced
the appointment of William K. Coch-
ran, now chief postofilce inspector, to
be purchasing agent for the Postoftice
Department. an office created at the
last session of Congress. The appoint
ment takes effect July 1. The salary
of the office is $4,000 per year. Mr
Cochran's successor has not yet been
selected.
Secretary Moody held conference
with the general board and number
of the bureau chiefs of the Navy De-
partment on the subject of improve
ments for the Guantanamo station,
and, as a result, board will be ap-
pointed to recommend general plan
understood that 1t is not proposed to
equip the station for general repairs
for ships like the navy yards in this
country.
Il decline the nomination. the clerk,
will call the roll again for nominations
for vice president" This is the state
ment of what he will do at the Chi
cago convention made by Senator
Cannon of the house when asked the
direct question. What will you do il
the convention nominates you despite
your objections?" Speaker Cannon
will be the permanent chairman of
the convention and in position to act
as indicated.
Patents have been issued to Colo
radans as follows: Tanney S. Afford,
Denver, sash lock; William G. Davis,
Denver, pulverizing rolls; Clarence j.
Griffith, Fort Collins. combined churn
and butter worker: Andrew j. Leonard.
Denver. electric key selection and
striking mechanism; John A. Linn, Pa
gosa Springs, non-retillable bottle; Gus
Reddish. Denver, hitching weight;
James w Scott. Colorado Springs, fluid
pressure regulator.
Postmaster General Payne has is
sued an order for the free transmits
sion through the mails of reading
matter in raised letters for the blind
The order directs that such reading
matter may be sent by public IL
brary or institution to blind readers as
a loan, and returned through the mails
without postage. The packages are
restricted in weight to not more than
four pounds. except in case of single
volume. which must not exceed ten
pounds.
Secretary Hay has received call
from Mr.. Chow Tszchi, the first secre-
tary of the Chinese legation in Wash
ington, who expressed the deep regret
of his government at the reported
killing near New Chwang of the
American newspaper correspondent
Etzel by Chinese soldiers. The lega-
ton has received no details but was
able to assure Secretary Hay that his
government would make all proper
amends for the unfortunate affair II
the reports were true.
The Department of Justice has de-
tailed A. c. Campbell, assistant attor-
ney in the Interior Department, to
take charge of the governments in
terests in the suit pending before the
United States Supreme Court, brought
by the state of Kansas to restrain citi-
zens of Colorado from diverting, for
purposes of irrigation, the waters of
the Arkansas river. Mr. Campbell will
visit Colorado and Kansas next month
and take charge OF the work. obtain
ing testimony to support the govern
ment contention, which is that the
law of prior appropriation of water of
unnavigable streams for purposes OF
irrigation and other beneficial uses
shall be continued in force in all arid
and semi-arid states and territories.
Something serious is likely to over
take the agricultural colleges in this
country where the requirements of the
government are not observed. There is
no improvements in the showing made
at those institutions so far as the COM
ment relates to so-called military de-
partments of those schools. Very little
interest is taken in the military branch
of instruction and as general thing
the subject may be said to have been
ignored by the college authorities. AT
some places not more than 500 year
was allowed for the benefit of the mil
itary department and this is consid-
cred ridiculously small when one takes
into consideration that some colleges
receive as much as $4,000 year from
the United States government on the
theory that the colleges are doing
something in the way of military edu-
cation in the country. 1t is possible
that the War Department will under
take to do something next year toward
obtaining examinations which will eX-
act more satisfactory returns from the
colleges. One suggestion is there will
be statutory requirements that col
lege in receipt of government bounty
shall expend certain percentage OF it
in its military department.
General Chaffee. chief of staff and
head of the army, has arranged for
tour of inspection of prominent mill
tary posts of the country during July
and August. He will be accompanied
by General C. f. Humphrey, quarter
master general, and Captain Grote
Hutchinson of the Eighty eighth caval-
nv and aide to General Chaffee. Since
the return of General Chaffee from act
i've service in the Philippines and Chi
ma he aas felt the necessity of getting
acquainted with the country. much OF
which he was perfectly familiar with
as a line officer but part of which has
grown beyond his knowledge since he
became head of the army. The timer