Evening Star Newspaper, February 4, 1898, Page 1

THE EVENING STAR. PUBLISHED DAILY EXCEPT SUNDAY. AT THE STAR BUILDINGS, 11€] Feunsylvania Avenus, Cor. 11th St., by y Te Bn kitrmat ce Few York Ofice, 49 Potter Building. ‘The Evening Star ts served to subscribers in t city by cerriers, on their own account, at 10 cen per week. or 44 cents per month. Copies at the cctnter 2 certs each. By mafl—anywhere in the United States or Canada—postage prepaid—50 cents per month. Saturday — Star, $1 per year, with foreign postage |. $3.00. (Entered at the Post Office at Washington, D. C., as second-class mail matter.) £¥ All mail subscriptions must be paid in advance. Rates of advertising made known on application. No. 14,019. WASHINGTON, D. ©C., FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1898—FOURTEEN PAGES. DECREE MODIFIED Only Unsatisfactory Fruit to Be Barred From Germany. ADVICES FROM AMBASSADOR WHITE —__— Prompt Effect of His Remon- strances. — . THE PERNICIOUS ———— SCALE The State Department was notified by Ambassador White at Berlin today of the Modification of the original decree issued by the Prussian minister of finance, Dr. Miquel, prohibiting the importation of American fruit. According to the ambas- sador’s cablegram, the decree does not, as he advised yesterday, apply to dried fruits, while fresh fruit will be admitted to entry if an examination shows its condition to be satisfactory. If this modification has been made in the decree it would appear that the prompt representations made by the United States have received an equally prompt consider- ation on the other side. It is certain that if the decree as originally promulgated had been applied to shipments of fruit in transit, as its terms indicated, the ship- pers would have had a right to claim in- demnity from the Prussian government for the damages sustained by them, and it would have been regarded by the United States government as a matter of duty to sustain this demand for indemnity. Must Await Full Advices. The State Department is now obliged to await the receipt of full advices as io the exact nature of the modified decree and watch its workings. It is hoped that the examinations of the frult may not be made unduly severe, for it is believed that, as in the case of meat products in the early stages of the exclusion Gecrees, it will be pessible to rake these inspections so har- assing to importers of fruit that there will be no inducement to continue the trade. If stch a disposition is shown it will be the Guty of the State Department to lodge a firm protest, otherwise there is danger that the success of the German government in excluding this important fruit trade will have an effect upcn the governments of other European nations, which, under agiarian influences, are seeking pretexts for cutting down American competition with their farmers. The bundesrath’s action against the im- portation of live plants from America is due to a series of protests from shippers affected, especially those of Hamburg, on the lower Rhine, and at Emmerich. Its decision forbids the importation only where the fruit is affected by the aspidotus per- niciosus, or San Jose plant bug. Secretary Wilson has taken steps for the collection of all information obtainable in the Department of’ Agriculture bearing on the shipment of fresh fruit to the German empire. This is preliminary to any action which may be found necessary after full official information as to the scope of the decree of prohibition is obtained. In the absence of much information the Secretary manifests a disinclination to talk about the matter for publication. When full data is at hand he will probably direct an in- vestigation into the question of the ship- ment of fruit and the danger, If any, which exists of its being infected with pests that will do harm after they are fully developed. The San Jose Scale. In connection with the current discussion of Prussia’s action, some reference has been miade to what is known as the San Jcs2, or pernicious scale, a pest said to have been imported into California from abroad. There is, it is said, perhaps no insect capable of causing greater damage to fruit interests in the United States, or perhaps in the world, than this insect. Out- side of the United States, the insect is known to occur in Australia, Chile and Ha- waii, and the inference is that it was in- troduced here from one of thos2 countries. The spread of the scale from the point of original infestation in the San Jose valley Was somewhat rapid, its areas increasing in every direction, but mor2 rapidly toward the west and north. Afterward it spread throughout California and Oregon, to Washington, Idaho, Nevada, Arizona and Mexico, and later it manifested itself in Virginia, Maryland, Indiana, Pennsylvania and other places in the 2ast. The pest is said to spread relentlessly and steadily over all deciduous fruit trees—trunks, limbs, foliag2 and fruit. It is only a question of two or three years before the death of the plant attacked is brought about, and the possibility of in- jury which, from experience with other scale enemies of deciduous plants, might be ezsily ignored or thought insignificant, is scon startliagly demonstrated. The general appearance which the scales present is of a grayish, very slightly rough- ened, scurfy deposit. The natural rich, red- dish color of the young limbs of peach, Pear and apple trees is quite obscured when these trees are thickly infested, and they bave then every appearance of being coat- ed with ashes. Fruit severely attacked be- comes distorted, rough and pitted, frequent- ly cracking, and may eventually fall pre- maturely or at least become unmarketable. The scale is frequently carried about on fruit, there being cases on record where California pears and apples found on in- vestigation to be infested with male and female scales, have been bought from fruit stalls in various parts of the country. The principal method of the spread of the young lice is by means of other insects and by birds. The Maguire Resolutio: Chairman Hitt of the Hause committee on foreign affairs expects to report favorably the Maguire resolution asking the State Department for information on the action of Germany ccncerning the exclusion of American fruit. Discussed at the Cabinct Meeting. The decree of the German government relative to American fruit was talked over @t the cabinet meeting today, and figures ‘were produced to show the great import- ance of the trade rut in jeopardy by this sucden and unprecedented action on the pert of Germany. The modification of the Gecree made known by the latest advices frcm Ambassador White was taken as en evidence that the matter is still subject to diplomatic adjustment. Germany Might Be Right. Secretary Wilson explained to the cabi- net that it ts true that certain fruit dis- eases can be carried on the fruit, spreading inf:ctions to healthful orchards at a great distance. In times past, he said, certain states of the Union had prohibited infected fruit being taken into their borders from infected sections of other states. The action of Germany, therefore, might be entirely proper an@ within the right. Inyestigation avould have to be made to as@ertain this. Secretary Wilson said that im the last year the exports of fruit from this country to Germany reached a total value of $1,000,000, and our products are consiantly growing in popularity. ————__o—____ TO BE FAVORABLY REPORTED. Committee’s Decision om the Eight- Heer Bil. The House committee on labor has de- cided to favorably report the eight-hour bill. The provisions of the measure were The Star yesterday. THE KLONDIKE WEATHER Personal Observations to Be Taken by a Washington Official. U. G. Myers Leaves Today With the Yakon as Ultimate Destina- tion—His Object. Mr. U. G. Myers, cn attache of the weather bureau, Jeaves Washington today for a brief visit to his home. His ulti- mate destination is the Klondike region, where he will go under the auspices of the ckief of the weather bureau to take obser- vations in the Yukon district, the Klondike region and most likely the Copper River Iccality. Mr. Myers will form a party of four which will leave for Seattle in a few days. From there they will go to either Dyea or Skaguay, and go thence to the Klendike. The gentlemen who will accom- peny Mr. Myers are A. H. Dunham and A. G. Ward of New Haven, Conn., «nd Mr. H. C. Robinson of Los Angeles, Cal. Mr. Robinson will join the other three at Seat- tle. Mr. Myers is a young man, about thirty years of age, and unmarried. He has been connected with the weather bureau for about ten years. He has had much experience in the west, having at one time in the 90’s been observer on Pike's Peak. He r2maired there until the sta- tion was discontinued in 1894. He nas had other similar experiences in the west, and thinks they will stand him in good stead for the proposed trip. He has ex- cellent health and fine physigue. He is confident that the party will get through all right. Mr. Myers’ Primary Object. Speaking to a Star reporter today, he said: “Of course there are a great many ob- stacles in our way of going direct to the Klondike, but we will go to Seattle, and just as soon as possible go to Skaguay. We may be able to reach the Klondike in March or April at the latest. The primary object of the trip will be mining for gold. From my connection with the weather bu- reau I thought that it would be a good idea to get a year’s leave of absence and take voluntary observations at different stations at which I might be. The weather bureau particularly desires to have data concern- ing the high barometer in those regions, as they are productive frequently of what are known as ‘highs.’ “We wish to get all the facts possible concerning the origin and continuance of these. Of course records of temperature and other data will be taken. It will be troublesome, however, to arrange for mak- ing wind observations. “Our first destination will be the Klon- dike locality, as we will wish to find out all that is possible concerning the methods of mining, living and other matters up in that country. We shall probably stay there some little time, and will most likely go to the Copper river region. We have entered into a contract to stick together, as, of course, this is a chief requisite for success in such a country. We have great hopes of being able to do some placer mining suc- cessfully. The others of the party will have nothing to do with my observations. Difficulty of the Passes. “There are a number of matters. which have not been definitely arranged yet. We will probably experience considerable diffi- culty In getting over the passes, and have not yet decided how we will do this; wheth- er by dog trains or in some other woy. The matter of clothing is the most important one to be considered, as there are two va- rieties of climate in that country—the dry, when flannels are needed principally, and the wet and moist in the spring, when rub- bers and waterproofs must be used.” Mr. Myers stated that the cost of the outfit, including clothing, tools and provi- sions to last a year, will be between $350 and $400. It was thought at first, when he men- tioned this sum, that it was that amount each, but he declared that it was for all four, ama stated positively he was certain that this would be sufficient for all pur- poses. As he has been on expeditions of somewhat similar nature before, he said, he knew what he was talking about in this regard. The outfit will probably be pur- chased in Seattle. ‘The instruments which he will take will consist of six thermometers, such as are used in observations by the weather bu- reau, and two barometers. The whole package containing the instru- ments, Mr. Myers says, will not take up a space more than two feet long by six inches wide. The thermometers will be placed in grooves made especially for them in boxes, these grooves being lined with flannel. They will fit tight, so there will be no chance of them moving down and becoming broken They will weigh but little, and will hardly affect the progress of the party. Mr. Myers says he will probably carry a rifle and a light shotgun. The latter will be used for killing grouse, of which there is generally a large number in the country through which he is going, and which wiil add materially to their food supply. The Expected Results. It is believed the result of Mr. Myers’ ob- servations will be to greatly aid the weather bureau in their forecasting and general work. The farthest north any sta- tion is now located from which they re- ceive reports, indirectly, is Edmonton, in the British possessions. It is not thought that the Canadian government will object in the least to the observations being taken, as they are not official in a certain sense, but only voluntary on Mr. Myers’ part. He will carry with him a letter from the chief ‘of the weather bureau, explain- ing his mission and containing full creden- uals. — RENAMING THE STREETS, A Hearing Before Members of the Joint Library Committee. There was a hearing this afternoon be- fore a subcommittee of the joint library committee on renamifig the lettered streets of this city. Members of the subcommittee present were Senators Wetmore, chairman; Stewart and McMillan and Representatives Shannon and Cowherd. There were also preserit Judge Hegner, Judge Martin F. Miller, J. Ormond Wilson, M. I. Weller, Mr. Spofford and J. Nota McGill. Judge Hagner, representing the Colum- bia Historical Society, opened the hearing by explaining the bill outlining the plan for renaming the lettered streets as approved by the Columbia Historical Society, and in- troduced in the Senate by Mr. McMillan, chairman of the Senate committee on the District of Columbia. Judge Hagner spoke of the similarity of the sound of many of the letters of the al- phabet, and spoke of the great confusion that is frequently caused by this fact. Eight of the letters of the alphabet, he said, were so similar that it is almost impossible to distinguish them over the telephone or as ordinarily pro. Judge Hagner told a number of humorous stcries to illustrate the difficulties that are ca names. Hs said the names of twenty. were given to these streets, while the ibetical ar- rangement was not inter! with, Applies for Retirement. Col. H. H. Higbee of the marine corps, WHAT WILL SPAIN DO? Blanco’s Cuban Policy Has About Culminated in Disaster. SUGGESTS NAPOLEON AND RUSSIA The Commander's Health is Good, but His Army Moribund. SIGNIFICANCE OF EXPLOSIONS Special Dispatch to The Evening Star. HAVANA, February 2, via Port Tampa, Fla., February 3.—Blanco’s ‘health is good. The captain general com2s back from the eastern provinces with that news. During the retreat from Moscow the people of France received word that their brothers were perishing by the thousands in the snows of Russia, out the bulletins always closed with the intelligence that the health of Napoleon was good. The people of Spain receive a similar message today. In the province of San- tiago the soldiers are perishing by the hundreds in the over-crowded hospitals and in the field. The insurgents have driven the trocps back into tha few ruins where the flag of Spain yet floats from the forts along the Cauto, where Gen. Pando for three months has been vainly trying to force a passage. The fevers are thinning the ranks infinitely faster than Calixto Garcia's artillery. The health of the Spanish soldiers in Cuba is very bad. The health of the rem- nant of the reconcentradoes is also bad, but Spain’s viceroy, Captain General Blan- co, is in good health. It may b2 that the statement of Blanco’s satisfactory physical ecndition is meant to provide against a sea voyage for his health. When the volunteers put Captain General Dulce on shipboard during the ten_years’ war the latter’s health was bad. He was a victim of nervous prostration. Gen. Parrado’s Warning. In Blanco’s absence, Acting Captain Gen- eral Parrado has again warned the officers of the volunteers that disloyalty will be sternly punished, and they have again pro- tested their loyalty. It is not thought the intransigientes have in mind any purpose of forcibly ousting Blanco. They profess to be satisfied with his speech at Manzaniio, in which he promised peace by the end of the present month. February is a short month, and they may well wait its closing days before making their demonstration. The moderate intransigientes believe in waiting for Madrid to act. They will put in the hands of the conservatives and the Weylerites in Spain the fullest details of the failure of Blanco’s mission. Their de mand will be for the recall of the captain general, on the grounds that autonomy has failed to secure peace, when proffered with gold in one hand and the bayonet in the other. z ‘the disappointment of the Sagasta min- istry must be keen. In spite of warnings Sagasta and Morut had apparently deluded the people of Spain into the belief that their policy was weakening the insurrec- tion. They builded high hopes on Blanco’s trip to the eastern provinces. In Novem- ber, it was Gomez who was to be brought; in December, Calixto Garcia was the man. Extent of Rabi’s Influence. If Jany Rabi was to be the means of un- dermining the revolution his defection would not have meant as much as the de- sertion of Gomez or Calixto Garcia, yet it would have been a real blow. His influ- ence with the men who bear arms in the eastern provinces is great. Rabi is a na- tive of the natives. It is said that the in- dian blood in his veins is tinctured with no foreign mixture. It is as pure as that which flowed in the veins of his ancestor when Columbus first saw this, the mst beautiful land that eyes ever beheld. Natural military genius has overcome the defect of ignorance*and lack of training. He is unquestionably one of the ablest generals in the insurgent army. Spain has not gold enough to buy him. He spared the emissaries who first carne to him, because they were coerced into coming; later ones who undertook the mission of bribery vol- untarily he is believed to have hung. His answer to the final and desperate attempt of the Spanish authorities to win him was to drive the defeated troops under Gen- eral Luque back to Holguin. That answer ought to satisfy the Sagasta ministry that the life of the insurrection cannot be sap- ped by the bribery of its chiefs. It satis- fies the Spanish classes in Havana. They had been foolish enough to think there might be some prospect of tolling Rabi with money and promises of honors under the standard of Spain, but now they know better. They wonder what the next move will be, and they think the wisest thing would be for Premier Sagasta to ask an accounting of stewardship from Blanco. That, they say, would save trouble here. Meaning of the Bomb Explosions. The bombs which are exploding in Ha- vana occasionally are taken to mean dis- approval of Blanco’s policy. ‘iney are more likely to reflect individual dissatisfaction with the administration under autonomy. Sunday night at midnight the bomb which was exploded at the house of Senor Al- varez, the former mayor, shook the whole city. Many of the inhabitants thought the guns of the Maine were belching an un- friendly salute. From the hotel balcony I watched the signs of excitement. They were marked. The authorities themselves were apprehensive. Civil Governor Bruzon, General Arolas, military governor of the province, and other officials were quick to reach the scene. A few nights previous, when a small bomb had.been exploded in the neighborhood, I had driven out there and received the assurance of the man in whose yard the bomb exploded that it must have been a mistake, because he had no eremies. The mistake must have been in the place. Senor Alvfrez, the former al- calde, has some enemies. The troublesome reflection is that somebody in Havana is making dynamite bombs which when ex- ploded are powerful enough to shake the whole city. If they should be used for a political demonstration it would prove un- comfortable. Captain General Blanco is a stoic, and reflections of this kind may not. disturb him, so far as the signs at the palace may be received. The failure of uis mission to the eastern provinces will work no change in the plans of the government. Fresh promises will be made to keep the deluded people of Spain pacified. Renewed efforts will be put forth to hold off ‘the when yellow fever will be a stronger guard along the coasts of Cuba than a double fleet of warships or a defensive army of 300,000 Spanish soldiers. * : The News is Suppressed. In the meantime I imegine the people of the United States may be concerning them- selves with some things harpening down here, though, if they are, it would be as easy to learn it in the heart of Africa as in tribute may be paid without stealth to the memcry of Ruiz; for, like Aranguren, he Was 80 po; and.so many friends mourn his fate. I do not know whether anybody has placed flowers on the graves of the Sarsa women and ¢! . The official ac- counts admit thefr deaths, and it is pre- sumed graves were fqund fer them. I have heard that an errer wae madc¢ in the orig-.| iral account, and that it was another of the children who was killed instead of the sister. There were four children, and only two are said to real og The sister, who was reported to have n killed, was only badly wounded, and two days ago was said to be yet altve, though with no chance of recovery. But that three members of the family which had the risfortune to shelter Aranguren are dead is admitted. Proud of the Exccutioners. Col. Aranzasbee, Lieut. Col. Benedicto and other officers are not exactly popular here, but the army is proud of them. 'y dine at the hotel With their huge pistols dangling from tkeir belts. Perhaps there is a trifle of affectation in ft. I have seen something of the kind in Arizona and on the frontier. Col. Aranzasbee is said to be confident of receiving the decoration of Maria Crystana, which is supposed to be conferred for specially gallant and meri- tcrious service. The celebrated Reina bat- tallion continues to be the envy of other battalions which had no chance to take part in the affair. No one supposes that Captain General Blanco will affront the army by rebuking | the officers who have conspicuously vio- lated general order about conducting the war on humane principles. He would not dare do it. The army itself does not understand why a fuss could be made. It happened that the prominence of Aran- guren gave prominence to the _ circum- stances surrounding his death. The event was near enough to Havana for the facts regarding the killing of the women and children to be learned and verified before they could be covered up by official de- mands. In no other way do the circum- stances differ from similar atrocities. They are as bad as the killing of the inmates of the Cuban hospitals, which has been done since Blanco took command, and which was done under Weyler. The Spanish army in Cuba does not change its nature with a change of commander. PEPPER. Const of the Cuban War. A dispatch from Madrid says: The cost of the Cuban war from February, 1895, to the end of 1897 is officially estimated at $240,000,000, besides the arrears due from the Cuban treasury, amounting to $40,000,000. The Imparcial complains that the com- mercial negotiations between Spain, Cuba and the United Statesyare being intrusted to Senor de Lome, the Spanish minister at Washington, and° urges the government to appoint experts to examine the terms of the treaty on Spain's behalf, a THREE PROMIBEN® MEN GONE. W. A. M, Vaughan,Loufs Wampold ana A. P. “Wil@er. KANSAS CITY, Mo: February 4.—will- iam A. M. Vaughan) a ptoneer, is dead at his home here. Mr.’"Vaughan was born at Spottsylvania Court’ Homme, Va., in 1829, aid came west whem seventeen years of age. He traded“ with the Indians, took an active part in the border’ wars and served through the confederacy under Gen. Price and Gen. Joe Bhelbys eusene @ captain. He helpéd organtke* fhe Kansas City beard of trade, helped bulld the city’s first grain eleVator”gnd Wa. prominent in the early histofy of the éfty. Louis Wampold Passes ‘Away. CHICAGO, February 4.—Louis Wampold, a well-known wholesale clothier and one of the wealthiest men in the city, is dead of pneumonia. He had bedn ill several months. Mr. Wampold was noted as a giver to cherity and has beep interested in the founding of many ¢harjtable organizations. A. P. Wilder at, Topeka, Kan: TOPEKA, Kan., February 4.—A. P. Wilder, a prominent railroad man and superintendent of the Missouri and Kansas Car Association, is dead in this city from Bright’s disease, aged sixty-six years. He was for many years car acountant of the Santa Fe, ——— DIAZ IS NOT COMING. Rumored Visit of Mexico's President Officially Denied. CITY OF MEXICO, Mex.,-February 4— There is no foundation for the report of a contemplated early’ visit by President Diaz to the United States. This denial is made by his authority. He has a very warm feeling for the Unitéd States and a con- stant interest in its affairs, but no present intention of going there. SS TO AID. THE POOR, Scheme of Seventh Day Adventists in : Kansas City. KANSAS CITY, Mo., February 4.—An ex- perimental mission’ where the pgor are to be served meals at a penny a dish and a bed for five cents,: with a bath thrown in, has started here under the direction of the Church of the Seventh Day Adventists. One hundred and ;fifty cots have been placed in a large room in a building on the second floor. In the ) basement bathtubs and showers have’ been provided, together with a room for fumigating clothes and jaundry in which a man may wagh his own clothes, The meal consists entirely of vegetables, meat being barred, because of its expense and. the work of cooking it, and because the management are believers in vegeta- nianism, > — KILLED HIS WIFE WITH AN AX. Imsane Act of Jone: Lopes, a Mexican Cattleman. BENSON, Aris., February 4.—Jose Lopes, a Mexican cattleman, murdered his wife at the little settlement of Reddington, north of this point on tHe San Pedro river, cutting open her head with an ax and al- most dismembering ‘the Sody in his insane frenzy. ‘ Lopez had heen for séme days showing signs of mental derangeaftent and had been left in charge of two fiends, pending an examination for ity. He eluded his watchers, and, ng ion of an ax Started to run amuek ugh the village. A M wut he turned upon cry pms taal wa oa ‘carrying a passenger. Instead of enka TWO CENTS. The regular permanent family circulation of The Evening Star in Washington is more than double that of any other paper, whether published in the morn- ing or in the afternoon, As a medium for unobjec- tionable advertisements it theres fore stands unequaled and un- approachable. HURTS CHICAGO FRUIT MEN A HALT IS IN ORDER General Sentiment Aroused Against the Telephone Company. IN CONGRESS AND THE COURTS Decree of German Covernment Regarding American Apples, Dealers Deride the Reason Assigned, as Only Choicest Fruit Wa Shipped Abroad. SS High Charges and a Policy of Dic-} cutcaco, February 4—Wholesale fruit = dealers of Chicago declare that the decree tation. issued by the German authorities closing the gates against the fresh fruit of this oe country will be a source of considerable hardship to them. A FEW FACTS OF INTEREST] ‘he apple dealers, it is said, will be the chief sufferers, for the German trade in apples has had considerable to do with regulating the home market. Late last autumn representatives from a number of prominent apple nouses it: Bremen and Hamburg came to this coun- try ard urged the dealers to supply the German demands with the popular fruit. Som2 of them went so far as to offer a guaranty, claiming to see their way clear through the great demand in the father- The business men of Washington who are compelled to use telephones in the trans- action of their daily affairs are watching with intense interest the result of the questions affecting the policy of the Chesa- peake and Potomac Telephone Company which are now pending in Congress and in the United States court of the District of Columbia. Among these users of the telephone there is hope expressed also that Congress will adopt the amendment to the District ap- propriation bill providing a new scale of prices to be charged for the uses of the telephone in the District, and that in the case of the proprietor of the Fredonia Hotel the courts may decide that the tele- phone company has no right to dictate what character of messages in a business sense shall be sent over telephones that are rented at specific sums annually. Business Injured. The installation of public pay telephones in drug stores, hotels and other public places had the effect of seriously injuring trade among the business men of Washing- ton because the majority of them had put telephones in. their own establishments more for the purpose of receiving orders from customers living throughout the city than for the sending of messages relating to their own particular business. Under the old system it was only necessary for per- sons living in the vicinity of a store which had a telephone to go there and order goods not obtainable in their immediate neighborhood from down town merchants. These persons would have made no objec- tion probably to paying moderate charges sor the privilege of sending such messages in the manner indicated, but in nearly all of the public telephones it is necessary to put a ten-cent piece in the slot in order to send such a message. Mr. Bryan’s Timely Illustration. It will be seen by this, say the mer- chants, that it requires the expenditure for the privilege of talking over half a mile of wire, for instance, of two and a half limes as much as it does to ride nine miles on a street railway, whose construction 1s more costly and. more expensive to uperate than the telephone company’s equipment. President Samuel M. Bryan of the Chesu- peake and Potomac Telephone Company has claimed, too, they say, that a telepanone call costs the company about the same as the average cost to a street railroad*of- in Germany this year. Merchants say the alleged caus? for the issuance of the decree is ridiculous, for only the choicest varieties of apples were skipped across the water. They deny that any California vermin infested the fruit. Benjamin Newhall, one of the heaviest handlers of apples in the west, said: “if the German gov=rnment closed its ports against apples from this country merely as @ precautionary measure against vermin, it did it in pretty much of a hurry. It is all bosh to say that the California apples are infested with vermin. The Germans g2t the pick of the land. The American merchants had begun to regard the Ger- man field as an especially profitable one for them to operate in, and they set about to supply the market. Well, of course, th> suddenness of the decree simply knocks their plans and preparations squarely in the head and leaves them to get rid of thir surplus stock the best way they can. I think I am pretty near it when I say that not less than 75,000 barrels of apples were Saipped to the German markets last sea- son,” —_»—___ AMERICAN STRAWBOARD COMPANY. Changes in the List of Officers at An- nual Election. CHICAGO, February 4.—Radical changes were made in the management of the American Strawboard Company yesterday in the election of the following officers and directors: President, R. F. Newcomb; vice President, M. R. Williams; secretary and treasurer, E. M. Watkins; executive com- mittee, R. F. Newcomb, chairman; Craw- ford Fairbanks and L. A. Wiley; directors, ee Newcomb, W. P. ’. Orr, Crawford Fair- ks, George L. Webb, C. H. Castle, J. A. Spoor, L. A. Wiley and M. R. Williams. —_—- LAUGHS AND GROWS POOR. Curious Medical Case at Louisville Reverses the Old Adage. ‘Special Dispatch to The Evening Star. LOUIBVILLD, Ky.,February 4.—The méet remarkable.case ever reporied by the phy- sicians of Kentucky is one at Lancaster. Aunt Nannie Mays, an old colored woman, laughs from morning till night, and unless stopped by a@ narcotic from night till morn. The only thing that stops her is chloro- form. She laughed till she has become emaciated and almosi lifeless, yet she stili breaks into the same seemingly hearty laugh with every other breath. She has been leughing three weeks and says she is utterly powerless to stop it. Medical men from several cities are going today to see the old woman and try to give her perma- nent relief, four and one-sixth cents for the tel privilege, however, which ts the rate charg- ed on local street railways, ten cents is charged generally. Business men, who ap- plaud the action brought by the proprie- «crs of the Fredonia, have been getting more and more incensed at the telephone company and its management ever since the new system of schedules went into ef- fect, because the telephone company in- sists that it shall be the sole judge of the character of the business transacted by the renter of a telephone. The Public Telephone. The drug stores now having public tele- phones were until recently allowed to tran- sact thelr own business over the public "phones without charge to them. Most of these drug stores were agencies for laun- dries, express companies and similar con- venienees, the customers of which called up _by telephone. The agency for such concerns was part and parcel of the business of the drug store, as the proprietor received a per- centage on the orders sent, just as he made a profit on the drugs sold on orders re- ceived over the telephone. The telephone company, however, announced that it was the sole judge of the real business of a telephone renter and that all such mes- sages must be paid for and also decided that a proprietor of a drug store or other place having a telephone could not call up a customer for any personal purpose. The company engaged in pursuance of what it claimed was the intention to prevent the common gratuitous use of the tele- phone has gone in the opinion of more than nine-tenths of the leading business men of Washington in the opposite direc- tion and is now indulging. in imposition on its own part, and the opinion prevails and is very strong that it should be calied to’a halt both in the amount of its charges and in the dictatorial feature of its present policy. —_.—_—__ IMPORTANT LAND DECISIONS. —__+—___ BELMONT DEFENDS MURPHY. Says President McKinley Voted for a Similar Measure. ALBANY, N. Y., February 4.—Ex-Con- gressman Perry Belmont has sent to the d«mocratic leaders of the assembly a long letter of suggestions as to the course to be. pursued in defending United States Senator Edward Murphy, jr., from the at- tacks nade upon him in the legislature for voting for the Teller resolution. Mr. Belmont, who was a “gold” demo- crat during the 1896 campaign, calls atten- tion to the vote of President McKinley in Congress in 1877 on the Matthews silver resolution, which, he says, was exactly the same as the Teller resolution. He does not, therefore, see how a republican legisia- ture can censure a democratic United States senator for doing that for which its own representative at the head of the ration had set a precedent. eee JAPAN WAITING ON GERMANY, . Fleet Getting Ready to Proceed to China. YOKOHAMA, February 4.—The Japanese fleet is maneuvering prior to a cruise in Chinese waters. The press is silent cn the situation in China, and it is believed the premier, the Marquis Ito, is awaiting the settlement of the German claims before committing Japan to anp policy. The Russian squadron is without smoke- less coal and the supply here is small. GROUND UNDER THE WHEELS, Two Affecting the Claims of Arch- bishop Ireland. Land Commissioner Hermann today ren- dered two important decisions involving the rights of a number of settiers who had purchased land in Minnesota from Arch- bishop Ireland. This matter attracted considerable atten- tion, and for some time has engrossed the attention of the land office. While one decision is against Archbishop Ireland and the other is in his favor, the settlers are in each case amply protected. In fact, no matter how the decision went, they were protected. Archbishop Ireland was the agent of the Catholic Colonization Society, and sought to obtain title to certain lands along the line of the St. Paul, Minneapolis and Mani- toba Railroad Company. According to the records in one instance the archbishop agreed with the railroad company to set- tle the lands, the railroad to make the sales Gh: tly Evidence That a Stolen Ride Cost a Life, NEW YORK, February 4.—Between the bumpers of th2 express cars of the St. Louis eapress when it reached Jersey City “today was found a man’s foot. Search for traces of the person to whom the foot had belonged brought to light a portion of a coat in one of the trucks of the mail car. In the pockat of this he words: *‘All garment was a card bearing tl 5 bert Barber, Mutual Reserve Fund Life at $4 per acre and the archbishop to Hareb, ait re- | Trimmer, agent, © burg, Pa.” It is ceive a commission of 10 per cent. In = man train, this case Commissioner Hermann has de- | believed that a pincen etunta ei the recognized Se Sy of the settlers and the Emory establishes that beyond a It was developed that the railroad com- psny kad no vested right in the land and ccnsequently had nothing to sell. Under the act of March 3, 1897, Congress passed @ bill providing for the adjustment of ralil- road grants and gave the Eat eee land for fine fruit, which has been scarce. —_—_—_—__ BIG ARMY FOR CUBA It is Now Being Recruited by a Mine neapolis Man. TTS MISSION IS ONE OF PEACE Will Settle on Lands Owned by American Citizens, BUT WILL DEFEND RIGHTS cae lpn MINNEAPOLIS, Minn., February 4.—A. special to the Journal from Aberdeen, 8. DB, says Jim Patterson cf Minneapolis, who ts well known throughout the northwest, hag been in Aberdeen on a peculiar mission, He is working quietly but persistently upon a scheme to take 100,000 men to Cuba and land them there on July 4 next. He says he is backed by a syndicate of Americans, who have large land interests in the islands, and claims these Americans are anxious to cut up their large holdings und dispose of small plantations to able- bodied men cn long time and at a low rate of interest. They require no cash down, and all the mcney the intended purchasers reed is enough to pay their expenses from here to Cuba. On account of the large number of peoe ple whom they intend to transport the traveling expenses will be nominal. Mr, Patterson says excursion rat ave ale ready been arranged for, and that thei will be enough steamers at New Orleans on July 3 to carry the 100,000 excursioniate to Havana and other ports on the island where they intend to land. Protection ¢ The company guarantees protection from Spanish interference from New Orleans to Cuba and when the men arrive they will be such a formidable body that Spain will not dare to interfere in the peaceful pur- suits the immigrants intend to follow. If n attempt should be made to interfere fe men will be instructed to arm them- selves and protect their rights. The company’s agent claims that a vast amount of money has been lost by Ameri+ can property owners over thefe b=causa the Spaniards would not allow them to work their plantations. They Intend to Place a man on every few acres, and 'f he stands up for his rights and works the property as it can be work>d he will bee come the absolute owner of his plantation in @ few years. The company guarantees to furnish the settlers with machinery and arm them if it becomes nec>ssary through Spanish intervention. Has Met With Success. Mr. Patterson says he has been very suos cessful in securing men from the two Das kotas, Montana and Minnesota, who are only too willing to accept the company's fiatt>ring inducement, and claims the gis gantic excursion is already an assured suce vent. Patterson says he will be at the Boey ion block in Minneapolis over Sunday, but intends to leave for eastern points Sunday night to- presecute his labors in securing volunteers for the big land seekers’ excur- sion on Independence day—the largest movement of men in a body seeking peace- ful pursuits the world has ever known. > ANOTHER WARSHIP IN CUBA’S PORTS, Arrival of the Cruiser Montgomery at Matenzas, The Navy Department has received a telew gram from Captain Converse of the cruise? Montgomery, announcing the arrival of that vessel at Matanzas, Cuba, yesterday, The captain said that he fired a salute, which was duly responded to by the Spans ish forts; that visits were exchanged bee tween himself and the local officials, an@ that he had been received with the greate est courtesy. Everything was unusually quiet at Matanzas, added Captain Converse, He will leave in the Montgomery tomorrow for Santiago, on the south side of the im land, and his siay there will be brief. The armored cruiser Brooklyn, which ie bound for a cruise in the Windward Is- jands, and thence through the Caribbeap sea, winding up at Colon, sailed today from the New York navy yard for Hamptou Roads for coal. She will oe re next stop after leaving Hampton Ss at St. Thomas, and her itinerary does not carry her into‘any Cuban port. The training ship Annapolis has arrived at St. Croix, and the gunboat Wilmington has sailed from Trinte dad for Grenada. It is said at the Navy Department thet the vessels of the European squadron will rendezvous at Lisbon in a short time, When Commodore Howell passed through Washington recently on his way to — command of the European station, he if the Navy Department objected to his making a northern cruise with his squads ron. He was told that the ships had kept in the Mediterranean by Admiral Sef fridge of his own volition, after the subse dence of the disturbances resulting from the Turco-Grecian war, and that the de partment left the movements of his shipe entirely to himself. He was therefot granted the permission he sought, he has announced that he will bring his force together at Lisbon. A cablegram from him announces that he relieved Ad» miral Selfridge and took command of the European station at Genoa on the 2d ine stant, and it is expected that he will take His flagship, the San Francisco, and the gunboat Bancroft. around to Lisbon very soon. The gunboat Helena is already there, a ARMY AND NAVY. ern, Movements of Ships. Commander F. V. McNair has been ore dered to duty.in this city as president of the naval examining and retiring boards, relieving Commodore C. 8. Norton of such Mohican to the Adams; Ensign 8S. P. Fule linwider, from the Adams to the Mohican, Col. James Jackson has been des duty at the Birhop Scott Acades P. A. P. Buffington, 13th Infantry, nog Py a, A. Thurston, 16th Infantry, his regiment if : si7] i i yity ee fre - 3 | . ! !