The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-02-20
COUNTRY GOING
 ID DOCS AGAIN Is Latest Cry of Patriotic Ca-
 lamity Howler SENDING OUT SEEDS Coneressmen Are Again Busy Remenl- bering Their Agricultural Can- stittuents- Money
 Worrying Washingtonlans
By RALPH NJ. wHrTEsIDE


 Washington, February 19.-(Special)- Well, tho country is going to the dogs
 again. l. is altogether probable that II
 the Spanish war were to be fought over again it would be New York and not San
 tsa;so woi,id be the place surrendered.
 That is the latest cry of the patriotic
 calamity bowler. It was not so long ago
 that some alarmist discovered that the
 American navy was all right except the
 ships were worthless and couldn't fight Tho fact that the men who commanded
 the ships and knew them from truck to keelson, as the saying was when ships had trucks and keelsons, declared our sea- fighting machines were, unit for unit, the equal of any in the world, the calamity
 bowler would not be comforted. He was certain the armor belt was too low or too high at any rate it was not in the
 right place; the guns were rotten and wouldn't shoot straight, the fact that our gunners were making record scores being
 due entirely to accident; in fact, the navy
 was useless. Now these extremely pes-
 simistie pegsmists have discovered that
 bad as the navy is s>the army is infinitely
 woi.e.
 It is, they say, absolutely unprepared
 for war. It couldn't fight in the first place, ana even if 1t could 1t has nothing to fight with Our coast defenses would
 be mere piaythings to that good old bogey
 man, the German Kaiser, who is not only going to conquer England, but the United States and the rest of the world.
 All these things must be so, for the as- sertions a.e backed up By those sterling and well known Washingtonians, "a lead ing official" Ian officer high in the gen.
 eral staff" Ian eminent military author- ity. "a lran in position to know ana others wh, are intimately known in every newspaper office in Washington. As a m lter of fact, the United States army and navy, unit for unit, are equal if
 not superior to those of any nation in tho
 world.
 Planting time is at hand and the con- | aressional seed perquisite is naturally up again in Congress.
 Representative Sims of Tennessee has had inserted in the records a statement he obtained from the agricultural de- rartment showing the weight and cost
 ot transporting seed distributed by sen ators and representatives. The department says that the total weight of vegetable seeds sent through the mails, including the containers, is 1851 ,S90 pounds. The postage on veg : | etable seeds at second-class rates Would | be S135,513.90 annually
 | The total weight of flower, seeds sent through the mails last year was 7e,073 pounds, on which the total postage, If raid would be s7sS,6S.
 1 The chances for a public building | bill at this 0sion of Congress are small There are bills pending at this ses- s'on calling for appropriations amount | ing to $7O,00O,00O, exclusive of another ls16 ,C00, 1000 proposed for new buildings for the government in the District oi Columbia.
 This total of SS0,000, ,000 will proba bly be increased S20,000, 1000 before the end of the session, making a total demand
 oc $10e, o00,0
 It is probable most of these will still
 be pending when Congress adjourns. Counterfeit 25-cent pieces, so skill fully made as to defy detection by any one rot an expert, are being circulated in Wash ington.
 Despite the efforts of a picked band Of secret service men, headed by Chief Wilkie in person, the circulation of he money continues. Not a trace has
 been found of the gang.
 According to those who have handled
 tie counterfeit money the coins well
 nigh defy detection. They have the ring of minted money. Hence the work of the secret service in locating the gang is exceedingly difficult. It is believed that the gang is doing business in other cities so 1t would be
 well to be on the lookout for new
 quarters.
 Speaker Cannon is showing some signs of unbending toward the insurgents. For years he has not spoken to Visitor Mur-
 dock. To others he has not spoken for many months. But recently the Speaker
 has been in a more forgiving mood. The other day he got down out of the chair and went to the vicinage of Her bert Parsons of New York, sat down and talked in the most agreeable fashion. Parsons looked naughty, but Uncle Joe'' spoke in kindly, fatherly tones. and it seemed to have something of a soothing effect on the New Yorker. It amazed the insurgents Norris of Nebraska rushed over to Visitor Murdock and inquired anx iously if he saw alright or had somnam- bulistic dream.
 NO, you're awake all right. Uncle Joe's scairt,'' said Murdock. Not alone did the Speaker converse
 with Parsons, but he talked in the most
 pleasant fashion for fifteen minutes with Madison of Kansas, who is badly infected with the insurgent germ.
 ~Fven the regulars are wondering what has come over the Speaker
 "If the action of the only two states that have voted on the proposed amend-
 ment to the constitution for an income tax can be taken as an indication of
 what other states may do. then the
 amendment will be carried unanimously