The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1909-02-19
NOTES FROM WASHINGTON
Especial Correspondence.)
A Cannon Joke-When Represe,


Speaker Cannon about bill direct.
ing the secretary of war TO donate two
condemned cannon to city in his dis.
trict Uncle Joe was in a contempla-
tive mood. Cheney" said the speak
err slapping himself on the breast,
here is one old Cannon that hasn't
telling how soon he will be- This
suggests that when Uncle Joseph gets
through being speaker perhaps he can
get job on Puck.
For Lincoln Memorial-One million,
two hundred and fifty thousand dol.
lars is appropriated for the erection of
a monument in Washington as a me.
mortal TO Abraham Lincoln, by a bill
introduced recently by Representative
Mccall of Massachusetts. A commits
sion of seven is created to prepare a
general design for the monument, and
$4,000 is provided for the expenses
of this commission. The measure
consist of chairmen of the senate and
house library committee, the secre-
tary of war. the superintendent of the
capitol building, Daniel S. Burnham of
Evanston, H.; Charles +. McKim and
John NJ. Carrere of New York.
Safety at Sea-President Roosevelt
has cant IN tho conoto tho rornrt 90
a committee appointed by him to ex.
anime the laws of the United States
for the better security of life at sea,
with "a view TO their better adaptation
to present needs. The report is in the
form of a bill embodying a systematic
rearrangement and codifcation of ex-
listing law. The president asks con.
gress to give the report careful con.
sideration. 1t is proposed by the com.
mission to reorganize the marine in.
spection service so as to include all
types of vessels and to rearrange sal.
aries to assure the procurement Of a
better class of men. All steam yes.
sells and all motor vessels carrying
passengers for hire are made subject
to inspection. Also all other steam
and motor vessels of more than 35
feet between perpendiculars are in
cluded among the vessels that require
inspection by this service. Instead of
limiting inspection to sail vessels OF
700 gross tons, all sail vessels of 300
IN inGnnnfnH
such sail vessels of 80 gross tons or
over which carry passengers for hire
are to be included. One provision of
the bill requires that all life boats
shall be fitted so as to be launched in
less than two minutes. An efficient
wireless telegraph apparatus on board
Of certain vessels is required, with
competent operators.
Formal Declaration of Election
The election of William II. Taft as
president of the United States and OF
James S. Sherman, as vice president,
was formally ratified at a joint ses-
sion of the house of representative
Feb. 10. The presiding officer of the
joint session was Vice-President Fair
banks, who occupied a seat on the
right of Speaker Cannon. After an.
nouncing the purpose of the gather.
ing, Vice-President Fairbanks un-
locked the wooden boxes containing
the electoral votes, extracting and
opening them in alphabetical order by
states. AS the votes Of each state
were opened they were handed to
four tellers, who counted them. These
tellers were Senators Burrows and
Bailey and Representatives Haines
and Russell. At the conclusion of the
count, the result, showing 321 elector.
al votes for Taft and Sherman, and
1862 votes for Bryan and Kern. was
handed TO the presiding officer who
thereupon inquired if there was any
protest against the vote as announced.
There being none, Vice-President
Fairbanks formally announced the
election of Mr. Taft and Sherman. The
joint session then came to an end,
the members of the senate returning
W Nll'il NlldlllbNl lOl NlAt lCS uidl lld
saction of business. Owing to the lin.
tied capacity of the hall of the house,
few persons other than the families
and relatives of the members OF the
branches of congress witnessed rhe
ceremony.
Naval Program-Senator Hale.
chairman of the committee on navt
affairs, has reported to the senate the
bill making appropriations for the
support of the navy. 1t carries Sl36,.
S25, 5,199. an increase Of $l,05S,42S over
the amount carried by the bill as II
was passed by the house. No change
was made in the item providing for
tho construction of two 26.000-ton
b.ttleships. The senate committee
provides that no part of the appro-
g.. -. l.