Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1914-06-17

rules any woman member OF me fAn1uy
of a representative In congress or Of
a senator of the United States Is eiig-
ible to membership. Women whose
husbands, fathers or brothers are in
congress or who were in congress at
the time of their joining and who re-
main in Washington after the terms
of their husbands expire, can retain
their membership.
Fres From Politics.
The club Is absolutely non-political,
for of course Democratic, Republican
and Progressive women are eligible
to membership The women have sue
ceeded in keeping politics entirely out
of the organization. Since the Demo
Gratis have been In control of the adj
ministration of the government the
wife of Republican member of con-
gress was elected to the presidency
of the club. The vice-president today
is Mrs. Frank H. Briggs, daughter
of the late Senator Frye OF Maine.
Mrs. Briggs father was Republican
and her husband is a Progressive and
yet the Democratic majority of the
club elected her as first vice-president.
The present home of the club Is in
the residence once occupied by Sena-
tor Arthur Pue German of Maryland,
who died some years ago. Member
ship in the organization virtually is
socially necessary to every congress
sional woman. 1t enables her to meet
and to get intimately acquainted with
people whom she is expected to meet
and it makes for good comradesbip
among the women.
Committee for Canal Opening.
President Wilson has just issued
an executive order ito create a
committee to formally and off1ci-
ally open the Panama canal" This
order of the president is all that is
necessary, in connection with a re-
cent appropriation by congress, to
start the work of preparation for the
great celebration in January next OF
the opening of the isthmian waterway
to the commerce of the world.
In the presidents order occurs
this:
"The committee shall be known and
referred to as the committee for the
formal and official opening Of the Pan
anna canal. 1t shall have chairman
and vice-chairman, who shall per-
form its duties under the direction
of the governor of the Panama canal.
The persons named below are hereby
appointed members Of this committees:
Col. George w. Cocktails, United
States army; Hon. Richard l.. Met
calfe, Gen. William G. Gorgas, United
States army; Col. H. F. Hodges.
United States army; Lieut.. Col. VIII
liam L. Sibert, United States army;
Civil Engineer H. H. Rousseau,
United States navy. COL. George w.
Goethals, now governor of the canal.
shall be chairman of this committee,
and Hon. Richard L. Metcalfe shall
be vice-chairman.
1t will be noted by glance at the
names of the members of the COM
mittee that each man named was
member of the isthmian canal commits
sion. 1t was intended when the COM
mission was abolished by law on April
1 to name the members at once as a
committee of preparation for the Gel
ebration, but there were obstacles in
the way, and SO the plan has just
been put into effect.
Pay for the Members.
The members of the committee are
to receive salaries at the rate of $780,
n
December 81, 1914, inclusive, and such
necessary travelling and living ex-
penses when on duty connected with
the work as may be approved by the
secretary of war.
AS matter of fact, only one mem
Der of the committee will draw full
salary, for there Is a special provi-
sion in the law that the salaries as
fixed shall include any salaries which
| members of the committee may now
! be drawing from the government.
| Colonies Goethals and Hodges and
Civil Engineer Rousseau, who are still
connected with work in Panama, and
| are drawing $4,000 a year each, will
not get a cent of pay for the work
| on inc COuu11LL60. G0u0Id1 0QTSdS,
who is the surgeon general o. the
| United States army, will draw only
| the difference between his present
army pay and the amount fixed as his
compensation as a committeeman.
| Colonel Sibert is going to China for
five months to formulate a reclama-
ton plan for the Chinese government,
and as his army pay stops while he
is on this trip, the Chinese govern
ment giving him his compensation,
| he will get no salary at all except for
a month or two after he returns from
his preliminary work in China. Rich
ard L. Metcalfe, the only civilian mem
| Der of the committee, will draw full
pay, which is pay for nine months at
the rate of $4,000 a year.
In a few days the members Of the
committee will prepare invitations to
all the nations of the world to be