The bee., 1906-02-08
KENTUCKIAN THE
HEAD OF ARMY.
Gen. j. Franklin Bell Will Ce.
come Chief Of Staff.
Wedding Gifts for Miss Roosevelt In.
terssting Washington News.

Washington, Feb. 5.--The we'd
ding gifts that Will presently
pour in on the White House will
be little short of dazzling in their
magnificence. Foreign govern
ments and crowned heads are
apparently trying to outdo each
other in comforting rich presents.
The German emperor will give a
magnificent dinner service,
while France will be the donor
of some priceless Gobelin tap
estries. Even little Cuba has
set aside $25, 900 to purchase a
wedding GIFT for the daughter of
the Colonel of Rough Riders.
The jeweled presents being
turned out by Tiffany in New
York are said to be the most
splendid ever made by that
house. One of the finest is a
pearl collar of ten strands,
worth $31, 900. There are also
being manufactured a diamond
tiara, containing five hundred
stones, two diamond collars and
two bowknots of the same
precious stones. A silver SER
vice, to be the gift of the Rough
Riders, is nearing completion,
and the officers of the regular
army have ordered full-sized
model of Krag Jorgenson rife,
made of % karat gold and bear.
ing Miss Roosevelt's monogram
on the stock in diamonds. The
Roosevelt-L ongw h engage
ment ring, made by Tiffany, is a
five-karat solitaire, set in plaIi.
nun.
A Kentuckian will soon head
the army of the United States.
1t is announced that Lieutenant
General John q. Bates will be
succeeded as chief of the gener-
al staff, on his retirement in
April, by Brigader. General j.
Franklin Bell, now head of the
Infantry and Cavalry School at
Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Gen.
eral Bell will at the same time
be given the double stars of a
major general, stepping over the
head of General Frederick ID.
Grant, the senior brigadier.
Major. General Henry O. Corbin
will be promoted to the vacant
lieuteDant-generalship, so that
for the first time since the POSI-
tion of chief of staff was created,
its holder will not be the senior
officer of the army. This is in
line with the newly adopted
policy Of reserving the rank of
lieutenant general as a reward
for long and distinguished SER
vice, and placing at the head of
the general staff a young, eaer-
getic and scientific soldier, who
could not only prepare plans for
warfare, bat who would also
possess the physical and mental
vigor necessary to their execU
tion- General Bell was one OF
the youngest general officers in
the army. Me will be the first
West Pointer TO command II
sinee the retirement of General
Sehofeld i'm 1895, aud its first
commander who was too Young
to see service in. the Civil War.
General Bell entered West
Point from Kentucky in 1874.
The Philippine insarrection
made his fortune. When il
broke out Bell was a captisa of
cavalry. When the army was
re0rganized in 1902, he drew a
brigadier's commission. Fifty
wears old last month, Geaeral
Bell has fourteen years to serve
before reaching the age of re-
tirement.
The Hepburn rate regulation
bill has already received some
hard knocks in the course of the
House debate. Representative
John Wesley Games, during the
first days debate, took excep-
tion to the procedure for chang
ing rates complained Of, claim
ing that the Interstate Commerce
Commission, the railroads, and
the shippers were alike hamper
ed by the bill as it stood, and
that there was no provision
whereby anyone, not party to
the original case, could obtain a
rehearing on rate once estab-
lished by the Commission.
Representative Perkins of New
York. and "Joe" Sibley of Penn