The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1912-12-26
Washington Whisperines.

Washington Whisperings.
WASHINGTON, D. c., Dec. q, 1912.
Already the ''elder statesmen" Of the
U. S. Senate are beginning to discuss
the makeup of committees, in anticipa-
ton of the assembling of Congress in ex-
traordinary session about March goth,
next. With the reorganization of the
Senate accomplished, in so far as its Of
fcers are concerned, the Sergeant-at-
Arms, Secretary and Chaplain, the Sem
ate, through committee on committees,
will take up the task of parcelling out
the desirable committee places to those
who have earned chairmansbips through
length of service in the upper branch of
the National Legislature.
Senator Bacon, who is senior on both
the judiciary and foreign affairs commit
tees, has been elected to take the chair
manship of foreign affairs and will quit
the judiciary committee entirely, on the
ground that he will not be able to give
that very important committee the time
or the consideration it deserves. With
Senator Bacon at the head of foreign af-
fairs, Senator Culbertson, of Texas, will
become the head of the judiciary COM
mittee. Other committee chairmanships
will go to the following: Finance, Sena-
tor Simmons, of North Carolina; Navy,
Senator Tillman, of South Carolina;
Military Affairs, Senator Jos. F. Johns
ton, of Alabama; Post Offices and Post
Roads, Senator John H. Bankhead, of
Alabama; Appropriations, Thomas S.
Martin, of Virginia; Agriculture, Thorn
as P. Gore, of Oklahoma; Commerce,
Francis G. Newlands, of Nevada; Public
Buildings and Grounds, Senator Claude
A. Swanson, of Virginia; Rules, Lee S.
Overman, of North Carolina.
One of the worlds best collections of
books on Turkey and the Balkan States
is in an American Library. 1t is the
famous Rant collection, now in Harvard
University Library. 1t was acquired by
Harvard in 1899 and has since been added
| to, until, today the section on the Ottoman
Empire comprises about 1000 volumes.
American libraries have very large
number of valuable special collections
What is probably the most important
| Dante collection in existence is at Cor
nell, The most remarkable set of Bibles
in the World, comprising large number
of first editions and unique copies, is in
the library of the General Theological
Seminary in New York. One of the
finest libraries on Japanese material to
be found anywhere is at Yale Univer-
sity. In works on mystic subjects it
would be difficult to duplicate in Europe
the great collection in the Masonic Ii
brary at Cedar Rapids, Iowa, or in the
Scottish Rite Library of this city.
The last report of Secretary Wilson.
as head of the Department of Agricul-
ture, which covers the achievements OF
sixteen years, the time ''Tama JIM has
served as chief of this great branch OF
the government service, is crowded with
interesting facts and shows what mar
velous growth the country has had since
Mr.. Wilson came to the chiefship of the
department. The dairy COW is one OF
the principal producers of wealth on the
farm and the value Of her products in
1912 is estimated at about $3.50, 900, 900,
an amount which exceeds the value of
the cotton lint and is nearly equal to the
combined value of lint and seed.
| The lowly hen is another of the Won
derful producers, it being estimated that
she laid during the year 1912. LOO, 000,-
900 dozen eggs and if an egg is only
worth cent and three-quarters it gives
the tidy sum of $3.50, 0O0,O and if this
/ is added to the value of the fowls raised,
the products of the poultry industry on
This is nearly tn value of the wheat
| crop.
! The animals sold from the farm and
the animals slaughtered on it together
number about Ill, 100000, and the farm
value of these animals is estimated at
$3.50, 10000
Most productive of all agricultural
years in this country has been 1912, de-
cares the report. The earth has pro-
duced it's greatest annual dividend. The
sun and the rain and the fertility of the
soil paid no heed to human controversies,
but kept on working in cooperation with
the farmers efforts to utilize them.
The reward is high general level of
production. The man behind the pillow
has filled the Nations larder, crammed
the storehouses, and will send liberal
supplies to foreign countries.
FINANCING THE GREAT EASTERN.