The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1907-09-27
NOTES FROH WASHINGTON
Especial CcrrespoAdencs.)
Reminder Of Slave pays.-A remind

Reminder CT Slave Oays.-A remind.
or OF the old slavery days turned up at
the treasury department a few days
ago when officials OF the supervising
| architects Office discovered, as part
OF the record OF the title of the new
postoffice site at Bowling Green, KY.
a deed dated in 1862, conveying from
| Asher w Graham to John Howard
one-tifth interest in the property in
! question, In consideration of ffth
interest in a Negro boy. The record
! OF the document caused considerable
interest.
straus on the Oriental Question:
| Secretary Straus, who has been visit
| ing the Pacific coast, says that the
! Oriental question lis not race ques-
ton at bottom: it is an economic
! question" The immediate cause OF
the rioting at Vancouver certainly was
not any hatred of the Oriental save as
! he came into economic competition
! with white labor Whether the Ori-
| entail question is one of race or eco
nomics depends on what relations are
! expected TO exist between the Orient
! and the Occident. Mr.. Booker Wash.
| ingtOn says that all of the Negro prob
! lem in the solution of which the col
ored man is vitally concerned, is an
economic question. Mr. Straus is
right if he means. by the statement
that Oriental question is fundamental
ly economic, that there is no insupera.
| bic barrier 10 the most amicable and
| mutually respectful relations between
the Occident and the Orient.
Awards for Submarines.-An early
decision viii be made by Secretary
Metcalf in the matter OF the awards
OF the contract for supplying the navy
with as many submarine torpedo boats
as can be built for $3,000,000 appropri-
ated by the last congress. The bids
for the cOntraca We're submitter April
70 by the Lake Torpedo Boat company,
of Bridgeport, Som, the Sub-Surface
Boat company OF New York and the
Electric Boat company of New York.
Secretary Metcalf recently gave what
is expected to be final hearing
TO the various firms interested in the
matter. The estimate is made that
the S3,000000 available will provide
for the construction Of about nine sub
marines.
Minister From the Sublime Porte
As forerunner of the embassy about
TO be established by the Turkish gov
ernment in Washington, Mehmed Ali
Bcy is coming to this capital as minis
ter from the sublime porte. The news
came 10 the state department from
Ambassador Leishan at Constantine
pie, who cabled the department that
the Porte asked whether Mehmed
would be acceptable. The department
replied in the affirmative, and il is un-
derstood that the new minister will
be here by the time that President
Roosevelt returns to this city from
his Western trip. The new minister
is the son of one of the intimates Of
the Turkish ruler the well known IL.
yet Bey, the sultan's personal secretary
for foreign affairs, and also legal ad
wiser to the sublime Porte. The fact
that with sufficient influence with the
sultan 10 enable him TO select almost
any diplomatic post for his son, lZZet
should have chosen Washington is
regarded as a manifestation Of the
growing appreciation in Turkey of
the importance of this post
AIaska's Gold Output.-No romance
is of keener interest than the story OF
the development Of the mining indus
try in Alaska during the past decade.
II is attested roughly by the increase
in the value of its annual output from
$2,400,000 in 1895 TO more than $15,-
100000 in 1905 The gold production
of 1905, according TO reports of the
United States geological survey, in
creased about 60 percent over 1904.
An important factor in the advance
ment Of Alaska's mineral industry dur
ing the last decade, says the report, is
the great reduction in mining costs.
The pioneer miners of the Yukon
could not afford to handle gravel av-
eraging less than $40 to SIS TO the
cubic yard. In the same district good
wages can now be made, even by
crude methods, in extracting gold from
pay streak averaging less than $50
to the cubic yard.
The Parcels Post.-Opponents of
the plan which Postmaster-General
Meyer is advocating in his speeches
and which he will urge in his recon
mendations to President and Cor.
eress, namely. that our government en-
ter upon experiment with a parcels
post. claim that il is folly to think of
adding additional expense TO the tax.
payer until the present postal deficit
is wiped out. One OF New York's best
known merchants. Mr.. Isidor Straus,
points out, in reply. that the postal
deficit is nominal and not actual, and
that If the money saved TO taxpayers
now through free use OF the mails by
all the other departments Of the gov
ernment. and by mepbers of Con.
gress. were 10 be paid for in the form
OF increased appropriations for the
service rendered them. the balance