The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1912-03-07

permitting MAJOR RAY 10 uS COuip
martialed on charge brought against
him by his personal clerk, who &C.
cused Major Ray of misconduct in.
volving his, the clerks wife. The
president said that, in his opinion.
"the honor Of the army and the good
| name of a woman would suffer IL Ma.
| jor Ray were courtmartialed.
Washington, ID. G. - The tariff
legislation program in the senate will
be framed at conferences which the
Democrats, the progressive Repubii-
cans and the regular Republicans are
planning to mold very soon after the
finance committee concludes its hear
ings Oh the house steel revision bill.
That will be early in March.
Democratic leaders virtually have
decided to make a firm stand for the
house measure with perhaps a modifi-
| cation which would not interfere with
party solidarity in congress, and then.
having gone on record for the straight
Democratic bill to endeavor to reach
some common ground with the pro-
gressive Republicans.
The regular Republicans have not
yet had a final conference on the
| committees procedure, but in all prob
| ability will rest on the absence of a
| report from the tariff board and sim
ply bring in an adverse report on the
house measure. They are not unani-
, nous on that point, however. Some
insist that the committee should re-
port a Republican substitute for the
measure passed by the Democratic
house.
Progressive Republican senators
have talked over the situation infor-
nally and while there has been no
general conclusion reached, the plan
of some of those most active is to
make some concessions for the Demo
Gratis if the concessions asked are not
too great. The progressive demand is
for a reduction Of the duties, but not
such a reduction as will carry the
tariff below the protective point.
Some of the more conservative pro-
~gressives, however, are already dis
cussing the advisability of waiting a
reasonable time for the tariff boards
report.
The finance committees hearings on
the steel bill were enlivened with an
attack by W.. U. Follansbee, a Pitts
burg tin plate manufacturer, on the
house subcommittee which framed the
bill. Mr.. Follansbee who also reprea
scented IA other Independent tin plate
manufacturers, denounced the bill as
too drastic. He said the ways and
mean committee was not competent
to deal with an industry that had mil
lions of dollars invested and employ
ed thousands of men.
Washington, D. c. Colombia vir-
minister, Senior Pedro Mel Ospina, by
sending through American Minister
Du Bots, at Bogota, a cordial invita-
ton to Secretary of State Knox to
visit Colombian shores on his present
trip to the republics on the caribbean
sea.
The invitation was forwarded
piolAAPtLy W SCN q liz "hO 10
aboard the cruiser Washington, on
his way south. With him rests the
decision whether he will change his
~intinerary to include a call at the
port of Cartagena. This, it is *
pected here, he will do.
The action of the Colombian for.
eign Office was received here with sat
isfaction. 1t closes a disagreeable Incl
dent.
Minister Ospina protested against
the proposed visit of Secretary Knox
because of feeling in Colombia
against the United States, said to be
attributable to the acquisition by this
country of the Panama canal zone.
Although press dispatches from b.
gotta announced that Minister Ospina
had been recalled because of his let
ter, no official notification Of the
action has reached Washington.
To Take Over Express Business.
Washington, d. C.-Senator Gard
ner, of Maine. introduced a bill under
which the government would take
over the properties of express COM
pdulCo Wv OpClulC lhCIi 40 q pcit Vi
the postal service extending the serv-
ice to the rural delivery. The meas
ure indicates the probable cost of TAX
ing over the properties as follows:
Real property, $~14.932 ,169; equip
ment, $7,3S1,405; materials and sup
plies, $13S,210; advance payments on
contracts, $3.50, 666; franchises, good
will, etc.. s1O,s77,369; total, $685.
S19.
While the balance sheets of the COM
pany show other assets of nearly
$780, 200, 900, Senator Gardner argues
that these are not devoted to express
service and that this property might
be retained by the corporations with
out impairing it's value.
1t is proposed that rates charged for
express service under the government
shall be based upon weight and length
of haul, rather than upon the system
in effect for the carrying of mail.
While the bill introduced does not
fix rates, Senator Gardner offers fig
ures showing that express charges in
this country are now sixteen times
F-~;0h< oh orooo onA frI;oatio~ 49,