Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1907-03-14
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Our Regular Corresp q oudent.

tion in the office that Mr.. j. w. 4
Oliver, the unsuccessful bidderfor|
the Panama Canal contract, has
established on 14th street. Mr..
Oliver says he has been defraud-
ed, lured on by false pretences,
and has been made to spend $40
900 in putting. in this bid. He
says that he is going to sue the
government for that amount.
Whether he viii add anything for
mental anguish" as is the GUS
tom in breach OF promise suits,
he does not say. Anyhow Mr.. Oh
iver is thoroughly disgusted with
the unbusiness like, way in which
he has been treated. He says he
was made topay $40, 900 ingood
money. 1t is easy to see how this
amount could have been expend-
ed in organizing a syndicate to
dig the Panama Canal.
There will be no war with Mex
leo at present. This will be satis-
flying information to the people
who did not know thatthere was
war impending anyhow. Perhaps
there was not a war cloud but
there surely were International
complications and they were set
tied most happily by the escape
OF Mr.. Antonio Villeral. This is
an amusing case that has been
hanging ever since last October.
lVillareal was down in El Paso,
but the crux of the situation was
in Washington. He was q revolu-
ZIONIST by profession, and t h Q
government of Mexico wanted his
blood in the most approved mel
lodramatic fashin. So he skipped
over to the United States. But
the Mexican government was Graf
ty and pointed out that while we
=
might not surrender Mr.. Villereal
as a revolrtionist, it being a.
gainst our policy to surrenderpo
litical refugees, he had been con-
victed in a shooting scrape down
lin Mexico, and was therefore in
eligible for admission to the Uni
ted States under the Immigra-
tion laws.
| Ii this were true, we could not
admit him to the United States
but If we deported him, it was
sure death when he fell into the
hands OF the Mexican govern
ment. So the immigration Bu-
reau, to whom the ease was final
| ly turned over was much in a
quandary. The case dragged on
for months, and Just as it was on
| the eve OF being settled. Villareal
escaped from tfie custody OF the
! immigration inspector and the
incident is at an end. But the es-
cape was so opportune and the
Mexican consul at FL Paso was
so indignant that Sec. Strauss
Commissioner Sargent and every
one else who had anything to dc
with the case has been kept busy
ever since explaining that they
were not particeps criminis and
that it was q really truly escape
Maybe it was.
An announcement has b e Ell
made by the Departmental OF Agri
culture as to the process OF cot.
ton seed separation to whic /
some reference has been made il
print with the cheering informa
tion that will add about 10 per
cent. to the actual amount ofth'
cotton crop wherever it is put il
use. AS the cotton crop amounts
! to about $3.50, 900, 900 in valu,
annually, twill be seen that thil
is a considerable item even If tn
system is followed over only
part OF the Gotten belt.
The trouble in picking ou'
good Gotten seed all along ant
| in planting the cotton too, as j
known by dwellers in the belt i
Ithat the seed is fuzzy and will no
1 easily separate. But the Depart
ment has discovered q process o
: smoothing down the seed at tn