Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1908-06-06
NOTES From WASHINGTON
Especial Correspondence.)

Roosevelt, a few days ago, signed
and the navy department forwarded
to Capts. Richard Wainwright, COM
manding the I'd division, and Seaton
Schroeder, commanding the 4th diyi-
fleet, commissions as acting rear ad-
mirals. This will give them rank in
consonance with their present duty,
permit them to wear the uniform and
fly the flag of rear admiral ON July
llth.
President Needs More Names-It
Is a common custom for a president
or governor to give the pen used in
signing bill to the one who has been
chiefly interested in it's passage, but
president Roosevelt, when he signed
the bill removing the restrictions
from the sale of Indian lands in the
Indian territory section of Oklahoma,
made an interesting innovation. He
signed the document with two pens,
Theodore" with one and "Roose-
Velt" with the other, and gave one
pen to Senator owen and the other to
little Miss Dorothy Davenport, daugh-
ter of the representative. If he had
had a middle name he could have
made a third Oklahoman happy.
Alaska Coal Mill Law--President
Roosevelt has signed a bill which, in
the opinion of many persons, is the
most radical measure of legislation
which has been enacted during his
nH In 4 fut mot s, %
the bill: ITO encourage the devel-
opment of coal deposits in the terri
tory of Alaska" But one section Of
the bill places such restrictions on
the industry that coal mining author
tiles declare the ENCOURAGEMENT"
will operate with just about the same
effect as paralysis. President Roose-
velt and Secretary Garfield are espe-
cially proud of this measure. The
bill provides that the government
shall be permitted to buy coal at its
own price, and II forbids any corpor-
alton or individual to own more than
1850 acres Of coal lands in Alaska.
Law Passed by Trick-It is now
the Aldrich-Vreeland currency law.
The formidable La Toilette filibuster
was broken in the senate last Satur-
day afternoon in a twinkling. 1t was
done by trick the like Of which had
never before been witnessed. The
dramatic scenes attending thereon
were hardly concluded before the nee
essary signatures of the speaker and
vice-president were attached And be-
fore the ink from the pen of these
distinguished signers was dry the
president arrived from the White
House and wrote at the bottom of
the parchment: Approved, Theodore
Roosevelt" The breaking of the fill
buster promises to become historic.
The infirmity Of the blind senator
from Oklahoma, Mr.. Gore, was util-
ized to make a coup effective. Sena-
tor Aldrich of Rhode Island, however,
laid the wires. Vice President Fair
banks, as the senate's presiding Off
Ger, was as Indispensable ally. For
half an hour the vice-president, pro-
verbally amiable and considerate OF
senator's in his rulings, welded his
gavel with an iron hand. No czar of
the house ever surpassed him. With
senator's shaking their fists as they
clamored in determined tones, the
vice-president ignored ALI but Senator
Aldrich. He overruled points of order
and thus forced the bill to its final
passage.
Congress Adjourns-The first ses-
sion Of the Goth congress has ad-
journed. 1t went out in a blare of en-
thusiasm and grand show of per-
sonal amity 10 minutes before the
midnight hour last Saturday All the
important bills on the program were
pressed to fnality. The evening was
occupied quite as much with social
as legislative activity The capitol,
ablaze with lights, was filled with a
we'll dressed throng of men and wo-
men. They were large part of the
spectacle. The serious work had been
concluded in the afternoon. Senate
and house were sitting into the night
to enable the enrolling clerks to
catch up and to afford time for the
president to sign belated measures.
The senate was very sedate. Its
members were feeling the reaction
from the currency bill filibuster, and
dragged their weary ways through
the tedious procedure Of gathering
up the odds and ends. None the
less they were very interesting to
the galleries OF fashionable folk, who
fingered till the very last moment,
when the solemn committee, Sena
tors Hale and Teller, entered to an
nounce that the president had no fur.
ther communications to make, and
when the vice-president thumped his
ivory gavel to pronounce the final
and formal words Of "sine die" The
executive and legislative branches oi
government were in very close con
tact. Thirty feet from the senate
chamber, in the presidents room
Theodore Roosevelt, in evening suit
with a white rose in the buttonhole
of his coat, was holding a general re-
ception. For the time being the White
House Offices were there. Senators
and representatives, including the
speaker and all the leaders, drifted
thither to pay respects. Some called
to shake his hand, and say goodbye
before rushing out to catch the earli
est trains. Several cabinet officers
we're with him and scanned bills that
came under their departmental juris
diction before his signature trans
formed enactments into statutes. The
house. as usual, was hilarious. It con
Quoted a vaudeville performance Of
monologues and songs, in the inter
inns, when there was nothing else tC
do. Every singing congressman ex
hausted his repertoire of popular Sc
lections. The customary supply o
small flags was waved uproarlously.