Evening Star Newspaper, February 5, 1898, Page 1

THE EVENING &TAR. — PUBLISHED DAILY EXCEPT SUNDAY. AT THE STAR BUILDINGS, 3101 Ferrrylvavia Avenve, Cor. 11th St., by New York Office, 49 Pottor Building, ‘The Evening Star is served to subscribers in the city by cerriers, on their own account, at 10-vents per week. or 44 cents per month. Copies at the center 2 certs each. By matl—anywhere in the United States cr Canada—postage prepaid —50 cents per month Saturday Quintuple Sheet Star, foreign postage added, $3.00. $1 per year, with (Entered at the Post Office at Washington, D. €.. | a5 sec md-class mail matter.) 7 All mail subscriptions must be paid in advance. Rates of advertising made known on application. WASHINGTON , D. CO, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1898—TWENTY-FOUR PAGES TWO CENTS. Advertising is not an expense. It is a business investment. If you want to invest your money profitably you will therefore put your advertisements in such a paper as The Evening Star, that is read regularly and thoroughly by everybody worth reaching. The Star is the recognized household and family journal of the National Capital, and has no rival as an advertising med- ium. SAVORS OF MONOPOLY Opinion of Business Men Respecting Telep1one Company’s Policy. > INDORSING THE FREDONIA PROPRIETOR Passage Demanded of Bill for New Scale of Prices. —— SITUATION DISCUSSED — d by the nd Potomac Telephone Com- morg all business men has created a sensation. It is. the general opin- icn of al! who have any dealt with ihe company that it should be foreed by Con- gress to adopt other le noxious policy. Its methods savor entirely too much of a grinding monopoly, they say, and they all agree that it would be greatly to the bus ess interests of Washington in general Congress should pass the proposed bill for a new scale of prices for uses of the tele- phone in the District. So interested are they in the fina! outcome of the matter that a paper is being circulated among the business men and signatures are being se- cured in large numbers. This paper is to the effect that they are heartily in favor of the fight started by the proprietor of the Fredonia Hotel, and now pending in the United States court of the District. As a matter of fact the censorship exer- cised by the telephone company over the Tights of its subscribers as to what man- rer of conversations they shall hold, and for which they shall be taxed as the com- Peny sees fit, is regarded as something un- Precedented. The idea that the Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company has 2 right to practice any such methods upon its patrons is regarded as inimical, not only to the business interests of Washington, but as offering a precedent set by a cor- poration which is dangerous in the ex- trem The rates charged by the company here, the merchants declare, are higher than anywhere else, and that they should be limited in even th degree as to what busine: pi e. they shali transact over the lines rded as ri- diculous. It is spoken of in the highest terms of inaignetion. A Sample Contract. A gentleman this morning showed a con- tract signed with the company. One ex- tra from it was pointed out as showing how arbit are the rulings of the c¢ It follows: scriber hereby agrees to take telephone his said t and the con- he riber on hi eunt or business shail be subject same rules, regula terms, ¢ ditions and stipulatio: y him at the and in the as me: sent or col ad for or by any other person st summer requiring all the put in slot machines inter- greatly with their business, and also with businesses with which they were in- directly connected. For instance, if one of the druggists was an agent for a laun- dry previous to this he could telephone to the laundry without extra expen: When the new order was issued, however, it claimed that the druggist would be charge a, or just the same as any outsider en he should use the telephone to send in an order, thereby making much extra ex 2 The Slot Machine. A gentleman at the head of a large e: blishment stated that, previous to the arbitrary order of the tele- issuance of th pany there were a number of ach offices in drug stores throughout city. When an order was made and fent into the house it was supposed to be free. as rent was paid on the ‘phone. When the slot machine system was put in ¢ establishment was reauired to nm the "phone, thereby reduc- profits to little or nothing. This Lotwithstanding the fact that aid the price demanded ake and Potomac Telephone e gertieman said in speaking ‘a -ppose we have a man going away out ne city to deliver some goods. The ad- have been given him wrong or hing of the kind. As a necessity he visit seme place where there is a tel- to send a message of inquiry to uarters to find out whether the ad- <3 is the correct one or not. Although pay the high price deman ny, he must take 10 cents and drop slot befo he can use the ‘ph J we comp it in th for which we have paid and whic posed to cover the extent of our indebted- ress to the telephone company. Th set here by the telephone much higher than it is in othe 2 Y.. it is about $ r. ieve. for private ‘phon: thing like $38 or $0 for public about the same in Rochester. > pay $100 for our ‘phones, and must tentee $19 per month for the telephone pey Station. When long-distance message: are sent through this pay station, by th way, elve no rebate on them what- ever. . again, I have heard the charge made frequently that different rates are charged persons by the comp: It ts claimed that they have no fixed rates, but mply charge what they think will best ted to the place and circumstances. » idea that when a man has two sep- and distinet businesses he cannot use phone to send a message from one place to another appears as one of the n-ost arbitrary orders ever perpetrated up- on the public by a corporation of any kind Company's Option. “To the telephone company is given the ception by itself, through its agents, of de- ciding whenever a conversation carried on by @ subscriber is legitimate, or, in other vfrds, shall be carried on without extra pay or not. The whole matter rests with the company, so that they have the privi- lege of deciding in this regard as they choose, and when they choose, without consulting or knowing the circumstances which exist. To them is given the self- imposed task of deciding wken a man uses the wire whether it is in a business sense or simply to amuse himseif by holding a slight conversation with a friend. Such a state of affairs is regarded 2s not only ri- diculous, uncalled for and unusual, but is one which, encroaching upen the rights of public or private citizens, cannot be enter- tained for a moment.” Mr. Damenhower's Statement. Mr. William W. Danenhower of the Hote! Fredonia, who had the injunction issued against the Chesapeake and Potomac Tel- ephone Company, said to a Star reporter in regard to the matter: “In my warehouse I have had a tele- phone for thirteen years. It has been in my hotel for eight years. November 1 I received a letter from Mr. Bryan of the company, calling attention to the illegiti- mate use of the telepnone. This was eignt years, mind you, that I had used the *phone. I paid no attention to it. The first of the year I failed to receive a bill from the company for the use of the telephone for that quarter. The 10th of January I sent check. I pay $100 for the hotel ‘phone and $120 for the one in the warehouse. The same day I sent the check I received an- other letter from Mr. Bryan, stating that if tne telephone was used as it had been the compary would remove it from the hotel. January 14, after I had used the ‘phone four cr five times, a guest of the hotel used it. When he had finished, Mr. Bryan called me up personally. He told me if I didn’t cease the iMlegitimate use of the ‘phone it would have to be removed. We had some conversation over the ‘pkone, which was ended when he said he would send 2 man over to confer with me in re- gard to the matter. Drawing the Lines. “This representative of the company visited me. He seid I had no right to call up my own warehouse from the hotel out- side of any business connected with the hotel. I Was told that if I should tele- Phone to find out whether my wife was sick cr not, I would have to pay 10 cents. I was told further that F rente? the ware- house ‘phooe simply to sit in my office and receive ail messages relating to business connected with the warehouse and could send out messages relating to its busi- The representative of the company said that the hotel "phone was strictly for hotel business only, and might be*used by employes of the office. I was again told that if I telephoned home to find out whether any of my family were sick, I should have to pay the specified amount for outside messages. It was stated that the best way oui of the difficulty would be to put a s’ot machine in the cffice. For this I was told I would be reyuired to guarantee $10 per month. Jf the receipts did not come up to that I should have to pay the dif- ference. Anything over that would be di- viced between the company and myself. I would get 25 per ccnt and the company 75. I refused to do this and the injunction was issued. The attitude of the telephone company tcward the people of the distant suburbs of the city is thought by many "phone users to be characteristic of the company program. There is a serious need for tel- ephones in these suburbs, especially those not connected with the city by frequently running street cars. Two cases are report- ed as typical of others. A Typieul Case. The people of Langdon, on the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, scme time ago desired to secure telephon:> connections, and applied for a quotation of rates. The answer of the telephone company was that if the cit- izens would pay the company $300 a year for the maintenance of the telephone they might have the privilege of paying 10 cents a message to any point of the telephone system of Washington. Thus the bargain Was that the citizens should maintain their own instrument and then pay a rate per message that is said to be acknowledged by the head of the company to be three, if not four, times the cost of sending the message. 4 citizens argued that if they had to bay a message raie larger than the actual cost of transmission they ought to be ex empt from the initial charge of installa- tion, believing that the company ought to pay the cost of the insta ion from the large excess of the rate over the cost of transmitting the message. But the com- Pany’s proposition wa: in effect, that the citizens must net only pay for the instal- -lation, but pay a heavy profit as well upon the maintenance, and in the end the com- pany would own the pliant. Brookland’s Experience. same experience was encountered by the citizens cf Brookland. Formerly these itizens organized to hire a "phone, pay- ing a monthly rental for the installation, and the subscribers enjoying untaxed mes- sage privileges. Others were charged 10 cents a message, which went, however, to the telephone company. ‘This arrangement lapsed, and later the people applied for telephone service once more, meeting with actically the same response as that given to the people of Langdon, save that s the initial charge was to be $350, instead of $300. For a private house "phone in Brookland the company proposed to charge $200. The Case in Court. The arguments in the Hotel Fredonia tele- phone case—the cause instituted by Mr. William W. Danenhower to restrain the Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Com- pany from removing a telephone from the Fredonia—were not resumed today, as ex- pected. In view of the necessities in an- other case that had been specially set by Judge Cox for hearing today, the telephone se went over until Monday. When the matter is taken up, Attorney E. H. Thomas of counsel for Mr. Danen- hower, will conclude his opening “argu- nient begun last Monday. He will be fol- lewed by Attorneys Jere Wilson and A. A. Hoehling, jr., in behalf of the telephone company. Attorney Leon Tobriner, of ccunsel for Mr. Danenhower, will close the arguments. The entire day’ Monday, it is thought, will be occupied in arguing the cz se. Counsel for Mr. Danenhower, ft is under- stood, are in receipt of communications from a large number of business men of this city commending the step taken by the complainant, and referring in no com- plimentary manner to the metiods that have been followed by the Lclephone com- pany. > SHOWS SIGNS OF WEAR. A New Seal to Be Engraved for the Treasury Department. ‘The seal of the Treasury Department, which hes been used in the division of loans and currency of the Secretary's of- nce 1862, and which has been im- pressed upon all the bonds issued by the United States since that year, is beginning to show signs of wear. This morning the chief of the division showed the Secretary an impress of the seal, and requested au- thority to have a new one engraved, which was given. It is an interesting fact that this seal has been impressed upon bonds of the face value of $10,297,534,000. Of this amount, $4, 14,000 were original issues of bends, and the remainder were bonds issued in place of those surrendered for exchange or transfer. There is another seal of the same kind in the treasury, but it has not been used as often. as the one now to be retired. This one is used on papers of a legal nature and which also require the signature of the Secretary. ‘The new seal, which will be made at the bureau of engraving and printing, will be of the same design as the old one. This design contains a shield, around which are thirteen stars. Below this shield are two crossed keys. The seal bears the words, “Thesaur Amer Septent Sigil’—seal of the treasury of North America. Its full his- tory is not known in the treasury. It is worked by an immense lever. Five bonds at once are stamped by the pressure ex- erted on the lever. This accounts for the wearing of the seal. ——————E TO BE TRIED FOR CONSPIRACY. te Warrants Out for Men Who Burned Seminole Indians. GUTHRIE, Okla., February 5.—Warrents have been issued for seventy-three mem- bers of the mob who burned the two Sem- inole Indians near Maud, ends large force of deputy Untted States marshals wilt be} he said, since the last term of ML 1, today. BROTHER JONATHAN: “I’Lly GET EVEN WITH YOT, B'GOSH.” EGLERON THE STAND Miners’ Union Offictal Tells of the Hazelton Tragedy. SAYS STRIKERS WERE PEACEFUL Claims Sheriff Martin Made First Attempt to Shoot. DEFIED SHERIFF’S ee WILKESBARRE, -Pa., February 5.—The first week of the trial of Sheriff Martin and his deputies ended todey with the case weli under way and the jury having a lot of evidence to think about over Sunday. There was the usual crowd at this morn- ing’s session, a crowd which before ad- journment filled all the available space and overflowed into the aisles, shutting off the view of the seated spectators. Before the case was opened Judge Woodward stated to the jurors that he desired to make their Sunday as pleasant as possible, and that as the quarters in the court house were rather uncomfortable, the jurors could take a trolley ride, go to church, “but you must all go together,” and take walks under the direction of the tipstaves. Nicholson on the Stand. The first witness, Michael Nicholson, de- scribed the condition of some of the wound- ed on the road near Lattimer. One man died as he watched him; five others of whom he saw were badly wounded. ‘The witness came upon a dying striker and was joined by a man ramed Costello. While they were trying to aid the man, a deputy tamed Alfred Hess came up, and Costello, with great indignation, said it was a scan- dalous piece of work the deputies had done, whereupon Hess replied: ‘You shut up or I will treat you the same way.” ‘The Gefer:se objected to this reference to Hess, saying the evidence was not proper, and after an argument, in which the pros- ecution said the evidence was for the purpose of showing malice on the part of the deputies, the objection was sustained and the evidence striken out. . Egler an Important Witness. The next witness was one of the most important of those to be heard on behalf of the commonwealth. He is John Egler, secretary of the Harwood Union of the United Mine Workers. He fold how, on the night before the shooting, a meeting had been held at Harwood and the men gathered there decided to march over to Lattimer the next day to show themselves to the men at that place, at the request of these men. Witness endeavored to get an American flag because he understood they could not march without carrying a flag. He did not obtain the flag until noon on the day of the shooting. When he got it he nailed it on a long pole he had cut. They agreed, he said, to march unarmed and to behave peaceably all the time. Speaking of the meeting with the sheriff and deputies at West Hazleton, witness said: “They rushed at us and pointed their guns in our faces, and told us to stop. I explained to the sheriff that we were just going to show ourselves to the Lattimer men, and were going to do no harm to any- body. The sheriff said: ‘If you go.to Lat- timer you must kill me.’ Burgess Jones of West Hazleton said we could~ march. through the streets, and-so the sheriff and deputies went away, and we marched -on- to Lattime: Story of the Shooting. E The witness told about the arrival of th strikers at Lattimer and said that he again told the sheriff they were not armed and that they would bchave themselves. The sheriff pulled a couple! of the men out of the ranks and drew his revolver, and wit- hess saw him trying to shoot one of the strikers. The revolver did not explode, however, and then a crowd formed around the sheriff. At this time there was a shat, and then three cr four shots, and at last a volley. Witness fell down between two men, but did not think the men were shoof-‘ ORDERS men, but did not go near the deputies, as: he was afraid. * On cross-examination Egler admitted that when the sheriff told them to disperse: “We ain't going to; we are going: to Lattimer.” = mee After the cross-examination of Egler the. court adjourned until Monday morning at 10 o'clock. New Bail Demanded. After Egier had left the stand the jury, was dismissed and District Attorney Mar-| tin, addressing the court, asked that the defendants be required to furnish bail or be committed to fatl. ““Thelr bail, court in November, absolved MR. DUELL SWORN IN The Head of the Patent’ Office Takes the Oath, Need of the Bureaa for a Larger Force —Thirteen Thousand Cases Await- ing Action—Mouths im Arrears. Charles H. Duell became the commis- sicner of patents this morning. Assistant Chief Clerk W. H. De Lacy of the Interior Department read the oath of allegiance while the new head of the patent office held up his right hand, amd in a clear voice sol2mnly swore to support the Con- stitution of the United®States, Assistant Commissioner Greeley ‘was present. Th bond was filed and. approved, a surety ecmpany of Baltimore certifying. After the ceremony he wemt into confer- ence with Assistant Commis@ioner Greeley, and the greater part efthe @ay was spent in discussing patent office affairs. The new commissioner promises to be- come very popular. . Hé im of average height, with clear gray eyes and a firm mouth covered with a mustache. His dis- pcsition is: kind, ard “being approachable he has the faculty of making a visitor feel at_ease. : There was’nothing pew for-him tg gay in connection with the patent office, he ex- piained to a Star reporter. «He was now acquvainting himsetf with the methods cof | practice, and unt{t he had become thor- oughly acquatnted with the mechanism of the big machiné he @id not care to dis- cuss the situation. He pleasantly referred the reporter to Assistant Commissioner Grecley, and that official ‘sai Needs of the Office. “We are deeply interested in the pend- ing appropriation for. the support of the patent office during the coming fiscal year. The appropriation bill, as reported, pro- vides for a slight increase in the working force of the office, but it is so slight as not to materially affect the conditions which even now aré becomigg of monstrous pro- pcrtions. The new bill, I believe, gives us 1 new principal exanfiner, 9 assistant ex- ers and 3 mesgengers. We original, estimated for 4 principal examiners, 3 assistant examiners, clerks and 10 me: sengers. The Secretary cut this estimate to 2 principal examiners, 18 assistants, 11 clerks and 14 messengers. This matter of additicnal help is a most serious problem, mcre important today than ever befor ard becoming more so every twenty-four hours. “Even with the small increase allowed by Congress, we would.be better off, if only the appropriation were gnade immediately available. But instead of that the addi- tional help cannot be utilized until next July, and by that time this office will be s:riously behind in its *work. ‘Today our examiners are from three to four months behind in their work, and some divisions arevas much as six months behind. Thirtcen Thousamd €ases Waiting. “We have on hand, fm round numbers, awaiting action, 13,000 cases, of which number 9,600 have never ben looked at. In the next four months our business will largely increase. March,’ April, May and June have heretofore been the h2aviest months of the year, andythere is no reason to doubt the record will be kept up. So you se2, when July comes aroun, we will be hopelessly behind. I estimate we will receive in that time 14,000 new cases. So it is easy to understand how important it is to have an adequat> force to do the work. It_is_not.generally understood what a large propertion Df the government reve- ue comes from ‘this office. Last year we covered into th2 tréasury, after paying the | running expenses of. the: office, $317,135.05, and the bookg of the treasurer of the United States show a total of $5,003,614.23 paid to the general govern: by the patent office after. payifte all expenses. The inventors are profesting“against the delay. They claim,-and very properly, too, they are 2ntitled-to peémpt and efficient ser- vice. The -goVernm@nt . réquires them ‘to pay for the work in-advanée, and then they are required” to. months before having théir-appltcatiansatt2nded to. One thing is certain, the effiglemty of the pat- ent pfticé “demands, in the feterest of its clietis, a suitable forée: of employes to preséout> the work intrugted to it.” WILL RETIRE TODAY. “Admiral “Selfridge, | quished the‘command bf: “tion, wif go upéon> [NOT APPREHENSIVE Feeling at the Capitol Regarding the Barcelona Report, REAL UNDERSTANDING WITH SPAIN Merchant Ship, It is Said, Will Carry Supplies. MAINE TO LEAVE HAVANA At the Spanish legation no significance is attached to the sending of a merchant ship along with the torpedo flotilla which is about to cross the Atlantic. It is said at the legation that the sending of the torpedo boats has been contemplated for a long time and has been repeatedly announced through the pr They are,however,small craft to undertake the hardship of an ocean voyage, and it is essential that they be accompanied by a larger vessel to serv as a transport for extra supplies, particu- jarly coal, which the small craft cannot carry in sufficient quantities for a long voyage. The merchant vessel will serve merely as a transport. She belongs to a merchant company having a large number of ships, so that one ot them can be readily spared for this service. All of these ships belong to the auxiliary navy and are sub- jeet to call at any lime. The one now be- ing brought fnto service is a small affair, by no means formidable, and useful mainly for carrying supplies. No Apprehension Felt. The announcement that the Spanish pas- senger steamer Ciudad de Cadix had beoa turred buck by the prefect at Barcelona to be armed as a cruiser to go to Cuba is rot regarded as having any sort of bear- ing on the relations between the United States and Spain. The reason for a ccn- ficent assertion that it has no such bear- ing is found in the pesitive knowledge that there is now so good an understand- ing between the two countries that the acministration feels that there is no danger of a hostile demonstration on either side nor cause for it. The administration is ussured that the Spanish government is entirely satisfled with the attitude assumed by this government, and there 1s reason for this satisfaction since it is not the intention of the administration nor of the majority in the House actng in accord with the acministration, either to intervene or to recognize the belligerency of the in- surgents, now or at any time in the future unless events transpire in a manner not at all tg he expected. A Friendly Understanding. The disposition that has been made of our naval vessels, with an eye to the Cu- ban situation, is thoroughly in accord with a friendly understanding, and it is declared to b2 the intention of the administration to rest satisfied with that unless some overt act on the part of Spain direct at-the United States should occur, and such an act is not regarded 2s probable under the circumstance As to Congress, action or non-action is dependent, of course, upon the disposition of the House. What that attitude is to be is now definitely settled. The agitation of the Cuban question in the int2rest of the irsurgents is to be left to the minority alon3, and resistance of the minority is to be made a party quesiion to the extent of a republican who would vot for aid in such agitation being pronounced an anti- oe man and being treated as such, Democratic Effort Expected. When the naval appropriation bill comes up for consideration in the House there will undoubtedly be an effort mad3 by the democrats ana their political allies to take action with relation to Cuba in that con- nection. They will not have republican will not support, however, and of course be able to account for anything. - It is not the intention of the foreign af- fairs comrnittee to take any action on the various resolutions before them. committee having charge of the subject, of. which Mr. zante be received for five or six weeks, and that when it comes (unless something unfore- ‘seen occurs n.eantime), it will be found not to contain enything of great consequence, as calculated to aid to action by Congress. -Acceptanece of the Situation. Certain republican members of the® for- eign affairs committee whose constituents have been importunate in their demands fcrtable lying close aboard ship in the harbor of Havana. The Marblehead or the Detroit, which are better adapted to comfortable existence in such a climate as that of Havana than the battle ship Maine, Probably will be sent to relieve the latter. The Brooklyn at Norfolk. A telegram received at the Navy De- partment today announces the arrival of the armored: cruiser Brooklyn at Norfolk on her way to the West Indies. The torpedo boat Foote has saiied from Pert Royal, S. C., for Norfolk, where she will make the repairs to her shaft result- ing from its breakage on the run down the ecast. —_—____- e+ -—____ TREASURY PROMOTIONS. Announcement Changes. The Treasury Department has made the following promotions: Office of the auditor for the Navy D2- Fartment—Mrs. C. T. Limeburner, Pennsyl- Vania, $1,400 to $1,000; Miss S. A. Somer- ville, Alabama,, $1,400 to $1,600; S.~S. Pletcher, Pennsylvania, $1,200 to $1,400; M B. Sturgus, Iowa, $1,000 to $1,200; John U. Nerwood, North Carolina, $900 to $1,000. Office of the auditor for the Post Office Departm2nt—Geo. W. Jackson, Indiana, $1,200 to $1,400; Wm. H. Reeves, Tennessee, $1,200 to $1,400; H. M. Harvey, Indiana, $1,200 to $1,400; Wm. F. Husted, Iowa $1,000 to $1,200; Miss Julia G. Jones, Massa- chusetts, $1,000 to $1,200; Vernon E. Alber- Ue, Wisconsin, $1,000 to $1,200; Miss Mary Erickson, Tennessee, $1,000 to $1,200; R. W. A. Wilda, Alabama, $W0 to $1,000; O. W. Hammond, Ohio, $00) to $1,000; Miss H. U. Cunningham, TMinots, $440 to $1,000; Herry Billings, Indiana, $720 to $840. Office of the auditor for the War Depart- ment—Mrs. Annie E. Preston, District of Columbia, $900 to $1,000; Mrs. M. T. Hay- wood, North Carolina, $660 to $00. Office of the supervising architect—Clar- ence A. Miller, District of Columbia, $1,800 to $1,850; Wm. B. Whipple, District ‘of Co- Ivmbia, $900 to $1,200. Oifice of the auditor for th> State and other departments—John E. Williams, New Hampshire, $1,400 to $1,000. Office of the register—Miss Eliz. C. Le Michigan, $720 to $900. Office of the Secretary—Miss Anna Doyle, Nivada, $660 to $900, ——_—___-e______ QUARANTINING AMERICAN HORSES. Official of Recent No Reason for Germany's Prospective Action. When the Berlin cable dispatch as to the Prospective quarantine of American horses by Germany was shown to Chairman Hitt of the House foreign affairs committee he said the move was clearly a part of the general movement toward exclusion shown by the recent action against American fruit. Chairman Dingley of the ways and means ccmmittee said this was in linc with the German action cn American fruit. A quarantine was not an absolute pro- hibition, however, Mr. Dingley said, and it remained to be seen whether a quarantine so vigcrous as to be a prohibition would be put in force. The offictals of the Agricultural Depart- ment emphatically discredit the probabil- ity of American horses carrying influen: into Germany, and eay that if they do ce- velop it after importation it is contracted frcm animals in that country. The sta ments of the German minister cf agrici:l- ture, Secretary Wilson says, are unwa ranted. ——___-.+ 2 REVOLT IN COSTA RICA, Advices Reccived From United States Minister Merry. A telegram was recelved at the State Depariment today from United States Min- ister Merry, at San Jose, Costa Rica, say- ing that “a revolution was inaugurated there yesterday.” The United States cruis- er Alert is at San Juan del Sur, on the west ccast of Central America, and will prob- ably b> ordered to the port nearest. the seat of the trouble for the protection of American interests’ rr MAIL FOR DYEA. Contracts for Four Years Awarded by the Department. The Post Office Department has awarded to the Klondike, Yukon and Copper River Ccmpany a contract for carrying the mails for four years from Seattle, Washington, to Dyea, Alaska, and including Juneau, Sitka and Skaguay and other intermediate boints. There are to be five round trips each month throughout year, and the compensation is to be $15,250 per annum. ————_~2-—____ TO IMPROVE OUR GUN FIRE. Practical Results Expected From Mr. Dashiell’s Foreign Trip. Assistant Naval Constructor Robert B. Dashiell has just returned to the Navy De- partment from a short visit to Europe, un- dertaken primarily with the purpose of gathering certain information respecting foreign methods of gun fire on shipboard. The Navy Department is dissatisfied with the gun-fire practice on our own ships, mainly on account of its slowness, and it is with the purpose of finding whether this is attributable to the guns and carriages themselves or to defective system that this investigation has been undertaken. Mr. Dashiell’s investigations have been prolific of results, considering the brief time he has been absent engaged in the quest. He was treated with courtesy in England and France, and had no difficulty in obtaining all of the information’ that he desired upon the subject matter of his in- quiry. Assistant Secretary Roosevelt, who has initiated the inquiry, will now make an effort to apply this information to the prac- tical betterment of our service. —$—_—____ PRESIDENT DOLE. Kiawali’s Chief Magistrate Takes a Trip to Quaker City. President Dole of Hawali left Washing- ton at an early hour this morning, taking the 7 o'clock. train for Philadelphia. He was accompanied by Major -Heistand of the army. Mr. Dole has some. personal business to transact in Philadelphia, and will return to Washington late this even- ing. . President Dole’s departure for Buffalo, N.-Y., was not hastened in any way by criticism in the Senate of bis presence here during the consideration of the annexation treaty. He intended when he first mapped out his trip to this country te LY | mony. ALLEGED VIOLATIONS Mr. Bailey Criticises the Civil Service Commission. GIVES INSTANCES <i OF IRREGULARITIES apemantients Charges Mr. Proctor With an At« tempt to Silence Him. eee HEARING BEFORE COMMITTEE > The Senate committee on civil service andy retrenchment met at 10 o'clock this morn- ing in the Maltby building, when the inves; ligation into the methods of the civil ser- vice was continued. A number of employes of the civil service commission had been summoned to appear to give their testi- Senators Pritchard and Harris were’ present. W. R. Bushby, chief of the certification ivision of the commission, was questioned reganding methods of work in the commis« sion Mr. E. D. Bailey was then placed on the Stand. Mr. Bailey said that for the past two years a number of things in the operas tion of the civil service commission ha@ troubled him as detrimental to the public service and injurious to the application of the merit s Mr. Bailey continued that there were four methods of evading the reinstatement rules, He referrred to a case in the San Francisco custom house. Senator Pritchard said he hoped the wit- ness would give names of persons figuring in these cases. Mr. Bail r plied that he would do so as far as possible, but could not Go so in all cases, as he had been requested by the commission not to refer to the records of. the commission for any facts which he de~ sired to bring out before the committee. Mr. Procter—“Will you state when such a request was made? Mr. Bniley’s Scrious Charge. Mr. Bailey—“The request was communi« cated to me through Mr. Serven, and aftere ward by Mr. Procter. Mr. Serven stated that the commission requested that I should not refer te the records ef the coms mission for the presentation of any facts, but sald I was at liberty to present any- thing I wes able to carry in my meméry. That was Friday of last week. M ter, in the presence of Mr. Serven, sepeated the same request to me. He said 1 was | not te search records, and said he wanted to break up the holaing of interviews with cierks of the mission. I supposed he meant he forbade me to make inquiries of clerks informed in matters I wanted to bring before the committee. He reminded me that there was a certain loyalty or sub- serviency in all departments due by sub- ordinates to their superior officers, and also reminded me that my position in the com- mission depe: upon the course I should pursue, In substance, he said my situation depended upon the course I should pursue.” ritchard—"What did you say to Mr, “TI stated to him that T haa always recognized the obligation to which he referred, and that anything I had dons had been done so confidentially that it was not expected it would work injury to my supericrs. 1 said that while I recognized that cbiigation up to the tim? he made a did not receg= personal attack upon me, I nize longer.” ley then continued to explain 1 as a violation of the civil it an vice rules by the commission. in the Francisco custom house case he said a reinstatement was made after the one- ar limit had expired, on the ground that ‘28 on which he was rew the che unt ke d were Alleged Vio The witness atior the rules gave the coms mission no authority to make such an ex= ception. Another instance of a violation of the rules, Mr. said, was in the e of thirty-five compositors in the gov= ernment printing office. They h: of the office three years, but stated on the ground that t had been discharged on a form intended for tem- porary discharges, instead of one for per- manent discharges, Another case cited b> Mr. that of E. T. Fancher, dismis: 8, 1897, and reinstated January 21. The commission gave authority for dating back of the certificate the of reinstate- ment to bring it within the year. In the case of Miss Agnes Gerry, Tiley said, the Interior Department made a requisition on July 2, 1897, for reinstate- « Mr. ment. She had been out of the serv: since June 30, 1896, and hence on July 1897, her time of eligibility for reins ment had expired. The Interior ment requested that the certification be uted back to bring it within one year, in. which way the reinstatement was made Another case was that of Miss Mary Van Vranken, in the internal revenue -scrvic ied from the servi: tember 7, 184, and reinstated June 11, The records show, the witness the reinstatement’ was made be the year limit was suspended on the principle of right and equity. This action was taken, te= Mr. Bailey said, by Commissioners Procter and Harlow Mr. Bailey said the rules gave the com- issioners ro authority to waive the year mit. The witness also cited the case of Edwin G. Rose, who had been an apprentice in the bureau of engraving and printing, and resigned three years ago on account vf ais health. The commission allowed Rose to be reinstated by regarding his discharge as a furlough, and he was reinstated as an apprentice when he was twenty-live or twenty-six years of age, while the ,rules{ fixed the age for such apprentices from | fourteen to twenty years. Illegal Promotions Charged. Mr. Bailey gave instances of cases inj which he thought promotions had been’ made in the civil service commission not in accordance with the rules for promotion! adopted by th commission itself. In the case of Jane Bruce, a copyholdes; in the government printing office, Mr. Baie ley said she had been transferred to the Post Office D2partment, January 8, 189%) and the question was whether the work of cepyholder in the government printing of¢ fice was the same as that of clerk in thp Pcat Office Department. Commission=r Rice, he sald, on a statement by Secretary Doyle, voted against the transfer, but it) Was made. ‘The witness said the Department of Juss/ -had asked for the transfer to that de-}