The Newport miner. [volume] (Newport, Wash.) 1899-current, 1912-02-22
NEWS FROM OUR
NATIONAL CAPITAL
AinsWorth Affair Basis of an
Investigation of the War
Department.

hincton.-Investigat of the
war department is regarded as GER
tain as the outgroWth of the differ
ences between the secretary of war
and General Wood and Major-General
Ainsworth, which eliminated in Aims
worth's retirement after threatened
court-martial.
General Ainsworth was subpenaed
to appear before the house commit
tee on expenditures in the war de-
partment He was directed to pro-
duce papers of the department relat-
ing to the charges against Major r.
B. Ray, but members of the commit
tee, including chairman Helm, admit
ted General Ainsworth would be
asked about many other things and
that the entire administration of the
war department would be probed.
In addition to this phase of the in
Quiry, the house committee on mill
tary affairs will act on a resolution
introduced by Representative Wat
kins, of Louisiana, calling upon the
secretary of war to produce all pa
pers, correspondence and orders hav-
ing any bearing on the letter of Sec
rotary of War Stimson to General
Ainsworth setting forth the charges
of characterization which led to his
retirement,
Sugar Trust Investigators Report
The sugar trust Investigating COM
mittee, after many weeks of open
hearings reported to the house that
sugar trust exists.
The committee estimates that 62.39
per cent of the sugar business is con-
trolled by the combine
AS to the effect of the combine on
the cost of sugar to the consumer
the committee expresses the belief
that monopoly keeps the price up, and
charges that since the organization
of the American Sugar Refining Com
pany in 1891 it has violated the Sher-
man law repeatedly.
The report states that the Louisi-
ana canegrower is Disseminated
against by an arbitrary ruling of the
trust, but that the Hawaiian planter
is Independent. Of the beet sugar
growers the report says:
your committee reports that the
evidence as taken does not disclose
combinations between the manufac-
turers in the beet sugar industry that
have caused or had a tendency to
cause a decrease in the cost of sugar
beets."
"Wets" and "Drys" Argue
The "wets" and "drys" fought at the
Capitol over the question of prohibit
g the shipment of liquor into states
where it's sale is barred. Mrs Lillian
M. N. Stevens, of Maine, president of
the National Woman's Christian TEN
perance Union, appeared with the leg
islative representatives and the Off
GERS of that organization, while a del
women led by Representative Barth
oldt, of Missouri, opposed the legis-
lation. The hearing was before tne
senate committee on the judiciary
Arrest to Impress the Mexicans
The war department has decided
to deal drastically with Lieutenant
Ben w. Fields, Of the eighteenth in
fantry, who, in command of a squad
of American soldiers, made the mis-
take of crossing into Juarez, Mexico,
to Ell Paso, Tex, and nearly precipi-
tated an international clash. Fields
has been arrested pending investiga-
ton.
While the war department is con-
WINGED that the mistake was due to
the unfamiliarity of Fields and his
men with the fact that the trolley car
they boarded was to cross into Mexi-
can territory as part of this regular
trip, it is desired that this fact be
thoroughly impressed on the Mexican
officials.
National Capital Brevtes.
President Taft's urgent appeal for
action in Alaska matters bore fruit
in bill introduced by Chairman
Flood of the territories commit
tee to create an Alaska railroad COM
mission of three members.
Declaring that further naval defense
is essential to the Pacific coast, Con-
gresham Hayes of California, has
asked the house naval committee to
provide 80 additional submarines on
the western coast.
Representative Sulzer, of New York,
has introduced in the house a bill sim
liar to the Lafean bill of the last con-
sress, which attempts to standardize
the SjZn of hnvoc ~