Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1908-01-09
From Washington.
of the Alexandria Gazette. ]

Correspondence of the Alexandria Gazette. ]
Washington, d. c., January 9.
Rough shedding is expected In the
House for the Fowler currency bill
While 1t got approval of the sub-com-
mittee of the House committee on bank
ing and currency, that Chairman Fowler
carefully selected a favorable report
upon it by the entire committee Is by
no means assured. The battle OH the
bill will begin in earnest tomorrow,
when the committee will convene to dis
cuss 1t. The general belief Is that Nh.
Burton, of Ohio, will Iced the opposition
in committee, and that the msjOrity
will be with him Notwithstanding the
strong desire prevailing among many OF
the members of the House for a guaTsn-
tee of national bank deposits, q feature
included in Fowler's bill Speaker
Cannon will lend inspiration both TO
the committee and to members on the
floor to fight the Fowler bill. He much
prefers the Aldrich Senate bill, it is said.
"Japan is rushing preparations for
wal, and may strike us at any mo-
ment." This assertion WAS made today
By Hudson Maxim, a member OF the
arms and explosives concern, who is
visiting in Washington. Maxim says
that though the chances are two to one
in favor OF the United States winning in
war With Japan, we should not be
content until we made ourselves one
hundred times as strong by certifying
our sea ports, and increasing our navy
and army. 1t is limited that incidental
to his sightseeing about the capital,
Maxim will talk little business with
army and navy officials, IS be is in the
arms business.
Senator Burkelt, introduced an i'm
portant measure today under the terms
Of which the signal corps OF the army is
to be placed on an equal footing with the
artillery aud infantry. 1t will probably
more than double the present size Of the
signal corps.
The bill to reorgsnize the medical de-
partment of the army was today ordered
reported to the Senate favorably by the
Senate military affairs COMMITTEES. 1t
provides for a medical corps, a medical
reserve corps, the nurse corps and den
tai surgeons as now authorized. 1t gives
the officers in the medical corps rank,
psy and allowances of officers of cores
ponding grades in thescavalry arm.
Marrisge and more pay are part OF
the inducements by which General J.
franklin Bell, chief of staff, hopes to
keep experienced soldiers in the army.
His suggestions ere embodied in a
spt cal report made at the request of the
President and published today. He
proposes to provide quarters for the
married non. commissioned officers.
The Brownsville inquiry, which has
already cost the government over $780,
900, is to be continued. At todsy's
meeting of the Senate COMMITTEES on
military affairs, there was an animated
discussion over the analysis Of bullets.
II was decided to call as witnesses the
chemical and metslurgicsl experts who
made the analyses. They will probably
go on the stand next Wednesday.
Secretary Taft announced today that
Judge JameslF. Tracey, of the Supreme
Court of thu Philippines, has declined
the profered appointment as member OF
the Philippine Commission, preferriDg
to remain on the bench.
The Senate committee on public lands
has authorized Senator Gamble to make
favorable reports Oh "second home
stead'' bill which will be of interest to
every state in which there are public
lands. 1t permits a homesteader, who
has made o mislocali0p, either through
mistaking the character of the land or
for some other bona ide reason, to relin-
guish il. This will apply to all such
cases as have arisen since April Is, 1904,
when the law was passed which the IT,
terror Department is now constituting as
being mandatory.
The Senate committee on military az
fairs today ordered a favorable report on
the nomination of Colonel w. W.
WotherspooU, head of the army war
college, to be brigadier general.
Announcement was made by Secretary
Metcalf today of the assignment Of Rear
Admiral Merrell IS a member of the
army and navy joint board in place Of
Rear Admiral Brownsou.
The formal order assigning Surgeon
Charles F. Stokes 10 command the hos
pitsI ship relief was published in reg
tilsr orders Of the Navy Department
over the signature of Commander Win
slow, acting chief of the bureau of
navigation yesterday.
The House immigration and nsturali-
cation committee today authoriz ID Mr..
Hayes 10 presens bill 10 permit impOr-
tstion by the territorial government of
European labor 10 the Hawaiian Isl
ands. This bill is designed to relieve
the demand for labor in the islands, and
restores a privilege taken away from the
territory BY the immigration law passed
by the last Congress.
Senator Burkett introduced today
bill 10 provide for the teaching Of sgri-
culture, home economies and manual
training in the normal schools of the
United States. The measure hiss been
endorsed by the national education asso-
citation.
A bill to make separate light house
districts of Alaska, Hawaii and Porto
Rico was today fsvorably reported from
the Senate committee on commerce.
1t is said that ]. Pierpont Morgan
spent some time in conference with Sec
rotary Cortelyou last night.
The President today sent the following
nominations 70 the Senate To be a member