The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1909-03-25
WASHINGTON
From our Regular Correspondent.

seem determined to punish Repre-
sentative Fitzgerald for his bolt
from their ranks on Monday. A
minority Caucus was held III the
hall of the House on Tuesday, and
after lengthy debate resolution
was adopted appointing commit
tee of fifteen to frame rules for
future caucuses, and at the same
time determine what shall be done
to Fitzgerald, and with the COM
mittee assignments not approved
by Champ Clark, the new minority
leader.
#**
Democrats and Republicans alike
were delighted with the message of
President Taft, and at the conclu-
sion of its reading, which took
hardly five minutes, the Democrats
in tee House Joined i'll the loud
and prolonged applause. lust
twelve years ago President McKin-
ley sent to Congress a message
three times as long when he called
Congress in extra session on March
IS, 1897, to pass new tariff bill.
*M*
The Democratic members of the
full committee on ways and means
made every effort during the hear
ings which preceded the delibera-
tions of the Republican members,
to bring to light every important
fact regarding the articles named
i'll the tariff which are produced in
the South, though the Southern
States are not represented OH the
subcommittee which framed the
tariff bill In fact the securing of
protection for the industries i'll the
southland formed one of the feat
ures of the hearings, and sugar,
peanuts, lumber, mica, clays, rice,
Sea Island cotton, southern fruits,
were all subjects for interesting dis
cussion and all seek protection at
the hands of the government.
~
1t is estimated that there will be
fifty-six carloads of government
exhibits taken to Seattle for the
Alaska Yukon Pacific exhibition,
including the mint and lfe-saving
service outfit, and the work of
loading these exhibits has already
begun. The official of the Treas
ury department, in charge of the
said yesterday that he
to have all the govern
ment exhibits in place by the time
the exhibition opens, June Ist,
next.
A**
The Bureau of Engraving and
Printing is unusually active these
days and color is given to the be-
lief that the new tariff bill win con-
tain clauses reenacting the stamp
taxes, levied during the Spanish
American war period, by the fact
that machines are being installed
for the printing of stamps, and the
entire printing force Is working
overtime. Millions of stamps for
future sale have been printed with
in the last ten days, and the belief
obtains that the bureau officials
have received an intimation from
the Treasury Department that the
task to produce adhesive stamps
for use on proprietary medicines,
perfume-y, chewing gum, on
checks, notes and other CONNER
cial paper, will fall on the bureau.
*,s*
In view of the fact that the War
Department is simply deluged with
applications for headstones for
graves of soldiers, the quartermas.
ter general of the army has made
an effort to obtain from the COM
missioner of pensions information
as to the death rate of civil war
soldiers and others whose graves
are entitled to be marked at gov
ernment expense. In many instan-
ces, of course, the headstones fur
nished by the government are never
applied for, but some idea of the
demands upon the department may
be obtained from the fact that there
are destined to be somewhere in
the near neighborhood of $4,000
applications for headstones during
the present fiscal year, about 1000
more than can be purchased out OF
the funds available for such pur,
pose. In view of the increasing de
mands for headstones, about SIS,
900 will be required to meet then
during the next fiscal year.
*4*
Tentative plans for the two nev