Evening Star Newspaper, February 14, 1894, Page 1

city by carriers, on their own account, at 10 cents week. or 44c. per mozth. ‘Copies comne Kir Sesnie sachs By ai tay Soon ie ae eed States or Cansda—postage ver ‘BDAY QUINTUPLE Sr. 4 . nt ane ‘&* scond-elass mail matter.) he All mail subseriptions must Probably Not Many Changes in the Wilson Measure, IF A SUBSTITUTE WERE REPORTED An Uncomfortable Fight Might Be Precipitated. COMMITTEE SESSION TODAY A statement that the committee on fi- mance of the Senate intends to restore the duty on wool is regarded by some of the best informed men in both houses of Con- gress as an utter absurdity. Mr. Mills, who is a member of the subcommittee prepar- ing the bill, has made almost his life’s work the placing of wool on the free list and the reduction of the woolen duty, and the other members of the subcommittee, while not es ardent as he, are in general accord with him on this question. The hitch which has occurred in the committee over the question of a sugar duty is liable to lead to the retention of sugar on the free 3 though this does not necessarily fol- Probably Not Much Change. In the opinion of Senators who have taken pains to inform themselves, several of them with the idea of having the Wil- son bill radically amended, the outcome of the struggle is going to be that the com- mittee will report the Wilson bill back to the Senate almost as it is, leaving the dem- ocrats to support it or else take the re- sponsibility for its defeat. The duty on coal will undoubtedly be re- stored, but with the uncertainty as to su-_ pee is the only important change which | not in serious dispute. There appears to be very good reason for the desire on the part of democratic members of the commit- tee to report the Wilson bill as nearly as possible in its present form, rather than to Feport a substitute. If a Substitute Were Reported. Were the committee of the disposition to Jo so and should report a substitute for the Wilson bill in the form of an entirely new Measure it would be a signal for one of the most remarkable and possibly disastrous fights Congress has seen for many years. It has long been contended by members of the House that the constitutional provision that revenue and appropriation bills shall originate in the House is broad enough to prohibit the construction of an entirely new bill by the Senate as a substitute for a House revenue bill. There seems now to be no probability of such a substitute be- sng passed by the Senate, but should there | be the House would take the position that | the Senate, while it might amend the House bill to almost any extent which did not destroy it, could not adopt a new bill as a substitute for the House bill,and such a bill would not be given recognition by the House as an act, and therefore could not be the basis of conference. The tariff subcommittee of the Senate committee on finance was in conference to- day im the room of the finance committee with the other democratic members, Sena- tor Vance being the only absentee. The conference was devoted to a report upon the progress made by the subcommit- tee on the tariff bill and to a general dis- cussion of the disputed points, such as su- gar, coal, iron ore, lead ore, income tax and the whisky tax. It is understood tnat Messrs. Jones, Vest and Mills have agreed upon the changes to be made in most of the minor features of the bill, but have left these more important questions, involving in many instances party expediency, for later consideration on their part and by the full democratic membership of the commit- tee. The Louisiana Senators do not abate their demands in the least because of the atti- tude of the House or of the subcommittee and they and other advocates of a duty on sugar do not conceal the opinion en- tertained by them that if a sugar duty is not provided the bill will be placed in grave | peril in the Senate. The subcommittee is | opposed to a sugar duty, but may yet listen to the importunities in the end. The point is not settled yet and it will probably be about the last matter finally determined. The coal, lead ore and iron ore men are all quite confident today of securing con- cessions. Senator McPherson Present. Senator McPherson sat with the commit- tee today and it is understood evinced a determination to take a far more active part in the proceedings in the future than he has taken in the past. He has been im- pelled to this course by the importunities | of his constituents, many of whom, being manufacturers, find the bill objectionable to them. While he has not as yet announc- ed any decision to change his attitude of compliance with the wishes of the demo- cratic majority after the questions involved shall be decided, he is likely to take a very firm stand before this time in opposition to many of the schedules as fixed by the louse. ‘He will not only make the fight for them | im committee, but may make it on the floor of the Senate and only vote with the majority of his democratic colleagues when the final vote shall be reached on the bill. The democratic members of the commit- tee are still of the opinion that the bill will be in shape for presentation to the full committee at its regular meeting next Tuesday, but say there will be much labor necessary to put it in shape by that time. ‘The conference of the democratic mem- bers of the finance committee on the tariif bill continued until 1 o'clock. While none of the important questions in dispute were decided beyond irrevocable change, some of them were passed upon tentatively. The decision is, briefly, to extend the bonded period on whisky and increase the tax to $1.20 per gallon, to put a duty on coal, and to leave the tron schedule as it is im the House bill. The question of a sugar duty is still unsettled. Senator Vocrhees authorized the state- ment that the bill would,be ready to be re- ported by next Tuesday. ——— o+____ FRANK KIERNAN PARDONED. ‘The President's Indorsement in Grant- ing the Clemency. The President took favorable action today im the case of Frank Kiernan, convicted in the District of Columbia, November 24, 1898, of violating the gaming laws, and sentenced to six months’ imprisonment in Jail, to date from November 24, 1893. The President indorsed the application for clem- ency as follows: “Sentence commuted to three months’ actual imprisonment, for the reason that the longer imprisonment of the convict Would cause distress and privation to his aged mother and others dependent upon the prisoner, and for the further reason that the shorter term to which his sentence is commuted will answer all the ends of Justice in this particular case.’ ——_—_—__+-e+___ PENSION OFFICE. CHANGES. ‘Two Hundred Clerks to Be Promoted and 160 Reduced. The Secretary of the Interior today or- dered 360 changes in the pension bureau. Two hundred clerks will-receive notifica- tion of their yromotion and 10 will be re- duced. The matter has been under consid- eration for some time, and about two months ago Judge Lechren, commissioner of pensions, requested that the chiefs of divisions should send him recommenda tions as to the clerks under them. Th was done, with the result as stated. Great unegsiness prevails. Che Zvening Star. Vor. 84, No. 20,808, The W. OT. U..and the Whisky Tax Set Right. Mr. Frye Presents Protests Against Any Tax on the Article—The Oklahoma Railroad Bill. The whisky tax and the position of the W. C. T. U. on the question was brought up by Senator Frye this morning. The Senator stated that he had observed in the Associ- ated Press dispatches recently a statement that the W. C. T. U. had petitioned Congress for an increase of the tax on whisky. On examination it had been found that such petitions had really been presented to the House committee on ways and means. These Purported to be signed by officers of the union in remote western towns. Letters had been sent to those ‘owns, and it had been found that no persons lived in the locality bearing the names signed to the petitions. “I have the pleasure now,” said he, “of presenting a remonstrance from the National W. C. T. U. against a tax on whisky. This remonstrance 33 signed by officers of the W. C. T. WU. in forty-four states and three territories, and thes2 excel- lent women do not believe .hat :ne United States ought to enter into copartnership in either the manufacture or sale of intox- icating liquors.” = ) presented a reso- Qfass. lution, which was adopted, calling on the Secretary of the Treasury for the record in the case of the investigation of the Boston custom house. Trains in Oklahoma. The House bill to compel the Rock Island railroad to stop its trains at Enid and Round Pond, in Oklahoma, came up as the unfinished business, and Senator Palmer of Illinois took the floor in favor of the bill. He argued that the people of these towns were suffering a wrong and injustice and that it being within the power of Con- gress to afford relief, this bill should be Passed without delay. The bill was opposed by Senator Carey of Wyoming and Senator Martin of Kansas. Senator Martin, in opposing the bill, de- clared that it was a violation of democratic doctrines, that the legislature of Oklahoma | had ample power to deal with the subject and Congress should not interfere. He was not a friend of the railroad’s; in fact, they had always opposed him as a candi- date for office, but he did not believe in violating the tenets of his faith because a railroad would thereby be compelled to do a thing which the territorial legislature had full power to compel it to perform. CAPITOL TOPICs. A Disappearing Gun Carriage. Senator Hunton has introduced a bill in the Senate to authorize the Secretary of War to contract with the Pneumatic Gun Carriage Co. for a test disappearing gun carriage for a ten-inch rifle gun under its designs and patents. The bill appro- priates $70,000 for the purchase. Confirmations. The Senate in executive session yesterda; | made public the following confirmations Augustus Zehring, to be collector of cus- toms for the district of Cuyahoga, Ohio; Wm. H. Cullingworth, to be postmaster at | Richmond, Va.; W. E. Frieze, to be post- master at Wichita Falls, Texas. To Increase Mexican Pensions. Senator Martin of Kansas has introduced a bill increasing from $8 to $12 per month the pensions of Mexican war veterans and the widows of all soldiers who served in the Mexican war and who are wholly dis- abled for manual labor and in such desti- tution that $8 per month is insufficient to | provide the necessities of life. ee DISTRICT IN CONGRESS. The Bottlers’ Bill. Attorney John M. Staples appeared be- fore the House District committee today in behalf of a bill which the Bottlers’ As- sociation has prepared providing legislation for the protection of owners of branded bottles. The bill imposes a penalty for the use, sale or destruction by others of bot- | tles which are marked or branded with the | mame of the owner. Mr. Staples stated that | the purpose of the bill is to break up the | traffle in beer bottles conducted by junk | dealers to the detriment of the owners. The committee questioned Mr. Staples, and did not seem inclined to favor the bill. Action upon it will be taken at a subse- quent meeting. ——————-_____ FOR YOUR VALENTINE. Mails Laden With the Sugary Sweets of the Day. Today is St. Valentine's good-natured letter carriers have had rea- | son to remember Christmas, for their loads |have been bulkier than for many a day |past. Judging by the number of large- | sized envelopes and paste-board boxes they have had to distribute, it is safe to say | that the festival of the good old saint has | been quite as generally observed as in years | gone by. One thing noticeable is the fall- |ing off in the number of so-called comic | valentines, which are never funny or amus- day, and the |ing, and in nineteen case out of twenty are only vulgar and generally objectionable. The old-fashioned valentine, with plenty | of paper lace and a bleeding heart or two, with a “will you be my valentine?” style | of poetry, has still its hold on popular favor and the average small child cherishes that sort far more dearly than it would some | startling innovation In the custom. There | have been a number of novelties intro- | duced this year end dealers have done a good business in the sale of fancy paper dolls, brownies and celluloid articles of one sort and another. The Older Children. For the children of an older growth there have been valentines that would sell for almost any price. All sorts of bon-bon boxes, hand-painted, of silk and of china, have gone off well, while silk handker- chief cases and sachet bags handsomely made and beautifully decorated have sold at prices ranging from a dollar or two up to fifteen or twenty. These, however, are elaborate enough, but not always in the best of taste, and very rarely of the least use in the world. So, many a young man whose pocket book could stand the strain invested in a bunch of roses for the particular one to whom he should give roses. At the city post office this morning be- fore both the first and second deliveries the mail benches presented a busy scene, but the carriers cleared up their piles of boxes and packages and distributed them in a hurry so as not to run behind or disap- point any one. Capt. Bell, the superin- tendent of the city delivery division, said The StaF repor‘er that the amount of alentine mail” that went through the of- fice was quite up to other years. As for the contents of the boxes and their quality jhe could not, of course, speak with any authority or knowledge. > Personal Mention. Attorney General Olney has gone to Bos- ton to remain until next Friday. Assistant Secretary of the Interior and Mrs. Reynolds left last night for Bedford, Pa. Mr. John C. Covert of the Cleveland Plain Dealer is at the Arno. ——<$———_—-o+—____ Naval Movements. A telegram was received at the Navy De- partment this morning announcing that the gunboat Yorktown arrived at Panama yes- | terday with all well on board, and would 1] on the isth instant for Central Ameri- can ports. The Yorktown is bound for San | Francisco, where she will be fitted out for service in Bering sea. | fhe flaxshin Chicago arrived at Naples today. The Monocacy has arrived at Shanghal. An Animal Tamer Attacked in the Cage. AWFOL SCENE AT A PERFORMANCE Prompt Bravery Saves Carlo Thie- man’s Life. RECOVERY YET POSSIBLE SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 14—Carlo Thie- man, attendant at Col. Daniel Boone’s wild animal show at the midwinter fair, was attacked by three lions last night and was horribly mangled. The evening performance had been in Progress in Boone’s arena for about half an hour, and the circular inclosure was filled with people. The wild animals are exhibited in a large cage in the center of the arena, and it was time for the lions to go on. Three huge beasts, Parnell, Romeo and Commodore, were led into thi cage by Thieman, preparatory to Boone’s entrance. Suddenly the electric lights went out. There was a short interval of silence, when suddenly a shriek of agony came from the cage. It was followed by a roar of enraged lions, the crunching of their terrible jaws and the groans of the man in the cage. The large crowd of spectators became panic stricken and started for the Coors. Women shrizked and fainted, but the crowd was finally irduced to remain seated by attendants, who had retained their pres- ence of mind. Finally, lanterns were brought, and there in the cage lay Thieman with three lions clawing and munching his prostrate form. Boone’s Prompt Bravery. Col. Boone seized an iron bar and entered the cage. With shouts and blows he drove the beasts from their prey and dragged the unfortunate man from the cage. It was an exhibition of bravery seldom seen, and the big crowd cheered the gallant col- onel. ‘Thieman was taken to the receiving hos- pital, where his wounds, forty-three in number, were examined. By one blow from a lion’s paw he had been scalped from the forehead to the nape of the neck. Under each arm there were terrible bites, where the lions had attempted to reach a vital | spot. One of them nearly succeeded, for he just missed a large artery. The man’s arms, legs, thighs and buttocks were also bitten and scratched. At the hospital he recovered conscious- ness and managed to tell his story. He said he was attending to some of the cage fixtures when the lights went out. The big | lion Parnell jumped for him and knock him down with a blow on the head. Then the other two lions, Romeo and Commo- dore, seized him under the arm pits and dragged him across the cage while, Parnell made a general onslaught on his body. The lions are all full-grown beasts and have | been exhibited as trained animals for some time. ‘Thieman has been an animal tender for | eighteen years, and was considered one of | the best In the business. Col. Boone, in speaking of the affair,said: “It has always been my custom to have! lanterns and lamps about the arena in case the electric lights should go out, as it’s well known that wild animals, no matter how — ,trained, will attack a man in the By some oversight the lanterns were not in their usual places last night, and it was some time beforg they could be found. To! add to the horror of the situation, the cage door became stuck, and there was some de- lay in opening it when Boone entered the cage to rescue Thieman. After Thieman had been removed to the hospital. the peo- | ple left the arena, as they had seen enough wild animals for one night, and the per- formance was discontinued. | The doctors think there ts a possibility of Thieman’s recovery unless blood poisoning ensues, ———— REORGANIZING NEW ENGLAND. It Will Be on Lines Independent of the New Haven and Hartford Road. BOSTON, Feb. 14.—It is stated here on good authority that the plan of reorganiza- tion of the New York and New England has been fully formulated. It provides that the 7 per cent mortgage bondholders shall take 15 per cent of their holdings in new mortgage bonds at par; that holders of 6 per cent mortgage bonds shall take 10 per cent of their holdings at par, and that an assessment of 10 per cent on the common stock and 25 per cent on the preferred stock be laid. In a statement issued yesterday it was explained that the gentlemen constituting the committee on reorganization had been required to take the task by the holders of a large number of securities. Accordingly, they asked all bondholders and preferred and common stockholders to send their names and addresses and the amount of their holdings to the committee. The gentlemen mentioned are regarded as friendly to or representing the parties who secured the appointment of the receiv- ers, and their purpose will undoubtedly be to carry out their organization on inde- pendent lines without favor for the New York, New Haven and Hartford faction in the company. It is stated also that the old regime is left entirely out of consideration and that it has nothing whatever to do with the present movement. ———- EMBEZZLER HUNTINGTON DEAD. His Wife Had Started to Bring Him Home From Costa Rica. | CHICAGO, Feb. 14.—Robert G. H. Hunt- ington, who caused a sensation in Chicago last fall by absconding from the ctty, leav- ing a defalcation of about $30,000, is dead in Costa Rica. A telegram just received in this city announced the fact. Huntington was secretary of the House Building and Loan Association when he absconded. He was thirty-five years old, with a general reputa- tion for industry and sobriety until the :ime of his downfall. He escaped by way of New Orleans to San Jose, Costa Rica. Capt. C. E. Henry of Cleveland, inspector ; for the American Surety Company of New, York, located the fugitive and followed him, | but was unable to obtain his extradition. How Huntington disposed of the embezzled funds is a mystery, and likely to remain one. It appears he arrived penniless in Costa Rica, where he was prostrated by fever. On his partial recovery, he wrote to his wife in this city, offering to return and surrender himself to justice, if he could but obtain the expenses of travel. Last Sat- urday his wife started for New Orleans, and, it is thought, he would have met her there Monday had not death struck him down. piers Noa, RESCUERS STILL AT WORK. Superintendent Davis Has Given Up Hope for the Imprisoned Miners. WILKESBARRE, Pa., Feb. 14—The res- cuers are still at work in the ill-fated mine at Plymouth. About forty feet of fallen rock and coal were cleared away last night, but there is still about 370 feet of almost a solid wall of debris to be pierced before the place where the thirteen men were at | work can be reached. It will take ten days at least to make a passageway. Mine Superintendent Davis sald this morning that he had given vp all hope of | ever again seeing the men alive. A fund will be raised for the benefit of the widows | and the fatherless children. | Nearly all of the wives and children of | the entombed miners waited about the en- | trance to the mine all night, and many | of them are still hanging around, refusing | to go home. They present a sorry spec- tacle, and one which will never be for-| gotten by the residents of Plymouth. ' Great Britain is Said to Favor Ohang- ing the Regulations, It is Feared That the Canadian Fisher- men Will Get Their Catch in Spite of All. There is a serious hitch somewhere in the diplomatic negotiations for the protection of the seal fisheries of Bering sea during the coming season. It is said that Great Britain does not like the regulations framed by the Paris arbitration tribunal for the preserva- tion of seal life, and is making every effort to have them modified in the interests of the Canadian sealers. Sir Julian Paunce- fote, the British ambassador, is in frequent conference with Secretary Gresham on the subject and is said to be exercising extreme diplomatic methods to secure a modification of the regulations alteady agreed upon, or to delay their promulgation until too late to Prevent the Canadian sealers from making their usual catch. The of State has also si a soanentinny ae the regulations, seas to provide a penalty for their violation, a singular omission the arbitrators. An Early Start. Reports from the northwest indicate that the sailing fleet is getting away on their hunt earlier than usual this year. Neither Navy Department nor the Treasury De- partment has received notice from the State Department as to how large a force of ships they will be expected to provide or that they will be expected to provide any. The Navy Department is bringing suc! ships into the Pacific as it can, to be ready if needed. The amount of territory to be covered by the patrol makes it certain that it will reauire the best efforts of the de- partment to provide the ships, and this can- not be done at @ day’s notice. Not only must the ships within reach, but sup- plies of coal and provisions must be con- tracted for and placed at available points. ——_—__+ e+ — - THE SENATE ASSESSMENT BILL. The District Assessor Recommends an +Adverse Report on It. Property owners in Washington haye a great interest in Senate bill 1499, relating to assessments of real estate in the District of Columbia. This bill, which was recently submitted to the Commissioners for report, provides that the assessments levied by the last board of assessors shall be geclared null and void, and that all persons having paid taxes for the first halt of the year end- ing June 80, 1804, be entitled to a rebate of so much of the amount so paid over and above the amount of tax that would have been due on such real estate in accordance with the assessed value prior to the last assessment. Before finally passing upon the merits of this bill, the Commissioners referred the bill to the assessor for his views. Today he made his report in which he say: “While I am heartily in accord with any feasible measure to relieve our taxpayers from the present onerous assessment, I can- uot consistently approve the provisions of this bill as it would be practically impos- sible with a force of clerks double the num- ber now employed, to arrange the tax led- gers in order to give proper bills to present owners of property, as since the assess- ment of 1889-1890 numerous changes have been made in the dimensions of lots by transfers and subdivisio: and it would be neceasary to prepare new ledgers and new numerical books, entailing an amount of work that could not be done by the Itm- ited force of this office in less than twelve months, and it is doubtful if that time would be sufficient. I recommend an ad- verse report on Senate bill 1400. The best method, as I have heretofore suggested, is the enactment of a law providing for an immediate equalization and revision of the present assessment for the year 1895, and the appointment of a permanent board of three assistant assessors as provided for in a bill now being considered by the board of trade.” 3 acs ——-o+—_______ THE STATUE OF LIBERTY. Mr. Carlisle Advises That the Light Be Permanently Extinguished. The Speaker of the House of Repre- sentatives received a letter from the Sec- retary of the Treasury recommending the permanent extinguishment of the light on the statue of Liberty in the New York harbor. The letter states that the light house board regard the light on the statue of Liberty as of no importance whatever as an aid to navigation; that in ordinary foggy weather the light is invisible from Robbin’s reef and when that point is passed there is no further danger until a vessel shall have gone beyond the ition occu- Pied by the statue. oa The letter states further that the appro- priation made by Congress for the support of the light house establishment is insuffi- cient, with the severest economy, for doing the work properly, and that the expendi- ture of nearly $10,000 yearly out of this meager appropriation for the maintenance of the statue of Liberty as a beacon is not desirable. If this money could be restored to the maintenance of useful lights it would, in the opinion of the Secretary, be @ benefit to the light house establishment. The Secretary therefore recommends to the House action authorizing the extinguish- ment of the beacon entirely, so as to elim- inate this item from the expense now in- curred by the light house establishment. —_—+-o+_____ NORTH OAROLINA DEMOCRATS. A Controversy Over Offices—The Sena- P torial Election. A North Carolina democrat, who holds a Prominent position under the government, and who for that reason does not want to be quoted, in conversation with a reporter for The Star this afternoon in relation to north state affairs, said: “The politics of North Carolinas are Just now in a dickens of a tangle. Senator Vance, through the Charlotte Observer, has formally declared war on Collector Simmons of the eastern district of the state. Senator Vance states that he opposes the confirma- tion of Simmons because he opposed the nomination of one of his (Vance’s) particular friends for a federal position, and used his official pull as chairman of the democratic state executive committee to defeat H. A. Gudger, a kinsman of Senator Vance, for the office of collector of the fifth district. Another objection urged is the general one that Simmons is not a fit man for the place. All this opposition to Simmons is because of the determination of Vance to defeat Senator Ransom, who is a candidate for re- election. The situation in the state is more critical than I have ever known it before, owing to the excellent organiza- tion of tke populists and republicans. If these parties fuse, as is probable, the leg- islature will not elect a democrat to suc- ceed Senator Ransom. —_—_—_——_+-o+____ PROTECTING THE SILVER DOLLARS A Steel Fence to Be Constructed Around the Treasury Vaults. It is learned that some of the influential friends of young James Anderson, the mes- senger. who recently abstracted 810 silver dollars from the treasury vaults, have re- | imbursed the government for the loss and are making efforts to have the case against him discontinued, with what chances of success it is impossible to state. In order to make the silver vaults more secure the treasury officials are having constructed a steel fence around three sides of them, and hereafter the general public will not be permitted to pass around them as hereto- fore. Anderson, it is said, did not attempt to get into the vaults, but through the grating, with the aid of a chisel, succeeded in prying open one of the boxes containing silver dollars and then helped himself. by reaching | Farther Debate on the Seigniorage Coinage Proposition. FAILURE 10 AGREE ON A TIME 70 VOTE Two or Three Lively Colloquies in the House Today. OTHER BUSINESS TRANSACTED At the opening of the session of the House this morning the resignation of Rep- resentative Brawley (S.C.), who has been appointed United States district judge, was read and placed on file. The resignation took effect today. Mr. Hunter (ill) rose to a question of privilege and made a lengthy explanation of his votes on agricultural implements and diamonds while the tariff bill was being considered in the committee of the whole. New York Members Sworn in. Mr. Reed (Me.) asked unanimous consent that the oath be administered to Messrs. Quigg and Strauss, the newly elected mem- bers from New York, whose credentials have not yet arrived. There was no objection and their col- leagues, Messrs. Cummings and Dunphy, esorted them to the bar of the House, where they were sworn in. Mr. Bland then moved to go into commit- tee of the whole for the further, considera- tion of the selgniorage bill. Pénding the motion Mr. Bland tried to reach an agree- ment with the opponents of the bill to close general debate this afternoon at 5 o'clock, but Mr. Reed called for the reguiar order. The Bla: Bill De! ie Resumed. Mr. Stone (Ky.) took the floor. That there was a deficiency in the revenues of the gov- ernment, and that there would be a larger deficiency, he said, no one would deny. The first section of this bill proposed to coin a surplus asset of the government to meet a part of this deficiency. He urged that there was no virtue in the claim set up that the seigniorage bullion was pledged to the re- demption of the outstanding treasury notes, as both Secretary Foster and Secretary Carlisle had held that those notes were re- deemable in either gold or silver. The sale of bonds had not and could not strengthen the treasury. It simply increased the obli- gations of the government, and made it harder for the treasury to meet its obliga- tions, A General Free Silver Argument. Mr. Stone described the events leading up to the panic of last summer, the depletion of the treasury, and the sale of bonds. Thence he drifted into a general free silver argument, attributing the present distress and business stagnation to the cry set up in the money centers that the finances of the country were threatened by the con- tinued coinage of silver. The first section of the bill, by the coinage of the surplus silver assets of the treasury, would aid the treasury to meet its obligations,and the second section would strengthen the gold reserve by wiping out the treasury notes, which could now be used to drain it. Party Responsibility. Toward the close of his remarks Mr. Stone became involved in a controversy with Mr. Reed and Mr. Bowezs (Col.) over party re- sponsibility for the present condition of af- fairs. At last Mr. Stone declared that this democratic Congress would afford the peo- ple relief, and that a reinforced and ap- proved democratic majority elected to the fifty-fourth Congress would testify next fall to the work of this Congress. “We will rest the case on that prediction,” said Mr. Reed. “If you have an increased democratic majority next fall you will be vindicated.” Mr. Walker (Mass.), who followed Mr. Stone, declared that the world’s business was done upon the basis of the world’s standard of value; gold and silver, as far as its value as international exchange Was concerned, must always be measured by its bullion value in gold. Silver coinage forced by the democratic party had cost the people of the country $40,000,000 a year in indirect taxation. “Didn’t you support Cleveland on a demo- cratic ticket in 1884?” asked Mr. Kilgore. “I did,” replied Mr. Walker, “but it was upon the strongest protective plank in any platform. His free-trade letter of 1887 was the greatest betrayal any President was ever guilty of.” Mr. Walker proceeded, under a running fire of questions from Mr, Livingston, Mr. Smith of Arizona and Mr. Bland, to argue that it was better to issue bonds than to pass such a bill as the pending measure. An Angry Altercation. During the course of Mr. Walker’s speech Mr. Reed and Mr. Bland got into an angry altercation over the limitations of the debate. It was carried on while Mr. Hatch, who was in the chair, was vigor- ously pounding for order, and the sergeant- at-arms was at last called upon to see that the gentlemen were seated. —_——_+ e+ —_____ DELEGATES ARRIVING. Some Notable Women Who Will At- tend the Suffrage Convention. The delegates to the National American Woman Suffrage Association, which begins its annual convention at Metzerott Hall to- morrow morning, are beginning to arrive in considerable numbers, and the Riggs House, which the women are sing as their headquarters, is taking on a small amount A of added liveliness. Among the most interesting alegates to the convention are the three women who took part in the World’s Congress of Rep- resentative Women in Chicago last summer, namely: Madame Hanna Korany, a highly educated woman from Syria, who speaks on the position of woman in the east; Senorita Catalina de Alcala of Spain, and Miss Spence of Australia. At the afternoon session on Saturday Miss Spence will speak on the subject of the Australian ballot system and will il- lustrate her lecture by means of an election, which she will conduct for the purpose of illustrating the reform proposed by the National Representative League, of which Mr. Wm. Dudley Foulke of Indiana, is president. At the memorial service Friday afternoon, at 3 o'clock, in memory of Lucy Stone and others, there will be tributes from Eliza- beth Cady Stanton, Frederick Douglass, Carrie Lane Chapman, Miss Laura Clay, Senator George F. Hoar, Mrs. Josephine K. Henry, Wm. Dudley Foulke, Lillie Dev- ereux Blake, Henry B. Blackwell and Julia Ward Howe. RS The Las Vergzas Survey. The Secretary of the Interior has issued instructions to the commissioner of the gen- eral land office concurring in the latter’s recommendation that the resurvey of the Las Vergas grant, in New Mexico, be re- jected. He has directed that a final and complete survey of the grant be made, in accordance with the recent departmental decision “as speedily as may be, so that this long delayed matter may be closed at an early day.” A Whisky Decision. Attorney General Olney nas rendered an opinion to the effect that reimported do- mestic whisky, when withdrawn from bond, is taxable according to the number of gal- lons ai the time of importation. This argu- ment is based upon a decision by the United States circuit court for the district of Ken- tucky in the case of the Louisville Ware- house Company against the surveyor of the port of Louisville. WASHINGTON, D. C., WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1894-TWELVE PAGES. THETA IF F BILL|!N THE SENATE ToDay MANGLED BY LIONS) THE BERING SEA FISHERIES THE BLAND BILL | TWO CENTS. POSTAL MANAGEMENT ° eee Change Proposed in the Offices in the Ten Largest Cities, ‘The New Plan Contemplates Allowing the Postmasters to Control the Fand for Their Offices. Postmaster General Bissell’s plan to place the postal service of the ten largest cities of the country under the practical man- agement of their postmasters will be a radical innovation in the system of the de- partment, if it is adopted. The House com- mittee on post offices will devote itself to the consideration of the latter forthwith, holding a special meeting next Monday, at which the Postmaster General will be in- vited to appear and further explain the proposed change. mereased Expenditures. This scheme will involve no increased ex- penditures, but is simply designed to se- cure an administration of the post offices without the friction and red tape incidental to the present system, in which the depart- ment oversees the expenditures and details of office management. According to the ex- planations made yesterday by First Assist- ant Postmaster General Jones and the Postmasters of New York and Philadelphia it is proposed to deduct the estimates for the postal service the amounts which the di it would probably assign to the leading cities and have Congress make @ separate appropriation of a certain sum for each one. This money would be at the command of the several postmasters to draw upon and utilize as they saw fit, giv- ing to them the same power held by the managers of private business concerns. The Postmasters Fav: it. ‘The postmasters themselves are enthu- siastically in favor of the plan, and the heads of the offices at Chicago and other cities expect to address the committee. It is urged that these cities are entitled to special consideration, because they yield one-third of the revenues from the service, the New York office alone turning into the treasury of the government $4,000,000 more than its expenses. It was predicted in the committee that objections wouil be made on the floor of Congress by the Repre- sentatives of smaller cities which did not receive the same favor. Two members also, Kepresentatives Loud of San Fran- cisco and Caldwell of Cincinnati, suggested that a lump sum for the ien cities should be appropriated, the division to be made by the Postmaster General. They feared that in a general skirmish New York city would secure the Hon’s share by force of its large number of Representatives, an apprehen- sion that Representative Dunphy assured them was needless. Mr. Dunphy has a bill before Congress to secure the plan and is its particular champion. Would Relieve the Department. The Postmaster General favors it, be- cause it would relieve the department of much troublesome work without impos- bo fell oo ne i rameage ge lr cere e postmasters. No question was made of the benefits cf the plan, those committeemen who offered criticisms basing them on “he ground that the same benefits are not 10 be extended to all officers; one member calling it “class legislation. ———~e-—_____ THE HONDURAS LOTTERY. Mail Matter for It Not to Be Re- ceived or Delivered. Post Office Inspector. Dice, who was de- tailed to make an investigation into the ways of the Honduras Lottery Company, transmitted his report to the department yesterday afternoon. As a result orders have been sent to the postmasters at Port Tampa, Tampa Bay and Tampa City, Fla.; Mobile, Ala.; New Orleans, Galveston, La- redo, Tex.; El Paso and San Francisco pro- hibiting delivery to the lottery company or the payment of money orders, and that these things should be returned to the send- ers. Orders have been issued to the post- masters at San Francisco, New York and New Orleans to refuse to certify money or- ders payable to the parties connected with the lottery in Honduras or elsewhere out- Instructed to before the U. 8. district court. Fp se ————_-o-____ THE PHILADELPHIA NOMINATIONS. Not im Accordance With the State Delegations Recommendations. The Phiadelphia nominations sent to the Senate yesterday are not entirely in ac- cordance with the recommendations made by the Pennsylvania democratic delegation in Congress. For director of the mint eight of the members favored the choice of Mr. A. Haller Gross and two favored Mr. Merrett of Reading. In view of this divi- sion an understanding was recently reach- ed by which most of the congressional in- fluence was exerted in favor of Mr. John BP. Nicholson. For collector of customs at Philadelphia most of the Pennsylvania members, including Mr. McAleer of Phil- adelphia, favored the choice of some man from the interior of the state, and eight of them agreed on ex-Gov. Black. For pension agent there was substantial una- nimity in favor of Gen. Mulholland, all of the democratic members, except Mr. Reilly and Erdman, indorsing him. The nom- inees, however, were well indorsed by in- fluential Pennsylvania democrats not in Congress. ———__-e. TO JOIN THE RANGER. Orders to Surgeon Barnum of the Wrecked Kearsarge. The Navy Department is informed that Passed Assistant Surgeon James F. Keeney, attached to the U.S.S. Ranger, died at La Union, Salvador, last Saturday. Passed Assistant Surgeon George T. Smith is un- der orders to the Ranger, but will be un- able to join her for several weeks, and as the vessel has constant need of a medical officer while in Central American waters, it was decided to send Assistant Surgeon Merritt W. Barnum to her temporarily. Dr. Barnum is one of the survivors of the wreck of the Kearsarge. He is now at Colon and is ordered to cross the isthmus to Panama and take passage on the Yorktown for the Ranger at La Union. Orders were sent to the commanding officer of the Yorktown to awalt the arrival of Dr. Barnum before continuing her cruise to the north. 7 AGAIN IN TROUBLE. Paymaster-Smith to Be Court-Martial- |, Also Engineer Hartrath. Intelligence has reached here that two officers on the Asiatic station have got in- to trouble and are to be court-martialed. Paymaster H. R. Smith, attached to the Concord, is one and Passed Assistant Kn- gineer Armand Hartrath, attached to the Baltimore, is the other. An overindulgence in intoxicating liquors is the cause of trou- ble in both cases. The paymaster is charged with absence without leave and conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentieman. The engineer officer is charged with drunk- enness on duty. Paymaster Smith has been in similar scrapes before and a conviction will go hard with him, Several years ago, whcie on duty in New York, he disappeared for several months, and it was feared that he had been foully dealt with. He eventually turned up all right, and was severely disciplined. ae OGRE 8 Office Clerks Dismissed. Secretary Smith today ordered the dismis- sal of thirty-five clerks from the census because of the completion of the work on which they were engaged. THE PECKHAM CASE His Nomination to Be Probably Voted on Tomorrow. Senators Said to Be Uncertain Being Placated. OPPOSITION PREDICT DEFEAT iE g 5 : z in ite tendencies and he has jandea nimselt the adininisira- tion camp both on the Peckham nom'na- tion and on the Ha Senator Daniel Uncertain. Another element of uncertainty has been discovered in the position of Senator Daniel of Virginia, who has heretofore allied him- self with the anti-administration democrats, and who voted against Mr. Hornblower, but toward whom the President, it is said, has recently experienced a change of heart. Certain nominations have been submitted to the Senate containing what the Hill peo- ple think are plums to tempt Peckham juietly working for the past eight months. This gentleman was named for the marshaiship of district of Virginia, and Senator Daniel wae alco gratiied ty the aqpeisunant oF a personal friend to be consul to Amoy in the place of the late unfortunate Col. J. Hampton Hoge. Mi friends, however, contend that the Sith ban atiinahe ae te Peet te o> with his attitude in the Peckham ne uk in each batch of appointments Senate indications of a desire of the President to woo stray lambs that have wandered administration flock. The administration do not sinuation, but are rather wo over what they claim to be the President in Outlook as to the Result. The fight on the nomination will be taken up early in the day unless some important business intervenes or some new agree- ment is reached. It is not thought likely that there will be as prolonged a discus- sion over this name in executive session as over that of Mr. Hornblower, when the doors were kept closed for over six hours. The arguments pro and con are practi- cally the same, though greatly sfmplified by the President’s repeated attempt to nomi- nate a man of Mr. Hill's own state dis- tasteful to the New York Senator. There will be considerable changing of votes on both sides and the exact result is in doubt, but there is a general undercur- rent of opinion that Mr. Peckham's chances are not much better than were those of Mr. Hornblower. The fact that Mr. Hoar would probably have voted against Peckham had he been present at the meeting on last Monday practically gives the report of the committee the same effect as though it had been adverse to confirmation. The fact that it was a tie vote on which the report was ordered prevents the result from having the same effect as though the committee had contented itself with not voting at all. The report will therefore come into the Senate with about the same effect as though Mr. Hoar had been present and had voted against confirmation, as itegs generally ac- cepted he would have done. Opposition Confident of Rejection. ‘The Senators opposed to the confirmation of Peckham are rejoicing today in the con- fident belief that his confirmation will be de- feated by a majority of not less than eight or nine. They claim that they will lose but one democrat and one republican of those who voted agai Hornbiower and that in the place of this loss they will gain the votes of from four to six republicans who voted for Hornblower. It is said further that they can secure as many republican votes as necessary to make the defeat of 8 é Eel reich F | donne: SECRETARY GRESHAM'’S PENSION, His Name Stricken From the Pension Rolls, It ts Sat The statement is being circulated today that Secretary Gresham had his name stricken from the pension roll about a year | ago, shortly before he entered President | Cleveland's cabinet. Up to thattime, it is | said, he drew a pension of $30 a month om account of an unhealed wound received im the battle of Atlanta, Ga. ee Te Relieve Admiral trwii Commodore Wm. A. Kirkland has been detached from duty in. command of the navy yard, League Island, Pa., and ordered to Honolulu per steamer of March 17 from San Francisco, to relieve Admiral John Ir- win of command of the naval forces of the Pacific station. Admiral Irwin retires April 17. Upon being relieved he will return to the United States and await his retirement. Commodore Kirkland will have as his per- sonal staff Lieut. York Noell and Lieut. J. A. H. Nickels. Testing a Gun Carriage. The army ordriance department is testing at the Sandy Hook proving grounds a new disappearing carriage for siege guns. It is of the Raskazoff: type, and was recently Passed Assistant Engineer R. I. Reid has been detached from the Miantonomoh and granted three months’ leave; Sailmaker J. T. Bailey to the Franklin, relieving Sail- maker C. H. Jones, who is ordered to the navy yard, League Island. ———--e. Some Patent Statistics, ‘The total number of patents issued by the patent office up to and inclusive of yester- day was 500,000. Applications for letters patent number 60,000 per year and the number of letters patent granted average 40,000. Capt. James E. White, general superin- tendent of the railway mail service, who was dangerously {ll at his home in this city for several weeks, resumed his official @u | thes today.