Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1908-05-23
NOTES from WASHINGTON
(speelal Correspondenee.l

TIIIman to Take Sea Voyage.--sen'
ator Tillman was In his seat In the
senate one day last week for the first
time during several weeks. The sen.
ator plainly showed the effects OF his
protracted Illness and Is far from we'll
He was given quite an ovation by re-
publican and democratic associates.
Mr.. T'illman later left for Boston,
whence he will sail for Gibraltar, hop
Ing that a long sea voyage will i'm
prove his health He will remain
abroad indefinitely seeking rest.
Looking for Good Naval Recruits
The navy department is anticipating
an immediate increase OF 5000 men In
the enlisted force of the navy, to be
followed a few months later by like
addition. Instructions have been sent
to recruiting Offices to do what they
can do to obtain men, at the same time
exercising the greatest care In the
selection OF the recruits. The navy
department claims that they have had
no difficulty of late in securing good
men, and attribute their success to
the campaign of advertising which has
been carried on.
Paper Maker Heard by Committee
George G. Sherman, treasurer of the
st, Regis and Taggarts' paper mills
and president Of the Brownsville paper
company, was the first maker of pa
per TO be examined by the select com
mittee of the house that is investigat-
ing the wood pulp and paper question.
Mr. Sherman said that in recent years
the price of pulp wood has increased
about $3.50 cord The net profits of
the st. Regis company for March Of
this year, he said, were $6.75, or about
81 per ton of paper. John Norris, the
representative of the American news
paper publishers association was on
the stand part of the day, and present
ed documents to show that the price
paid skilled labor in the Canadian
mills was as high as that paid in Am
erican mills.
Didn't Know Secretary Taft-Al-
though Secretary Taft is leading in
the presidential race, his fame Is un-
known to some Washingtonians. This
was proved by he-folloWing incident:
An old negro entered the office of
local newspaper the other morning and
told clerk that he wanted to adver-
tise for the owner of something he had
found. He held out a baseball pass
on which was written the name will
liam H. Taft" why" said the clerk,
that belongs to Secretary Taft. You
ought to take it to him. who am
Taft and where Is he?" inquired the
negro. Il don't know him" Where
upon the identity of the secretary of
war was made known to the negro,
and he was headed in the direction of
the war department. Who has been
using the secretary's pass during his
absence in Panama has not been re-
eValed.
Secretary Wilson to Resign.-James
Wilson, secretary of agriculture, told
some Of his friends a few days ago
that he has decided to resign. Mr..
Wilson holds two records as a cabinet
officer He is the only one since the
foundation Of the government who has
served II years continuously and the
only member of a cabinet who has
served throAgh four administrations.
The secretary said that he las worked
hard building up his department from
one of comparative unimportance to a
department on which the whole coun.
try relies. Mr.. Wilson entered Presl.
dent McKinley's cabinet March S, 1897
and has been in the government official
family continuously since that time.
His friends tried to persuade him to
stay at least through the presidents
term. While he would not promise to
reconsider his determination, he said
that he would not resign until he had
consulted them again. II Secretary
Wilson goes out there is little doubt
that Clifford Pinchot will be put in his
place. Mr.. Pinchot is United States
forester.
Corner Stone Lald.-In the presence
of the president of the United States
and of representatives of every other
American republic, as well as all of
the state governments, the corner
stone of the proposed new home of the
International Bureau of American Re-
publics was laid on May IL. Addresses
fitting to the occasion and expressing
the great benefits to be derived from
the formation of the Bureau of Ameri.
can Republics In many ways were
made by President Roosevelt, Secre-
tary Root, Mr.. NabucO, the Brazilian
ambassador, and Andrew Carnegie,
while messages of congratulations and
wishes for success in the work about
TO be undertaken were read from the
presidents of nearly all of the Ameri
can republics very large audience
listened to the speeches and witnessed
the laying of the corner stone. The
invited guests, in addition to those ac-
lively participating in the exercises,
were Vice-President Fairbanks, men,
bers of the cabinet, the diplomatic
CORPS. both houses of congress, the
governors of the states and promi-
nent citizens of Washington and else
where. Inscribed on the corner stone
are the following words: Build
ing of the American republics,
erected through the public-spirited gift
of Andrew Carnegie and the contribu.
tions of all the republics upon land
provided by the government of the
United States. May IL, 1908" The
Imposing international building
will stand on an attractive site cov-
ering about five acres to the south Of
and in close proximity to the White
House, the state, war and navy de-
partment building, the Cocoran art gal
iery and that of the Daughters OF the
American Revolution. 1t is also near
the washington monument.