Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1908-05-09
Woodstock Business cardO
NOTES FROM WASHINGTON
Especial Correspondence)

For New Legatlons--The house com.
mittee on foreign relations the other
day decided to report favorably bill
providing for the purchase abroad Of
American embassy, legation and con.
sular buildings and providing that
more than $1,000,00O shall be appro-
priated each year for this purpose. For
this year the bill appropriates $780,.
900 for the purchase of embassies at
Berlin and Mexico City and $500,000
for the purchase of consulates at
Shanghai and Yokohama.
Electricity on Passenger Trains
Cong. O'Connell of Massachusetts
recently introduced in congress a bill
which, If passed, will oblige railroad
and railway companies engaged in in
terstate commerce to give up the
practice of using gas, gasolene and
steam for lighting and heating rail
road cars. and compel them to equip
all passenger trains with electricity.
Mr.. O'Connell believes that if this
bill is made law the fatalities in rail
road accidents will be greatly re.
duced.
Money for Arbitration Expenses
Secretary Cortelyou few days ago
transmitted to congress an estimate
for an appropriation of 100000 from
Secretary of State Root, to meet the
expenses Of arbitrating the dispute
between the United States and Great
Britain arising out of the interpreta-
tion of the treaty of 1918 governing
the Newfoundland fisheries. Secretary
Root explains that negotiations are
progressing with every prospect of the
question being referred to The Hague
tribunal. 1t is necessary to have the
appropriation asked for, he said, to
enable the department to engage an
agent and counsel to represent the u.
s. government in connection with the
arbitration treaty recently ratified be-
tween the United States and Great
Britain.
A Chief of CaVaIry-A strong recon-
mendation for an appointment Of an
officer to be known as "chief of caval-
ry" has been made by commission
of cavalry officers attached to the
army staff college. 1t is argued that
the chief should be a member of the
general staff and head of the commit
tee considering questions relating to
the cavalry, having power to inspect
that branch Of the service for the pur-
pose Of ascertaining and Of determin-
ing where the standards Of efficiency
recommended may be maintained
Move Toward Tariff Revision-The
first actual step toward tariff revision
was taken last week when Chairman
Payne of the ways and means commit
tee introduced a resolution in the
house authorizing the committee to
sit during the recess of congress to
gather tariff information. A tariff bill
will be ready for action by the house
at an extra session next winter For
more than a month the ways and
means committee has been planning
for this action. The Payne resolution
did not come as a surprise to we'll in
formed members of the house. There
seems every reason to suppose that
the Republican party is at last in
earnest about revision. The voices of
the reformers have been too unmis-
takably loud to be ignored, and 1t is
said that bona-fide effort to change
existing schedules will be made.
A Hamilton statue-Eminent public
men In Washington, as we'll as distin.
guished civilians throughout the coun-
try, are stirring in behalf of the pro
ject to erect statue of Alexander
Hamilton in this city. The fact that
there is no such monument here is, in
the opinion of the president, little
short of a national scandal" The
hackers of the plan hope to secure
100000 with which, they are conf.
dent, a memorial worthy of "the
greatest constructive statesman of the
nation"-to quote Ambassador Bryce
can be designed and erected. Fortu
nately the capital city is dealing with
problems of this kind now in a way
more conducive to harmony and beau
ty than was the case generation ago;
and popular national interest in such
worthy memorials Is so much keener
and more intelligent than it was that
generous response to the appeal
soon to be issued can reasonably be
expected. Naturally the memorial
would be placed near the treasury
building. Hamilton's fame is of the
kind that grows with time.
Officials Pleased With the Fleet
Now that the battleship feet has sue
cessfully made the cruise from the
Atlantic to the Pacific there can be nc
harm in saying that the navy depart
ment officials are overioyed at the
way in which 1t has been done, be
cause 1t shows that the great fighting
vessels of the American navy can dc
a great deal better in actual worl
than even the paper estimates. witt
most navies 1t is reversed. Ships thai
make a high speed on trial trips sci
dom II ever are able to duplicate
them, and even those ships that de
velop q burst Of speed on a dash can
not sustain 1t when making a lonI
cruise. But the reports received by the
havy department show that the YES
sells OF the feet have done more thar
any one expected. They have not onl!
arrived on the western coast withou
the smallest accident and as efiicien
as when they left the various nav!
yards, but--and this is what especial
ly pleases the department officials
they can keep to the sea longer thar
the officials believed. The success
achieved by the fleet with respect t
coal economy and steaming eficienc,
is due largely to the competition In
augurated by Rear Admiral Evans be
tween the fireroom crews and to tn
prizes offered to the crews that CAV
the most economical results. 1t is er
timated that the value Of the Coz