Evening Star Newspaper, February 19, 1895, Page 1

THE EVENING STAR. PUBLISHED DAILY EXCEPT SUNDAY AT THE STAR BUILDINGS, 1101 Pennsylvania Avenue, Cor. 11th Street, by The Evening Star Newspaper Company, 8. H. KAUFFMANN Pres't. or a New York Offce, 49 Potter Building, —— The Evening Star is served to subscribers in the efty by carriers, on their own account, at 10 cents Ber week, of 44 conte per month. Copies at the gounter 2 cents each. By mail—anywhere in the tates States or Canada—postage prepald—50 cents mth. Saturday Quintuple Sheet Star, $1 per year, with forelgn postage added, $3.00. Entered at the Post Office at Washington, D. C., &s second-class mail matter.) [7 All mail subscriptions must be paid in advance. Rates of wivertising made known on application. Che Zvening Star. No. 13,092. WASHINGTON, D. ©., TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1895-TWELVE PAGES. TWO OENTS. Ehe proof of the pudding is in f6e eating. Yesterdar’s Star contained 35 cofumns of adverfisemenfs, mare up of 543 separate announces ments. SBhese advertisers fought pubficitp—not merefp space. SECRETARY CARLISLE He is Silent Respecting His Ru- mored Retirement from the Cabinet, THE TWO INDICTMENTS AGAINST HIM One or the Other Must Fall Accord- ing to His Friends. THE SUPREME BENCH pe ee Secretary Carlisle is observing the same silence respecting the latest report of his early retirement from the cabinet that he has, from time to time, observed toward all reports of like tenor. His only expres- sion has been that it seemed to be a fea- ture of the New York market to put him on the retiring list at its own pleasure, and as this did not affect him at all, however it might affect the market, he would not com- plain. obody, however, in such relation to the Secretary as makes his opinion of value believes that there is-anything more in this latest story than events revealed in the others. The best opinion in well in- formed circles still is that Mr. Carlisle will continue in his present place until the close of this administration. Friends of the Secretary complain that In these latest attacks on him there Is a conspicuous lack of coherence, of con- of good reasoning. His oppo- nents, both democratic and republican alike, seem to be too eager to get at him. He cannot, possibly, his friends assert, be amenablesas indicted. On the one hand, he is charged with having secretly conferred with a syndicate of sharp money-lenders and been overreached by them. The con- tract to which the government is commit- ig of his making. It is dead against the roment, and, therefore, his offense is @ very serious one. On the other hand, he is charged with having done nothing at all, Is condemned for supine- ness. According to this view of the mat- ter, the President, with scant ceremony, set Mr. Carlisle entirely aside, conferred with the New York bankers himself, and committed the government to the instru- Adnent as it now stands. Those who hold to this view insist that Mr. Carlisle should have resented this, and have asserted him- self strongly enough to have stamped his own opinions en the transaction. Not Guilty of Both Offenses. Now, clearly, the friends of the Secretary Insist, he cannot be guilty of both offenses. He cannot have been everybody and nobody in the negotiations. If he carried the gov- ernment’s part through, he was no mere clerk to the President. If he stood aside while the President carried the govern- ment’s part through, he cannot fairly be saddied with any disadvantage at which the government has been placed. One or the other count in the indictment, they assert, must be abandoned, and whichever one is retained can, they believe, be easily overthrown. ‘The men who are asking fair play for Mr. Carlisle do not take the high ground taken by Mr. Sherman in the Senate on yesterday. They cannot be brought to see how Mr. Carlisle could have ignored the President in so important a transaction as the issuance of one hundred million dol- lars of bonds at such a time as this, and in the circumstances that existed. It was juestior, they insist, of the greatest mo- ment, not to be safely or properly left to the judgment of any one official, no matter how great his ability or powerful his place. The credit of the country being involved, the views of the President were to be sought and obtained by every consideration of good policy and propriety. Besides, the bankers called in were the President's per- sonal friends, who would be likely, by rea- son of that fact, to enter all the more earnestly into the negotiations. The Presi- dent, therefore, and the Secretary together are responsible for the outcome. No step was taken by either without the knowledge and consent of the other. In turn they committed the party to the transaction, and so the whole matter stands. Why, ask his friends, should Mr. Carlisle n? How would that relieve the situa- Mr. Carlisle is not alone responsible. The Presideht is committed to an equal degree, and, |through him, the party fs also. Should the President also resign? And if he shoul and Mr. Carlisle with him, would that benefit the party in the slight- est? What Mr. Carlisle's Friends Say. ‘The discussion of this matter reveals the fact that while the President's friends are united as to him, Mr. Carlisle's friends are divided on one of the points involved. The President is regarded as a gold man, pure and simple. Being a New Yorker, and in touch personally and politically with many of the leading financiers of the metropolis, he is not expected to take any other than @ gold view of the money question. But Mr. Carlisle has followers on both sides ef the Alleghenies. Those eastern men who have been drawn to him since his as- sumption of the treasury duties by his mod- ification of his silver views are glad to find him co-operating with the President as to the new loan. But the southern and the western men, who knew Mr. Carlisle in Congress, while refusing to unkind interpretation of his late: deeply regret it, and hold that rather than himself in such a position he should put have p 1 his resignation in advance and at once into the President's hands. They eve that had he done this, with such rnestness as would have left no doubt of his purpose to stand his ground, the Pres- Ident and his New York friends would have Fielded, and better terms would have been obtained from the government. ‘The Supreme Court Rumors. On the subject of a seat on the Supreme bench some of Mr. Carlisle's friends are of opinion that he has no aspirations In that @irection. He ts regarded as possessing the learning necessary for such a post and the fucicial temperament in an eminent degree. But while at Mon beens in regular practice he got the pick of big fees, and was very cessful as an alvocate and as a coun- ior, would he not prefer to repeat that cess, rather than make himself snug for in a black silk gown at a regular sal- Besides, In Mr. Justice Harlan, Ken- tucky already has a representative on the Bupreme bench. —re+ Acts Approve ‘The President has approved the act to re- Neve frem the operations of the alien land Yaw the real estate in the District of Co- Iumbia owned by Abraham D. Prince; to extend the jurisdiction of justices of the peace in the District of Columbia and to regulate proceedings before them; to adopt al rules for the navigation of harbors, 8p: rivers and inland waters of the United Bte except the great lakes and their connecting and tributary waters as far east ntreal; providing an additional cir- th judicial circuit; to the act to establish circuit courts of ize Newark authoriz- ture of a portion of the ap- as cult judge in the ni expe! ion for St h harbor, Mich., nnect that ha with Benton harbor; to return to Michigc gs of certain vol r regiments ing to the Gila Valicy, Globe and Northern Railroad Com- pany right of way through San Carlos res- Srvation, Ariz.; to readjust the salaries and aifowances of the postmasters at Guthrie, Kingfisher and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to relieve the representatives of D. C. Rod: man, deceased, of Florida. TORPEDO BOAT BIDS Proposals for the Construction of Three : New Vessels. The Various Bids Opened Today at the Navy Department—Some Im- portant Changes. —————— “American shipbuilding {s not dead,” re- marked Assistant Secretary McAdoo this noon, as he took his seat at the head of a long table in the office of the Secretary of the Navy to witness the opening of the bids for building the three torpedo boats. His utterance was justified by the presence in the room of at least two dozen repre- sentatives of American shipbuilding works and a formidable pile of bids and designs upon the table befere the judge advocate general of the navy. There were many faces familiar to the department people in the crowd, and some new ones, too, and the only notable absentee was Mr. Cramp, who, it was said, had his eye on the battle ships, which it is hoped Congress will pro- vide for, and consequently did not stoop to such little craft as torpedo boats. ‘There were Mr. Scott of the Union works, the blind beatbuilder, Herreschoff, Frank King of the New Sparrow Point Works 1car Balsimore, Mr. Malster of the Colum- bian Iron Works, Baltimore; Mr. Ramsay of Perth Amboy, } one of the Dia- Icgues of Camden, N. J.; Holland, the de- sterner of the submarine boat, and repre- sentatives of the Dubuque Iron Works, the builders of the Ericsson. Changes in the Proposals. The department's proposals for bids in the case of the torpedo boats differed in some important respects from any other ever issued. In the first place, the provision for a benus to the contractor for speed above the contract requirement had been dropped, but the stipulation for a deduction in case of a deficiency was retained, and in this case it amounted to $10,000 per knot. Then, for the §rst time, it was permitted to bid- ders to submit proposals for building the boats of other material than steel, thus throwing open the field to aluminum and bronze, such as the Vigilant was built of. The general dimensions of the boats, as prescribed in the advertisements, were as follows: Length, 160 feet; beam, 16 feet; tornage, about 138, or 18 more than the Ericsson; coal capacity, 43 tons. Engines triple expansion, twin screw, of 2,000 horse power; speed, 241-2 knots, or half a knot mcre than the Ericsson. Bidders were allowed to submit two kinds of proposals, one under the depart- ment’s specifications and one under their own designs. This last permission was freely availed of, and some bidders sub- mitted several sets of original designs. The Bids Submitted. The bids were as follows: Bath Iron Works of Bath, Me., for all three boats, under the department's de- signs, $142,000 each, or $426,000 in all. John Dialogue & Sons of Camden, N. J., under the department's designs, for one beat, $139,000; for two boats, $137,000 each, or $274,000 for the pair; for three boats, $136,000 each, or $408,000 total Columbia iron works of Baltimore, under their own designs, for one boat, $107,000; for two boats, $13,000 each, or $206,000 for both; for three boats, $07,500 each, or $202,- 508 for all. Hugh Ramsay of Perth Amboy, N. J., his own designs, for all three boats, $438,- ¢00, another set of his own designs, for all three boats, $378,000; under the depart- ment’s designs, for all three boats, $378, 000: another bid under the department's designs, for all three boats, $347,700; an- other set of his own designs, for all three, $347,000. Union iron works of San Francisco, un- der the department's designs, one boat for $135,000; two for $120,000 each, or $258,000 for both; three for $120,000 each, or $360,- 000 for all; under their own designs, one boat for $125,000; two for $120,000 each, or $240,000 for both; three for $116,000 each, or $348,000 for all. Another set of their own designs for one boat of 240 tons and a speed of 28 knots, $243,000. The Fulton engineering and shipbutiding works of San Francisco, under the depart- ment designs: For one boat, $148,000; for two, $20,000; or $145,000 each. ‘The Iowa iron works of Dubuque, for all three boats, under the department designs, $411,000, or $137,000 each. ‘The Herreshoff Manufacturing Company of Bristol, R. 1, under thetr own designs, for three steel boats, $113,450 each, or $341,500 for all; under another de- sign, with the lower hull, Keel, stem and stern posts. of high bronze and upper works and coal bunkers of alum- Invm, for all three boats, $414,000, or $138,- 000 each; another design of composite type for two boats, $276,000, or $138,000 each, and one steel boat, $113,850, another- de- sign; one composite boat for $128,000 and two steel boats for $113,850 each, or $227,700 for the last pair. As to the Award. As will be seen from the list, the bid- ding was very complex, and it will require much time and examination by the depart- ment experts to come to a conclusion as to where the contracts will be bestowed. Un- der the department’s designs Hugh Ram- say of Perth Amboy has the lowest bid, at $347,000 for the three boats, but he, as well as everybody else, 1s much underbid when it comes to original designs by the Colum- bia fron works of Baltimore, which sub- mits an aggregate bid of $292,500 for the three boats. “The figures are not a sure indication of what the department will do in the matter, for there are many considerations to take into account, such, for instance, as the ad- ditional cost of sending a boat around to the Pacifie coast, where it is sorely needed, the expediency of using bronze and alumi- num, instead of all steel, and, lastly, the pro- priety of taking up the offer of the Union works to build a large 28-knot boat like the most speedy and modern of the British tor- pedo boats. Mr. Scott's last proposition if not in conformity with the adveritsement, but if it is possible to build this boat and have enough money left to construct two other smaller boats it may be that such an arrangement can be made. —<—<—_—__-s-—_—__—_ No Change at Dover. DOVER, Del., February 19.—Two ballots were taken in the United States senatorial fight today. They resulted as follows: Higgins, republican, 9; Addicks, republi- can, 6; Massey, republican, 3; Wolcott, democrat, 9; Tunnell, democrat, 1; absent, 1. ——_—_ Pretty Wedding at Petersburg. Special Dispatch to The Evening Star. PETERSBURG, Va., February 19.—One of the prettiest weddings Petersburg has seen In many years occurred this after- noon at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, which had been richly decorated with palms, pot- ted plants and flowers. The contracting parties were Rev. W. A. R. Goodwin, rec- tor of St. John’s Church, and Miss Evelyn Tanner. The ceremony was performed by Rev. C. R. Hains, D.D., assisted by Rev. R. A. Geodwin, rector of St. John’s Episco- pal Church in’ Richmond, who fs an uncle of the groom. ————— A Chance for a Draftsman. The civil service commission will hold an examination on March 7 and 8 to fill a vacancy in the position of cartographic draftsman in the hydrographic office, Navy Department, at a salary ‘of $1,000 per an- num. As the commission failed to secure eligibles for this vacancy at an examina- tion recently held, applications will be ac- cepted from residents of the District of Columbia and from any of the states, with- out reference to the number of appoint- ments they may have had in excess of their quotas. THE COINAGE BILL Prospect of a Senate Vote on It To- day. ITS CHANCES IN THE HOUSE The House Coinage Committee Tied on Free Coinage. THE SITUATION DESCRIBED SS The expectation is, as previously stated in The Star, that the Jones free silver bill will pass the, Senate, the anti-silver men permitting the vote so as to prove to the country how completely the Senate is in the hands of the silverites. Mr. Jones expects the vote to occur to- day, and he may not be disappointed. It is not improbable that the bill, coming ever from the Senate, would have a ma- jority vote in the Hcuse if it could be brought to a vote there. But in the reg- ular order of procedure the Senate bill would have to go to the House committee on coinage, weights and measures to bg reported on. That committee is so con- stituted as to give a majority of one for silver on a poll of the whole committee. This would give the silver men just a quorum if every one of their number were present. Sickness has, however, always kept them one or two short of their full quota, and as the anti-silver members will not attend the meetings, it is impossible for them to make a report. The committee is certainly very narrowly divided upon the question of free coinage, with a probable majority of one against the proposition. With a full muster of the seventeen mem- bers there are eight to be iisted on each side of the question, with Mr. Kilgore of Texas holding the balance of power. Mr. Kilgore was formerly accounted a free silver advocate, but nas been recently thougnt to hold views antagonistic to free silver. An additional advantage for the opponents of free silver is tound in the absence of Mr. Sweet of Idaho, who is en- gaged in a contest for the Senate at home, So, at best, tne silver men could only hope for a tle Vote in committee. Fearing that the silver sentiment domimated the com- mittee, the eastern members have absented themselves trom the meetings throughout this session, and refused to help to make a quorum. ‘heir attendance was only s¢- cured when it was desired to report the Denver mint bill by an explicit promise that no financtal bill would be called up. Chairman Bland says he will exert every influence in his power to secure a quorum if the Jones bill is sent to the House, but he does not entertain strong hopes that he can secure a report upon the bill. If it could be reported he could call it up as privileged business in the House, and the bedy would be compelled to place itself on record on the silver question unen- cumbered by other ‘issues, a proposition that it has not yet been called upon to vete on. No Help From the Rules Committee. Morecver, they cannot expect any assist- ance from the committee on rules, as Speaker Crisp is the only straight silver man on that committee. Reed and Catch- ings are gold men; Cannon and Outhwaite term themselves bimetallists, but are not in favor of free coinage of silver under present conditions. The best opinion obtainable about the Senate when it convened today was that a vote would not be reached upon the Jones unrestricted silver coinage bill dur- ing the day, and several Senators were found, including some advocates of the bill, who expressed the opinion that the bill would not reach a vote at all, They say it is not their purpose to ‘stand im the way of the proper consideration Of the appropriation bills and some of them are willing that after the debate on the Jones bill shall have progressed for a reasonable time it shall give way for the consideration of the Indian appropriation bill, which is next on the calendar. They claim that in consenting to this ccurse they will lose no advantage for sil- ver, as they have already demonstrated that the silver forces are in the ascend- ancy in the Senate. Filibustering Likely. There is no doubt that dilatory tactics will be resorted to. The republican anti- silver men have not yet had an opportunity for consultation, and will not decide upon a course until it is definitely decided whether the silver men will consent to al- low the bill to be displaced by the Indian bill. They are divided as to the best policy, some of them holding that a positive show- ing of the attitude of the Senate on the financial question would be the best expla- nation they could make in response to the demands of their constituents for action in the interest of a bond issue, and others holding that any further exploitation of the silver question will only serve to make plainer the division in the party and to still further unsettle the finances. The demo- cratic friends of the administration are known to be disposed to stand off a vote as long as possible. They assert quite posi- tively that a vote cannot be reached today, and, while they will not push their predic- tions to a more distant time, it is evident by their manner that they are hopeful of securing sufficient republican assistance to postpone action for some time. The silver men are confident that if a vote can be reached they will make a still better show- ing than they did on the vote for consider- ation. 2 + —__ THE CASE DISMISSED. Tailor Pfleging’s Suit for Damages Against Mrs. Blackburn. After an absence of but ten minutes the jury in the case of John Pfleging against Mrs. Julia C. Blackburn, widow of ex-Gov. Blackburn of Kentucky, returned a verdict today in her favor. As stated in yesterday’s Star, the plaint- iff, a dressmaker, sued Mrs. Blackburn for $5,000 damages because of an alleged ma- licious prosecution. In the spring of 1893 he made three dresses, one each for Mrs. Blackburn, a Mrs. Zane and Miss Madeline Pollard. ‘Mrs. Blackburn promptly paid for hers, but Mr. Pfleging, to secure the payment from Mrs. Zane and Miss Pol- lard, subsequently secured possession of Mrs. Blackburn's garment, under the pre- tense of altering it, holding it until, upon the advice of her then counsel, now Mr. Justice Morris of the Court of Appeals, she had him arrested on a charge of false pretences. The charge was subsequently dismissed as the result of a consultation in the room of Judge Miller at the Police Court, Mrs. Zane, at the suggestion of Serator Blackburn of Kentucky, giving a check in payment for her dress and that of Miss Pollard, the latter stating that she then had no funds. Among the witnesses for the defendant teday were Senator Blackburn and Mr. Justice Morris. ———__ Yale Freshmen Challenged. NEW HAVEN, Conn., February 19.—The Yale Freshman Debating Union has been challenged by the Harvard Freshman Union to a debate to take place within three months. The Yale freshmen will ap- point a conference committee at their next meeting. The Yale and Princeton debating societies have chosen this subject for their debate at New Haven on May 10: “Re- solved, That the income tax of 1804 was a justifiable measure.” It has been decided that the question of the constitutionality of the measure shall not be debated. THE FREE SILVER PLANIWQMEN’S CONGRESS|NOT MUCH FEAR NOW|A CABINET MEETING Three Preliminary Oonferences and Then a General Convention, . All Will Adopt ‘a Resolation Declar- ing for the Free Coinage of Silver at Sixteen to One. A very important political conference is expected to be held at a date not yet fixed, probably early in the summer. During the discussion of the gold bond resolution in the House last week one of the populists had read, “as @ part of -his remarks,” a eall for a conference of their people. This conference is not of itself a matter of much consequence, but as a part of a gen- eral plan is has more significance. The intention is to have three conferences, dis- tinct and independent of each other, pre- liminary to the general conference or con- vention of representatives of the silver men of all sections and all parties. There is to be a call issued for a meeting of the republicans in Congress who are devoted to the cause of silver. This con- ference is to be followed by one of the democrats in Congress who are silver ad- vecates. To Declare for Free Coinage. It is anticipated that the action taken by all three conferences will be the same. Each is expected to adopt a simple reso- lution of its own drawing declaring for the free coinage of silver at 16 to 1, and to avoid reference to any other question. The upshot of this would be that those men be- longing to three antagonistic parties would stand pledged to the same platform. If all goes on smoothly to this point the next step will be to unite the three separate sections into one organization to make a silver campaign in ‘96. The joint general conference or conven- tion at which these three elements of the silver party are expected to be united is the one looked forward to a8 an event of great importance. It 1s net at present contem- plated ‘that there should be a formal or- ganization of a new party at this confe: ence or that any one by attending the con- ference and participating in its work shall thereby separate himself from the party to which he belongs. It is not the design of either the silver republicans or t% silver democrats to abandon their old party asso- ciations until after they have exhausted every effort to secure what they consider a satisfactory recognition of silver by one or both of the old parties and have failed. ‘They intend, however, to be prepared to launch the silver party with flags flying as soon as the time arrives, when that is the only thing left for them, $e ——______ WARREN MR. OF CHICAGO. He Many Be the Sapervising Architect of the Trensary. It seems to be the impression among sub- ordinate treasury officials that Mr. C. J. Warren of Chicago ts likely to be appointed supervising architect of the treasury. The Illinois delegation in Congress is under- stood to have mide a strong plea to the President and Secretary Carlisle in his behalf, and it is believed that their plea has been received with favor. Secretary Carlisle, however, has not taken any official action in the matter ag yet, and as he went to New York this morning it may be sev- eral days before ansthing definite is known. A prominent Chicago. democrat now in the city said today that he had no knowl- edge of what Mr. Warren’s chances were. He had met him at the hotel, and, Mr. War- ren had said that he was a candidate, and seemed to think that he had the inside track. Mr. Warren's special desire was to make the plans for the Chicago post office. authorized by the recent act of Congress, and but for that it'was doubtful whether he would accept the place. When questioned as to Mr. Warren's standing in his profession, the Chicago gentleman said that no doubt he was a good architect, but so far as he knew he by no means stood pre-eminent among Chicago architects. In fact, the gentleman said, the best men in the profession would not accept it at the small salary paid, for the reputation they might gain would by oO means compensate them for the finan- cial loss incurred. NEEDS NO AUTHORITY. Secretary Carlisle Says There is No Call for Bond Legislatio Secretary Carlisle‘ today sent a reply to the Senate resolution inquiring whether “it Is necessary or desirable that legisla- tion should be had authorizing the issuing of bonds, treasury notes or other securities to realize moneys for the purpose of pay- ing current deficiencies in the revenue.” The Secretary says he does not consider such authority now necessary. His com- munication is as follows: ‘The cash bal- ance in the treasury at the close of busi- hess on the 18th instant, exclusive of $55, 101,704 gold reserve, was $0 4. “It is my opinion that the Secretary of the Treasury ought to be permanently in- vested with authority to issue and sell short-time bonds or other obligations of the government for the purpose of raising money to meet such deficiencies in the ordinary revenues as may occur from time to time; but I do not think that there is any necessity at the present time for the exercise of such authority if it existed. “It is not probable that such deficiencies will occur during the remainder of the current fiscal year as will exceed the avail- able balance on hand, and it is estimated that during the next fiscal year the re- ceipts will exceed the expenditures.” How It Strikes Them. This letter is accepted in the Senate as having a direct bearing upon the amend- ment to the sundry civil bill proposed by the Senate committee on appropriations providing for an issue of certificates of indebtedness. Many Senators who have given their as- sent to the amendment have stated from the beginning that they would agree to the proposition only upon. the direct request of the Secretary for such action. This has been especially true of the silver Senators. Senator Teller has been one of the most consefvative of silver men on this propo- sition, but he is understood to have voted against it in committee because there had been no declaration fram the Treasury De- partment that the certificates were needed. It is understood now that the amendment was put forward with the idea that it was liable to be ruled out on a point of order in the Senate, and that if it passed that body it would fail in the House. Nominations by the President. The President today sent the following nominations to the Senate: Postmasters: George E. Bryant, Bald- winsville, Mass.; Solomon S. Metzger, Bed- ford, Pa.; John H. Hicock, Flint, Mich.; Mary F. Holland, Friend, Neb.; Jas. R. Holcombe; Gothenburg, Neb. Justice: Erskin Ross of California, to be United States circuit judge for the ninth jndicial_circuit, provided for by act ap- proved February 18, 1895. —————-—____. A New Pacific Steamer. TACOMA, Wash., February 19.—The sum- mer schedule of the. Northern Pacific Steamship Company will give a steamer exch way every three weeks, May 19, be- tween Tacoma and China and Japan. The new steamer to be put on is not named in the schedule, but fs supposed to be the first of two modern liners which are raid to be building at the Fairfield ship building yards, in Scotland, for the Northern Pacific line. S Papers Read and Discussed at the Sessions Today. WOMEN'S © RELIGIOUS INFLUENCE Development That She Has Made and That to Come. PROGRAM FOR TONIGHT ee -A small American flag was draped around the president’s desk on the platform at Metzerott Hall this morning, when the sec- ond day of the sessions of the National Council of Women of the United States be- gan. It lent the finishing touch to the general patriotic effect, for the wall in the rear of the stage was hung with a mam- moth stars and stripes. At 10 o’clock, when the president, Mrs. May, Wright Sewall, called the meeting to order, the attendance was comparatively light, but during the hour many others came in, §0 that the hall was well filled before the meeting got fairly under head- way. The general subject of discussion for the morning was church work, with especial reference to the share that woman takes in religious effort. After the opening of the meeting, Mrs. Harriet Taylor Upton, chairman of the press committee, an- nounced that the local papers had made arrangements to publish elaborate reports of the convention and urged that all the members of the council subscribe for one or more of them and thus spread through- out the land a general knowledge of the work done by the council. Mrs. Rachel Foster Avery, corresponding secretary of the council, also made a number of im- portant announcements. é ‘Two fraternal delegates from the Nation- al Farmers’ Alliance and Industrial Union were then introduced to the council to de- liver greetings from the organizations they represented. They were Mrs. E. W. War- dell of Topeka, Kan., and Mrs. Helen S. Johnson of Corry, Pa., one of the national lecturers of the organization. They made brief addresses, dividing the five minutes tetween them, in the course of which they spoke of the valuable lesson the Farmers’ Alliance taught to the world in holding out equal privileges to women. Mrs. Amelia S. Quinton of Philadelphia extended fraternal greetings from the Wo- tran’s National Indian Association. She spcke hopefully of the coming time when in the work for a common humanity there will be no need for the use of sex-terms. There will be no difference between man ard woman in the labors for one common good, and it will not be another case of £ex against sex. The First Paper Read. Then the general subject which was be- gun at last evening’s session was resumed, the first paper being by Mrs. Minnie D. Louis of New York on the topic, “The In- fluence of Women in Bringing Religious Conviction to Bear Upon Daily Life.” Mrs. Louis began with a brief outline of what religion may become in the work of improving and raising the general status of human existence and of ope’s every-day life. Her paper was an ethical and rather mystical consideration of man’s relation toward religious convictions, After begin- ning with the theorem that religious con- victions were in the beginning the effect of the impress of physical force she went on to consider their effect on human life, leaving out of consideration their influence as a motive for worldly aggrandizement. She made an earnest appeal for a more scientific teaching of the truths of the Bible, eliminating dogmas and creeds and coming down to plain and simple truth. This would clear away all the mists of su- perstition which have clouded religion in the minds of the people and would leave true religion itself to be regarded as the acme of human intelligence. Mrs. Louis took a very advanced ground on the subject, her estimate of this phase of human development being well summed up in the statement that church walls have too often restrained the upward flights of spirituality. Weman, she said, is the ozone of the metaphysical atmosphere. In the true and unconfined understanding of re- ligion woman finds her true sphere of use- fulness. Centurics ago a woman—St. The- resa—taught the world a lesson in her bat- tle for intellectual and religious freedom and for an opportunity of unrestricted growth. This century again has brought forth a woman—Mrs. Humphrey Ward— who has cried aloud to the world in her protest against the thralldom of religion to form, of spiritvality to dogma. A new era has dawned in the sociological world. Ed- ward Bellamy, said Mrs. Louis, is the prophet of the post-biblical era. Woman, with her sanative conscience, must lead in the work of making from every church spire, aisle and lectern glorious sunbeams of a new spirituality, and from every hu- man heart a new and perfect temple for the untrammeled worship of God. From n Practical Standpoint. The formal discussion of the subject was begun at the conclusion of Mrs. Louis’ paper, and was inaugurated by Mrs. Mary F. Lovell of Pennsylvania, who handled the subject from a rather more practical standpoint. She said that every woman is taught os a child to say, “Thy will be done.” Yet, what does a woman mean, said Mrs. Lovell, when she speaks of doing God’s service? She is not doing His will when she ignores her influence in the mat- ter of her husband’s relations to his em- ployes. If she does not interfere when he grinds them down until they become mere machines, and are not able to live as hu- man beings. No woman is doing God's will when she dresses contrary to his laws. Mrs. Lovell is the delegate to the council frem the American Anti-Vivisection So- ciety, so that this phase of her subject gave her a chance to speak of the prin- ciples of her society. Thus, she said, no woman is doing God's will who wears upon her bonnet a bird’s plume, the securing of which has cost the little songster his precious life. So no woman is doing His will who does not treat her servants with humane consideration. She is ‘not a true Christian {f she compels a servant to live in a room in which she herself would not like to live if she was a servant, or when she makes her servants work in a dark, gloomy, depressing and unsanitary kitchen. All these things should be considered, and a woman is not true to herself or to her Maker if she ignores them. A woman is not doing His will if she fails to inculcate on her children a love for hu- manity and for humane behavior. Relig- ious convictions have a close and powerful influence upon the most trifling details of every-day life, and a woman who does not realize this is not doing God’s will as she should do. Another interesting paper on this general subject was read by Mrs. Frances E. Bag- ley, widow of the late Gov. Bagley of Michi- gan. Mrs. Bagley was a member at large of the board of lady managers of the world’s fair, who conducted much of The foreign correspondence of that body. A General Discussion. The subject was then thrown open for a general discussion by the members of the council, which lasted twenty minutes. It was opened by Mrs. Jenkins of Detroit. The briefest speech of all was made by Mrs. Johnson of the Farmers’ Alliance. “I heartily agree with all that has been said of the sins of cruelty,” said Mrs. (Continued on Ninth Page) River Men Think There is Little Danger ~ From Ice, Waiting for the Ice to Disintegrate— River Boats Breaking, a Channel Through. Today there is less apprehension of dan- ger from the ice than at any other time since the freeze set in. The steamers of the Norfolk and Wash- ington line are running on schedule time. The Washington, which left this city at 7 o’clock last evening, reached Norfolk at 7 o’clock this morning. The steamer Norfolk, which left the city of Norfolk at,7 p.m. yesterday, reached her dock at this city shortly after § a.m. today. The ice is re- ported as disintegrating to a considerable degree, and the swell of these steamers is breaking a wide path from Washington to the sea. The home tugs Key and Mohler have been able to take down several scow loads of dead animals from Mann's wharf, at the foot of South Capitol street, to the reduc- tion works near Belleview. There are various and conflicting theo- ries along the river front regarding the treatment of the ice. Some of the river men think it a serious mistake to break the ice with tugs. Nature, they say, should be allowed to take its course in the mat- ter of the disintegration of the ice. They maintain that breaking the ice develops a tendency to gorge. The ice is cracked in massive cakes; these are forced one un- der the other to such an extent that the superficial area of ice subject to the in- fluence of the sun and warm wind is ma- terially decreased. This militates against the natural destruction of the ice. The best use to make of a tug, they claim, is to station it at a strategic point, say the forks of the channel or at the Long bridge, so that should the ice break up abrupt and tend to gorge, the tug could plough into the pack from the leeward and loosen it up. Some of the best known river peo- ple believe that to break the ice in the upper river before the lower river is free is bad policy. In the natural course of events, the broad lower Potomac freezes in last and loosens up first, so that an outlet to the harbor ice is afforded. Just now the ice In the Washington chan- nel as far up as the dock of the Norfolk and Washington Company is pretty well cracked up. The ferry boats will resume their schedule as soon as the river will permit, and the Arrowsmith and the Wake- field will begin to let their wheels go round .Within a few days. The Garbage Scows. ‘The Commissioners have been notified hat the accumulation of garbage on the G street wharf, which could not be carried dcwn the river by reason of the freeze, had last evening been removed in its en- tirety, carts and wagons being used to haul it into Virginia and Maryland. The Commissioners also received an assuranc that all the dead animals which have been lying on the wharf at the foot of South Capitol street for a week or more would be removed to the cookery before darkness arrives today. Tugs have been at work since morning breaking a channel in order that scows may reach the gar- bage wharf. The Harbor Master's Views. Harbor Master Sutton called at the Dis- trict building today and held a conference with the Commisioners. As a result Mr. Sutton left for Baltimore shortly before 83 o'clock this afternoon to observe the progress made in the work of equipping the Baltimore tugs with plows in order to enable them to successfully battle with the ice in the Potomac. In conversation with a Star reporter,_Mr, Sutton stated that in his opinion there is no immediate danger of a freshet. It is true that the ice is thawing, but the thaw is a gradual ene, and unless warm rains fall within the next €ew days, according to Mr. Sut- ton, the much-talked-of freshet will not materialize. Another argument against the freshet theory is that at present there is no noticeable current in the river, and when the ice is broken it does not rush down stream, but remains in the same lo- cality where situated before detached. The Baltimore tugs, It has been announc- ed, will not begin operations until danger becomes more apparent. —_ TO THE PRESIDENT. The Polyglot Petition Formally Called to His Attention. Senator Frye, at the request of his fel- low-citizen. Mrs. L.M. N. Stevens of Maine, to whom angements for the occasion were committed, introduced to President Cleveland this afternoon, at 3 o'clock, a commiitee of ladies of the W. C. T. U. des- ignated to present to him in a formal and figurative way the immense polyglot peti- tion which recently hung from the arches of Convention Hall. The meeting took place in the library of the Executive Mansion. The committee, headed by Miss Willard and Lady Henry Somerset, consisted of the general officers of the National W. C. T. U., Mrs. Hoffman, Mrs. Barker and Mrs. K. L. Stevenson. Miss Willard acted as spokeswoman of the committee. The ladies, after the interview with the President, met Mrs. Cleveland for a few moments in the red parlor. There was, in the audience last Friday night at Convention Hall, a number of In- dian chiefs from the Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek and Chickasaw nations, who re- quested the privilege of signing the polyglot petition, They addressed their request to “Miss Frances E. Willard, LL.D., and Lady Henry Somerset, Chieftains of the World’s Ww. C. T. ’ Today Mrs. La Fetra gave them the chance, and the following names are now on the big roll: C. J. Harris, prin- cipal chief Cherokee nation; Walter A.Dun- can, J. F.Thompson, S. W. Gray and Roach Young, Cherokee delegates; G. W. Grayson and A. P. McKellop, Creek delegates; Jas. Dyer, Choctaw delegate, and William M. Guy, Chickasaw delegate. eee EES SS THE ORDER SUSPENDED. Carriages Can Go to the Manin En- trance During the Opera Season. Manager Edward H. Allen of the Grand Opera House this afternoon called on the Commissioners and requested that their order pertaining to the calling of carriages at his theater be suspended during the sea- son of grand opera. The order referred to was made January 15, and provides that it is unlawful for the driver or owner of any carriage or other vehicle used for convey- ing persons from the theater to take up passengers at the Pennsylvania avenue en- trance, and during the time of perform- ance, if the drivers or owners desire to re- main, they must stand their yehicles in 15th street south of Pennsylvania avenue in sch order as may be directed by the police department. Manager Allen explained that Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, and, Satur- day afternoon of this week, the number of persons, and consequently the number of vehicles, will be unusually great, and, con- sequently, on the occasions mentioned, the vehicles will increase in number. He ask- ed that the patrons of the theater be al- lowed to take their carriages at the Peun- sylvania avenue entrance as well as on 15th street. An interval will be maintain- ed, added Mr. Allen, so that persons may reach the cars with perfect safety. Each vehicle will be given a coupon number, so that unnecessary confusion will not ensue. Maj. William G. Moore, superintendent of police, happened to be present when Mr. Allen made his request, and approved the same. The Commissioners suspended the order during the desired period. Lord Rosebery’s Associates Hastily Summoned for Conference. RUMORED DISSOLUTION OF PARLIAMENT Comment on the Government's Narrow Escape. A “MAJORITY OF ONLY EIGHT LONDO: February 19.—There is much gcssip in political circles today owing to the fact that Lord Rosebery, the prime minister, upon his arrival at the official residence this forenoon, hastily summoned @ meeting of the cabinet. The measures taken to summon the ministers were rath- er extraordinary. Messengers were dis- patched in cabs to the offices or residences of the different ministers, and all came to the meeting, which lasted fully an hour. The precarious condition of the party, as shown by the recent narrow majorities on various questions in the house of commons, and the fact that Lord Rosebery had a long conference at Buckingham Palace yes- terday afternoon with the queen soon after her arrival from the Isle of Wight, and held a long conference with the whips of the libeval party today, al! serve to in- crease rumors that a dissolution of parlia- ment is imminent. For several minutes last evening, when the vote was being taken in the house of commons on Sir William Harcourt’s mo- tion to close the debate on the address in reply to the queen’s speech, it was confi- dently believed by the members of the op- position that it would be found that the government was defeated when the vote was announced. In the crowded lobbies of the house it was impossible to ascertain how the voting was going, but when the division was near- ly over a whisper was circulated that the government was defeated. The loudness of the cheers with which the liberals greeted the announcement of the figures showed the extent of their anxiety, which was ap- parently well justified, as the vote was 279 to 271, giving them but eight majority. ———— WITNESSES FOR HAYWARD. More Evidence for the Defense in the Minneapolis Trial. MINNEAPOLIS, Febreary 19.—In the trial today of Harry Hayward for the. murder of Catherine Ging Frank Erhart, who was summoned by hls brother when the body was found, gal» evidence which seemed to impeach the evidence of Blxt in one important particylar. He swore that he had found in the dirt near where the body lay a heel mark and then a toe mark of a lady's shoe. There was also the trace of where the boot had dragged to where the body lay. This evidence went to show that Miss Ging’s body was pushed out of the buggy feet first, instead of head first, as the mur- derer testified. Of course, this testimony was meant to overthrow the theory that the“fracture of the skull and the contusion were caused by the fall from the buggy, and {Fould help to impeach the evidence of xt. George Grindall was an important wit- ness fer the defense. He was standing on 1st avenue north between 4th and 5th streets at 7 o'clock or thereabouts on December 8, the night of the murder. He had an ap- pointment with a yqung woman at the placed named, and wa8 waiting for her. Standing a short way fgom himwas a man “ilke that man there,’” said the} wit- ness, pointing to Attorney Sweetzer. %rin- dail saw Miss Ging drive up. The mn he had seen waiting there entered the buggy, which he drove away. This point is about a block from the West Hotel, whence Miss Ging started on her fatal ride. The descrip- ticn given by Grindall of the man who joined her does not at all fit Harry Hay- ward. See NO TRACE OF GENTRY. Philadelphia Authorities Believe the Marderer to Be in New York. PHILADELPHIA, February 19.—Up to 2 o'clock this afternoon the local detec- tives had failed to find any trace in this city of James B. Gentry, the missing mur- derer of Madge Yorke. Careful guards are still maintained at the railroad stations, ferries and every other avenue by which he could leave town, in the event of his not having already escaped. The authorities, however, are inclined to believe that Gentry has already made his escape and is hiding in New York. The corpse of the murdered girl,in charge of her grief-stricken parents and brothers, was taken to their home in New York on an early train over the Pennsylvania rail- road today. ; = =e COL. MARTIN DEAD. He Had Been Ill Some Time With Kid- ney Trouble. CHICAGO, February 19.—Col. J. P. Mar- tin died at the Chicago Bedch Hotel today. He had been ill for some time with kidney trouble. : James P. Martin was appointed second lieutenant in the sixth infantry from West Point July 1, 1860, and served through the war. He was appointed assistant adjutant general April 10, 1869, with rank of major and with rank of lieutenant colonel Febru- ary 28, 1887. ee Testimony in the Drayton Case. TRENTON, N. J., February 19.—Chancel- lor McGill today appointed Vice Chancellor John R. Emery to take testimeny in the Drayton divorce case and report his con- clusions upon the evidence to the chancel- lor for confirmation. The chancellor, also, upon motion of R. V. Lindabury, counsel for Mrs. J. Coleman Drayton, dismissed the rule to show cause why Mrs. Drayton should not be permitted to amend her an- swer, but with the reserved right to renew the motion at any time during the progress of the case. ee eee A Rogus Bomb Found. NEW YORK, February 19.—The alleged bomb found last night in the basement of the tenement 297 Broome street was ex- amined by the police today. It consisted of a piece of gas pipe, filled with white lead, and what looked like a fuse was simply @ piece of twine. Criminal to Wear a Queue. OLYMPIA, Wash. February 19.—Mr. Campbell has introduced a bill in the sen- ate making It unlawful for any male per- son to wear a queue. The penalty is a fine of $100 to $500. The object of the bill is to drive out the Chinese. See SS Charges Against Judge Arthur. SPOKANE, Wash., February 19.—The legislative committee investigating the im- peachment charges against Superior Judge Arthur expects to complete its work and leave for Olympia this evening. It is gen- erally believed here that it will recom- mend action by the legislature. ——— Treasury Receipts. National bank notes received today for redemption, $369,356. Government receipts —From internal revenue, $127,436; customa, $370,027; miscellaneous, $7,764.