The new era., 1909-10-07
NEWS FROM WASHINGTON.

Chairman Knapp will go directly to
Seattle where he will join the other
commissioners.
Naturalization was refused to 2,O67
aliens during the last fiscal year, a
material increase over the rejection
of would-be United States citizens dur
ing the preceding year.
Commissioner Frank X. Lane, who
is in Chicago attending meeting of
the demurrage committee Of the Ma
tional Association of Railway commits
sioners, will join the commission at
Spokane this week.
Charles ]. Bell, former governor OF
Vermont. died of heart disease on
train in the Grand Central station as
he was about to leave for Boston. He
served as chief magistrate of Vermont
from 1904 to 1906. In previous years
he held many offices of minor impor-
tance. Governor Bell was born in
Weldon, VT, in 1S45.
Inquiries are being made by the in
sular bureau of the War Department
regarding the report from Manila that
the little revenue cutter Sora had
been captured by Moro pirates and
her crew of fourteen murdered. No
official advices have been received
yet at the War Department. The Sora
is only small craft which is used
in Philippine waters by the revenue
authorities.
To set at rest allegations which
have been made over the country re-
garding the source of the funds used
by the Roosevelt hunting expedition
in Africa, Secretary Walcott of the
Smithsonian Institution authorized the
statement that not cent Of the cost
comes from the funds of the institu-
ton or from the United States gov
eminent. The secretary says the per-
sonal friends of Colonel Roosevelt.
whose names are not disclosed, have
provided the scientific party with suf-
ficient funds to carry on the expedi-
ton. The statement was issued in
view OF the numerous letters of In
quiry received by Secretary Walcott
concerning the source Of the finan-
cling of the expedition.
On June 30 1914-the Aldrich-Vree-
land financial act will expire by linn
itation, and unless before that date
1t is replaced by wisely-framed meas
ure of broad scope, the country will
again be in perilious situation that
is commonly believed to have resulted
in the panic of 1907-Os. There is q
general realization Of the necessity of
legislation on this subject, but a wide
difference of opinion as to form.
Speaker Cannon believes that mere
extension of the present laws, with
perhaps few amendments in details
will suffice. President Taft looks with
favor upon the proposition to create a
great central bank and there are all
sorts of intermediate schemes. Pro-
badly that which commands the great
est support will be based upon the -e-
concentrations of the monetary COM
mission which has been quietly but
effectively at work for more than q
year gathering the material for the
construction of the actual legislation.
Almost side by side with the bodies
of Generals Lawton and Writ, the
body OF the late Lieut.. Gen. Henry c.
Corbin was buried in Arlington Ma
tional cemetery in the presence of the
members of the distinguished officers
family and his close personal friends
Chairman Martin j. Knapp of the
Interstate Commerce commission, left
for the Pacific coast, where the COM
mission is to hear = series of important
cases affecting the freight traffic Of
the entire country from the Atlantic
! to the Pacific seaboard.