Evening Star Newspaper, April 11, 1900, Page 1

THE EVENING STAR. PUBLISHED DAILY, EXCEPT SUNDAY Temporary Business Office, 110% Pennsylvania Avesa> The Eveaing Star Newspapzr Company. SH, KAUFFMANN, Pres’ > ‘ New York Orfice: 126 Tribaaz Building, Chicago Offize: Boyce Buildiog. London Office: Trafalzar Buildings, Trafalgar Square. The Event. ‘Star fs served to subscribers in the eity by canciern: en their own aceoun'. af 10 cents per week. or 44 certs per month Copies at the counter. 2 cents each. By msf!—anywhere in the CTaited States cr Canada -postige prepald—S0 cents per mooth. Saturday Quintuple Bors $1 ver year, with jorvlen posers sleet. 6S: ((Batered atthe Peat Gace at Wasbington. D. ©. - elase itter.) All mai! subscriptions must he pald tn « ni Rar e is pg made known on, tention. KEEP BRITISH BUSY Gen. Roberts Reports Great Activity on Part of Bozrs. THE FIGHTING AT ELANDSLAAGTE Reported Boer Victory Near Brand- fort is Unconfirmed. WARNING TO CAPE COLONISTS — se LONDON, April 11.—Lord Roberts wires to the war office from Bloemfontein, under date of Tuesday, April 10, as follows: “The enemy Have been very active during the past few days. One commando is now on the north bank of the Orange river, not far from Aliwal North, while another fs at- tacking Wepener. The garrison there is holding out bravely and inflicted serious loss on che Boers. Maj. Springe of the Cape Mounted Rifles was killed. No other casualties have been reported as yet. The troops are being moved up rapidly. A patrol of six men of the 7th Dragoon Guards, under Lieut. Wetherley, which had been reported missing since April 7, has re- turned safely. As the foregoing does not mention the alleged British reverse on Saturday at Meerkatsfontein, the Boer telegrams are not credited at the war office, and they are further discredi-ed on account of the di crepancles In the dispatches, as Meerkats- fontein In one message is located near Brandfort and in another it is located southeast of Bloemfontein, the places being 100 miles apart. Gen. Gatacre Recalled. Gen. Gatacre's return to England is ac- cepted as being in the nature of a recall, though no reason is given for it, and it will be associated in the public mind with his lack of success. Lord Roberts criticised his management of the Stormberg attack, and possibly Gatacre’s having arrived an hour and a half too late to rescue the Red- dersburg force may have decided his re- Gen. Rundle. seemingly. succeeds . Gatacre, and, according to a dispat from Bloemfentein, the commanders of s S$ are about to be changed. Reuter Telegram Company's corre- spondent at Allwal North, wiring at 9:3¢ this morning. says “There is no further news from Wepe- ner. Too cloudy to heliograph. More British troops are arriving.” Notification to Portugal. Tt ts learned that the Boer governments have formally notified Portugal that they sh troops and of consider the shipping o! Munitions of war to Rh Beira, Port ering Rhod sr or not the Boers will make pon Portugal remains to be pinion her: e Boers are not test with action o hostilities with #till another power. CHANGES IN ROBERTS’ ARMY. Gen. Gatacre Relieved and Will Re- turn to England. BLOEMFONTEIN, Tuesday, April 10.— Gen. Gatacre, the commander of the third division, is about to return to England. Gen. Pole-Carew has been appointed to the command of the eleventh division. Several changes are likely to be made in the brigade commands. FIGHT AT ELANDSLAAGTE. Boer Attack Held Back by the Naval Brigade. LADYSMITH, Tuesday, April 10.—The Boers opened fire this morning eai ing shells Into the Briti laagte from three positions y separat- ed. The shells did no damage. The troops to mnoiter and found the ag force and well fortified. A n replied to the B who commenced shelling h were drilling, and one private was killed and another was wounded before the soldiers were withdrawn from range. Then the naval brigade opened fire and drew a heavy Boer fusillade, and two of the crulser Philomel's gunners were killed. The nayal men stuck to their positions, however, and the Boers unmasked six guns, including a 1)-pounder, and shells feil in all the Brit- ish camps. After three hours’ bombardment the Boer fire slackened and the burghers cleared out from a kopje on the right, when a British shell lit on the spot occupied by their gun, Another command was seen moving to- ward the British left, apparently with the intention of flanking it, but the British ehells forced it to retire. The British advance pickets were continually sniped, but few casualttes have been reported. In the afternoon the naval brigade again fired a few shells. is rumored that a body of Boers has gathered southwest of Elandslaagte with the THE ROAD TO FORTUNE, The Road to Fortune is through Printer’s Ink.— T. Barnum. No, 14,701. WASHINGTON, D. ©. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 1900—-SIXTEEN PAGES. ‘TWO CENTS HEAVY STORMS OUT west] ADOPTED BY HOUSE RAIN AND SNOW, ACCOMPANIED BY UNUSUAL COLD. The Disturbed Area Extends From Wyoming to Texax—Red River Booming. CHICAGO, April 11.—The whole west and southwest, Including the states of Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Towa, Illi Indiana and Ohio, is experi- encing a series of rain and snow storms, accompanied by temperatures ranging from 15 to 30 degrees below normal, with heavy frosts over a large section of the wheat belt. At Denver this morning thermometers registered § above and at Dodge City. Kan., 18 above. According to the United States weather bureau, the storms are a continuation of the recent cloudbursts that caused tho Aus- tin, Tex., disaster. Swollen streams are reported from all over the we: Several minor washouts have occurred, but so far the railroac ienced serfous trouble. clails say the frost line will extend tonight as far south as the Ohio river at least. DENISON, Tex., April 11—High water is reported at all points in the Red river ter- ritory. The Red river has risen ten feet within the past twenty-four hours. The Washita is on a big boom, and an overflow is threatened. Advices from Texarkana say that the Red river has risen eight feet, and is in- creasing eight inches an hour. The rise comes from the upper tributaries, and will be augmented by the heavy waterspouts of the past twenty-four hours in this section. The Sulphur river and Little river are also booming, the latter being out of its banks in the lower lands. —_+ 2+ ___ EPPS AND WOOD DEFEATED. Result of Primaries at Richmond, Va. Yesterday. Special Dispatch to The Evening Star. RICHMOND, Va., April 11.—The returns from yesterday's primary were slow in coming in and the result in some cases was not final till the last precinct was heard from. The vote was the heaviest in years and the count was not completed until afier midday today. C. W. Hardwicke, chairman of the board of alderm=n’s finance commit- tee, was defeated by a close vote by James B, Wood, a Chesapeake and Ohio official. The chairman has the placing of the city’s money on d2posit and the banks of the cit: exerted strong influence for and against his election. J.C. Smith beat H. Claiborn Epps, the incumbent, 134 votes for city s geant. All the other old officers we nominated. ——~+-____ FIRE AT BOWLING GREEN, VA. Business Portion of the Town Almost Completely Destroyed. Speciat Dispatch to The Evening Star. » Wi April 11.—Fire swept Bowling Green, Caroline county, last night and thirteen store: two liver: Stables, two carriage shops and county jail. =stimated loss $44,000 to $70,000; tnsurance, 40,000. Only two stores are left standing in the business portion of the town, which is practically destroyed. ——_+--+___ BOLD BURGLARY IN RICHMOND. destroyed Watchman Overpowered and Standard Oil Company's Plant Robbed. Special Dispatch to The Evening Star. RICHMOND, Va., April 11.—J. A. Sowell, watchman of the Standard Oil Company's plant in Manchester, was overpowered by five men at an early hour this morning, tied with wire, gagged and thrown aside like old baggage, while the men blew open the safe and took the contents, including 500 In cash. Sowell was sitting at the table in h sperate struggle which he made struck on the end of the spine with a burglar’s hammer and painfulls See RUMORED BOER VICTORY. Daily News Correspondent Sends Re- port From Pretoria. LONDON, April 11.—The Daily News has the following from Pretoria, dated Monday, by way of Delagoa bay: “It is officially announced that a battle has been fought south of Brandfort, in which 600 British troops were killed and wounded and 800 taken prisoners. “Lord Roberts 1s declared to be finding great difficulty owing to the scarcity of water.” A dispatch today to the Daily Mail from Brandfort, dated Sunday, says: “Yesterday Gen. de Wet inflicted the third defeat of the British within a week, at Meerkatsfon- tein, killing and wounding 600. He captured 900, with twelve wagons, losing five Boers killed and nine wounded. ‘The Dally Mail also has the following from Lourenco Marquez: “The Netherlands Rai!'way Company professes to have re- ceived a telegram reporting a Boer victory near Kroonstad, the Boers capturing 900 British.”” the apparent Intention of cutting the Brit- ish line of communications. Gen. Clery directed toda 3en. Buller visited Etandsl. Commenting on this, the Daily Mail re- marks: “There is a Meerkatsfontein about eight and a half miles southeast of Kroon- stad, but, if the reports be true, this can hardly be the place.” a PLoemron rene age Scone EC from South Afric: southeas: and south of Bloemfontein; coe and ound Mafeking. indicate great activity on the part of the Boers in the country between Ladysmith and Glen- Special Rule Regarding Vote on Porto Rican Bill. EXCITING SCENES PRECEDED DIVISION Result Was 158 Yeas, 142 Nays; 11 Refrained From Voting. DEBATE I8 RESUMED —— The House of Representatives this after- noon, by a vote of 158 years, 142 nays, de- cided to vote on the Porto Rican bill at 5 o'clock today. At 11 o'clock the committee on rules as- sembled in Speaker Henderson's private of- fice and settled the day's program, fixing the final vote for 5 p.m. today. The special rule provided for the occasion allowed twouty minutes on each side to debate the rule, and, on its adoption, a debate on the bill until 5 o'clock. It was expected that this arrangement would bring a test vote on the rule early in the day, as it was ar- ranged that the rule should be brought in immediately after the reading of the jour- nal. The Speaker and Messrs. Dalzell and Grosvenor voted for the special rule, and Mr. Richardson, the democratic member of the committee, voted against it. Getting Out the Votes. Early in the day the party managers were exerting their utmost endeavors to assem- ble a full vote. The measures adopted were aimost unprecedented in their thoroughness. On the republican side there were twenty- five or thirty absentees, but Representa- tive Long. the republican “whip,” was in telegraphic communication with every one of these d it was known on what train each man would arrive. L Mr. Long summed up his work by saying that every republican would be present or paired, with a single exception, Houtelle of Maine. and it was hoped to pair him later. It is impossible to guard against _sick- ness, flood or disaster,” said Mr. Long, s barring unforeseen mishaps, I look © passage of the bill as it came from snate by a majority of from three to sentative Richardson, the demo- cratic floor leader, would not. venture a prea saying that with such a narrow he unexpected mishap might turn nderwood, the mocratic ‘whip, ton not more than five democratic three of them be Kk men. -mocrats : Bailey of Mibama, Fox of Mis- sissippi, issourl, Crowley of Minot of Kansas, and Robert- $ Meyer ot Louisiana. The cluded Robertson, Crowley and Was expected, however, that might venture out for the vote, was expected by train. The democratic managers also claimed that a pair had been arranged for Mr. Baile: which would have to be accepted. Conference of Republican Opposition. ‘The half score of republican members who oppose the bill held a conference at the Capitol shortly before noon. Eigat mem- bers were present, and the reports pre- sented showed that a total of nine republi- can votes against the bill could be relied on. Mr. McCall of Massachusetts summed up the situation from that standpoint as fol- lows: “We have nine republican votes. Be- yond that all depends upon the presence of democratic members, and that ts an un- known quantity to us. But the vote will be close.”” Crowds in the Galleries. The struggle attracted great crowds to the galleries of the House, and all the preparations Indicated a ficld day replete with exciting incidents. Excitement was at a high pitch when the Speaker's gavel fell at noon. As scon as the reading of the journal was concluded Mr. Dalzell (Pa.), one of the leaders of the majority and a member of the committee presented the special order under which the House was to operate, as follows: “Ri ‘Phat Immediately upon the adoption of this resolution the committee of the whole house on the state of the Unien shall be discharged from the consid- eration of H. R. 8245 (the Porto Rico bill), and tho Senate amendments thereto; that the same shall be considered in the House until 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 11, 1900, when, without delay or other motion, a vote shall be taken on the motion to con- cur in the said Senate amendments en gross. And all members shall have leave to print on the subject of said bill and amendments for ten days from the adoption of this rule.” Upon the conclusion of the reading of the rule, upon demand of Mr. Dalzell, the pre- vious question on its adoption was ordered. Rh ve twenty minutes for debate on each side under the rules, Mr. Dalzell said he would discuss the rule briefly. On February 28 the House sent to the Senate the Porto Rico tariff bill. The amendments attached by the Senate fur- hed a civil government for the island. It was the opinion of the majority, he sald, that those amendments should be concurred in. There had been enough discussion on the subject, he sald. What the country de- sired was not debate, but action, Mr. Richardson’s Opposition. Mr. Richardson, the minority leader, called attention to the fact that tha rule would permit the House to vote only upon a single proposition. If it had been possible for the Senate to add to the iniquity of the original bill levying 15 per cent of the Ding- ley duties on goods going into Porto Uico, he said, it had done so in the so-called civil government amendment. Under the guise of a civil government, he sald, the Senata had imposed an imperialistic government upon the people of the island. He asserted that it was never the intention of tha ro- publicans of the House in the first instance to enact any such measure. He quoted President McKinley, Secretary Root, ex- Presid:nt Harrison, ex-Speaker Reed and other republicans of national reputation in favor of free trade with the islands, and drew a salvo of applause from his iemv- the cratic colleagues by characterizing President in the language of ex-! Reed as the “emperor of expediency. Proceeding, he expressed his regr2t that the Secretary of War had not seen fit to furnish the opinion of Judge Charles A. Magoon, the attorney of the insular bureau, to the effect that the Constitution extend2d ex-proprio vigore to our new possessions, upon which, he said, the original recom- mendations of the President and the Secre- tary of War were based. He read some extracts from this alleged suppressed opinion which had besn printed in a New York newspaper. The reading was frequently punctuated with applause. Why, Mr. Ri m asked, had the President, the Secretary of War and the republican party chang2d front upon this whole question? For reply he read the statement of Prof. Schurman of the Philip- pine commission, that the “trusts had gone down to Washington and had grasped the republican party by the throat.” The Alleged Deal. He also recalled th> statement printed a short time ago in a local newspaper that a republican member of the House had said that in return for the passage of the bill a large contribution was to be mac? to the republican campaign fund. Mr. Richardson craated something of a sensation by giving the name_of the néws- paper man who had written the interview, saying he was a reputable correspondent, worthy of all credence. Mr. De Armond (Mo.) said the rul2 was evidence that those who had decided to suppress intellect, chain the will and siifle the conscience realized that they must do their work quickly. H2 commended those who had the manhood to stand out for the right and warned the majority that th2 re- publicans would have the country to recxon with, Mr. Babcock’s Dental. Mr. Babcock (Wis.), chairman of the >e- publican congressional campaign commit- tee, to whom Mr. Dalzell yielded a minute and a half, indignantly resmted the charze of Mr. Richardson that the republicaa cam- paign committee had received a money con- sideration for the Porto Rico tariff dill. As a member of that committee he desired to denounce it as absolut2ly without founa- ation, and he challenged any one to name the republican who was responsible for such a charge. Jumping to his feet, Mr. Pierce <Tern.) tried to interrupt Mr. Babcock, but tne lar- ter waved him aside. He withdraws his challenge," shouted a voice on the democratic side, amid a howl of derision. Mr. Babcock paid no attention to it. The shoe was on the other foot, he continued. ‘The tobacco trust and the sugar trust, he said, had started th free trade agitatio: This statement produced more derisive erles from the oppositien, which, however, were drowned in republican cheers. Grosvenor Warms Up the Republicans. Mr. Grosvenor (Ohio) followed with a speech that kept his side in almost con- tinuous applause. It was a glorious thing, he said, to witness the anxiety of the dem- ocratic party and the mugwump prese lest the republican party should destroy itself. He had witnessed it before, but he had never seen it so zealous as now to avert from the republican party the odium and curse of an outraged public sentiment. (Republican cheers.) He referred sarcasti- cally to an editorial this. morning, in “one of these independent papers which would probably support Bryan,” appealing to the republicans for God's sake not to do them- selves injury. It gave the “brand of hy- * to the whole “outfit,” he said. Mr. Grosvenor said he honored the dem cratic party for making opposition to this bill the test of democracy, and those dem- ocrats who had previously voted for the tariff bill who now placed allegiance to party above consistency, Allegiance to this bill was now, he said, the shibboleth of republicanism. He hurl ed back in Mr. Richardsoh’s, teeth the charge of bribery. Did the gentleman from Tennessee, he asked, think he could be a hypocrite everywhere? le himself did not believe it. If he belleyed any republican had made such a statement, why had he not investigated it? “We do not believe it,” crled Mr. Gros- venor. “We know it is @ lie. (Republi- can applause.) I do not say no man made the statement. But if he did he is a liar. (Democratic jeers.) Let the gentleman from ‘Tenn » bring in a resolution and it will be adopted in fifteen minutes.” “I did not make the statement m: interrupted Mr. Richardson. “Oh, not" retorted Mr. Grosvenor. “That is like the shining, slippery character of the gentleman.” (Republican applause.) Mr. Dalzell Reviews History. At this juncture Mr. Grosyenor’s time ex- pired and Mr. Dalzell coneluded the debate on the rule. Reverting to Mr. Richardson's characterization of the rule as an ut rage,” he recalled the rule brought in when the democrats concurred in the Sen- ate amendments to the Wilson tariff bill, evoking frequent applause during the re- cital. “Scribes, pharisees and hypocrits,” he denominated the democrats for prating of the change of base made by the repub- licans. When the Porto Rico tariff bill was originally presented, he eaid, it had been advocated and opposed with the time-hon- ered traditions of the respective parties. The democrats had found their law in the Dred Scott decision, thelr polities in the philosophy of John C, Cathoun. The re- publicans had found their law in the speeches of Daniel Webater, their politics in the platform upon which Abraham Lin- coln had been elected. The majority upon whose shoulders the responsibility rested, he said, were ready to assume it and he predicted, in conclusion, that the day wes not far distant when the masses of the people of the country would recognize their course ag wise and beneficent for the peo- ple of Porto Rico. Mr. Richardson's Substitate. Mr. Richardson was on his feet as Mr. Dalzell closed, with a motion to recommit the rule with instructiong to report a new rule and a substitute bill providing: “First. Yor free trade between the United States id Porto Rico. ‘Second. A civil government for the ter- ritary of Porto Rico, republican in form. The Speaker ruled that as the previous question had been ordered on the rule Mr. Richardson's motion was not in order. “Vote! Votel” came from many quarters, and the Speaker beat a lively tattoo to cure order while the vote was taken. ‘The viva voco vote was indecisive, and to save time a yea and nay vote was taken on the adoption of the rule. The voting was followed with intense in- terest. The “whips,” Long and Underwood, hov- ered ubout the desk, seeing that every pos- sible vote was recorded. The Result a Sarprise. ‘The announcement of the adoption of the Tule—ayes, 168; noes, 142; present and not voting, 1l—was greeted with salvos of ap- plause on the republican ‘side. The large majority was a general surprise. It was regarded as a test vote, The republicans who voted against the rule were: Crumpacker of Indiana, Heat- wole of Minnesota, Lane of Iowa, Littlefield of Maine, Lorimer of Liinois, McCall of Magsachusetts, H. C. Smith of Michigan, Warner of Illinois. The only democrat vot- ing for the rule was Btkley of Pennsylvania. It was decided that the time remaining, three and a half hours, should be equally divided between the two sides, Mr. Payne and Mr. Richardson to contro) the time on their respective sides. $ Mr. Payne yielded to Me, Watson (Ind.), who opened the debate. -From.the incep- tion of the consideration of the Porto Ri- can tariff bill to the present time, he said, there had been so much/ misapprehension and misunderstanding, so much erimination and recrimination, so mapy charges and counter charges here pnd in the country that he would consider*higmelf fortunate if the were able to out sdme of the hidden causes which had produced this agi- tation. Farther Op; thom, Mr. Jones (Va.) followed “Mz Watson. He devoted himself prineipally to an ar- gument against the ctvilegaverament fea- ture of the bill. Mr. Maddox (Ga.) and Mr. Wiliams (111) also opposed the bill. The latter charged that the majority had abdicated to the sugar trust. * Mr. H. C. Smith (Mich.}- and Mr. Warner Qi.) both opposed the bill on the ground that it was a breach of good faith which the people would not tolerate. © CAPTAIN REICHMAN. Officials Do Not Belicye He Has Vio- lated Neutratity Laws. Inquiry at the State andsWer departments discloses the absence of gny‘reports, official or unofficial, connecting’ Cat. Reichman with active participation in the Boer cam- paign. Therefore the offictals, basing their opinion on Capt. Reichman’s wéll-known good judgment and knowledge of the rules of war, are confident that he has done noth- ing to violate the neutrality to which he was bound by his appgintment as an ob- server of the war in interests of the United States army, ————————————— AT THE WHITE HOUSE|POR TO Rican TaRiFF| MONEY FOR DISTRICT The President Arranging for a Trip to New York, TOADDESS ECUMENICAL CONFERENCE Large Delegation From Lowell, Mass., Received. MANY SENATORIAL CALLERS ——— President McKinley is going to New York April 21 to make an address before the ecumenical conference on foreign missions. This distinguished church body meets in Carnegie Hall on that date, and at 8 o'clock in the evening will listen to addresses by the President and representatives of the state and city of New York. The honorary president of the conference is ex-President Benjamin Harrison. President McKinley will remain in New York on the 22d, the Sunday following. The President may make one other visit out of Washington this month. He intends to go to Canton for a few days some time after his trip to New York. The home of President and Mrs. McKinley is being re- modeled and repaired, and the President wants to see for himself how the work is getting on. Several months ago a Canton architect was here going over the plans with the President. Invited to Gridiron Club Dinner. Henry L. West, president of the Gridiron Club, and General H. V. Boynton, former president of the same organization, saw President McKinley this morning and in- vited him to attend the dinner of the club on the 28th of this month. The President said it would give him great pleasure to at- tend if possible. He then mentioned the engagements which would take him out of town. He has attended several of the Gridiron dinners and enjoys the evening’s merriment to the fullest extent. Asking for Chaplaincies. Representative Baker this morning pre- sented Rev. E. H. Lamar of Baltimore to the President. Mr. Lamar would like to be a chaplain in the navy. The President said that there are no vacancies now but sug- gested that Mr. Baker again present Mr. Lamar’s name when there was an opening. Representative Ball of Texas accompa- nied by Bishop Warren A. Candler, asked for a chaplaincy in the army for a Texas minister. The President has the application under consideration. Many Callers on the President. The President had an engagement for 10 o'clock this morning to shake hands with about 130 persons of Lowell, Mass. Owing to the pressure of official visitors, however, the President was nearly an hour late in going to the t room to meet the Lowell visitors. This caused Jerry Smith, the old colored servant to remark, “Dere ought ter be two Presidents—one ter ‘tend ter busi- ness, an’ one ter do de handshakin’.”. The hundreds of sightseers at the White House each day inquire if there is any way to see the President and shake hands with him. Some of the guide books sold to strangers have for months erroneously stated that the President would receive visitors Mon- day, Wednesday and Friday afternoons. The President has held no such receptions for nearly two years, He was compelled to stop them because of the heavy demands on his time during the Spanish war. They have not since been resumed. Occasionally by request of a congressman he receives special parties. This is a drain on his time and frequently takes him away from office business. Some Senatorial Callers. Senator Burrows talked with the Presi- dent this morning. ‘Politics won't open up in Michigan until after May 1, the date of our state convention,” said the senator. “The republican party is in good condition for a victory. There will be little criticism of the Porto Rican bill after it passes, and the party will lose nothing by it in Michi- gan. I hope to see the bill passed and be- come law.” Senator Wolcott was with the President some time. He ts trying to secure several appointments in Alaska for Colorado men. Senator Wolcott is not making any claims as to Colorado's attitude in November next. He asserts that there ts a great change in sentiment, but does not say that this is suf- ficient to overturn the heavy democratic ma- jority. Senator Platt saw the President about postmasters for Adams and Watertown, in Jefferson county, New York. Senator Pen- rose saw the President about some Pennsyl- vania post offices. Invited to New York. Major Walter Thorn, president of the War Veterans and Sons’ Association, and Col. Joseph Kay, department commander of the New York G. A. R., saw the President. Major Thorn invited him to attend the con- cert and reunion of various veterans’ or- a at Brooklyn on “Antietam lay.” General Shaw and General Sickles of the G. A. R. talked with the President yester- day afternoon regarding the bill pending in Congress for the establishment of a pension ccurt of appeals. : The District Commissionerships. Madison A. Ballinger, a real estate dealer, had a talk with President McKinley this afternoon regarding his candidacy for Com- missioner of the District. It is understood that Mr. Ballinger’s name has been pre- sented to the President by several promi- nent men, among them being Senator Frye and the Iowa delegation in Congress. . Some time later M. M. Parker had a con- ference with the President, talking about District matters. At the request of the President Mr. Parker presented his views of the situatien. - The President is apparently about to make up his mind on the appointment of District Commissioners. He has been visited by a number of delegations and has received any communications on the subject. By disposing of the matter soon he will not have the responsibility of it longer. The President wants able executive men for Commissioners, and it is safe to say that if he makes.a selection it will be after careful study of the man or men. Today's Nominations. The following nominations were sent by the President to the Senate today: War: Artillery—To be captain, First Lieut. Isaac N. Lewis, 7th Artillery; to be first lieutenant, Second Lieut. Sam F. Bottoms, 6th Artillery. Infantry—To be first lieuten- ant, Second Lieut. William K. McCue, ist Infantry. “NaVy—To be second Heutenant in marine corps, John P. V. Gridley of Pennsylvania. Postmasters—Robert J.: Buck, Watertown, Y.; Frank 8. Kenyon, Adams, N. Y.; Charlies P. Barnes, Brighton, N. ¥. Interior—Daniel W. Patrick of Gold Hill, N. C., to be supervisor ef the twelfth cen- sus for the second supervisor's district of North Carolina. ——_—__+e+_____ One of the Merrimae’s Crew. Osborn Deignan, who was one of the gal- lant crew of the M:rrimac when that ves- sel was sunk in the harbor of Santiago, has been appointed angacting boatswain in the navy and assignea to duty on the gunboat Marietta. 2 THE BILL EXPECTED TO PASS THIS AFTERNOON, Appropriation Bill Acted On in the Senate, Only One Vote to Be Taken—Members on Both Sides Hurry- SCHOOL PROVISION ADOPTED ing Here. ——— The resolution for the consideration of D te Raisin Poli ‘ and vote on the Porto Rican tari bin in | O&bate Over ig Police Judges’ the House today was an exact copy, as to Salaries. the method of voting, of the resolution un- der which the Senate amendments to the Wilson tariff bill were concurred in at the Fifty-third Congress. It is an iron-bound, copper-riveted proposition, admitting of but one vote—that on the motion to concur in the Senate amendments. The general be- lief this morning was that the Porto Rican bill would carry by a majority of from three to five. The vote occurs at 5 o'clock this afternoon, and the exact result depends upon the arrival, without hindrance, of absent members, who are hurrying to reach Washington before that hour. The work of Mr. Long for the republi- cans and Mr. Underwood for the democrats in securing the attendance of members of the House and arranging pairs for such as must be absent has been, perhaps, the most thorough in legislative history. The opposition to the bill is at a disadvantage in consequence of sickness, having three sick men—Robertson of Louisiana, Crawley of Illinois and Ridgely of Kansas, while the republicans have but one—Boutelle of Maine—all of whom are without pairs. This difference will probably be adjusted, however, by two of the sick democrats be- ing paired with Davey and Meyers of Louisiana. The democrats, however, have three absentees, at least two of whom will not appear. All except Bailey of Texas, Stallings of Alabama and Cochran of Mis- souri are expected and none of them are paired, but it is possible that one of them may get here in time to vote. It is said that Bailey had a promise of a pair when he went away, but that it was broken. On the Republican Side. The republicans expect to have all their members except Boutelle of Maine present or paired. The exact location of each member of the House is known to the man of each party in charge of the pairs and the organization of the forces is com- plete. Mr. Tawney, who is expected to be the last of the absentees to arrive, is due at 2 o'clock this afternoon, and King, the newly elected democrat from Utah, is hur- OTHER ITEMS PASSED Seep eee ene The Senate began the consideration of the District of Columbia appropriation bill at 12:45 today. Senator Allison, chairman of the committee on appropriations, re« quesied that this bill be disposed of, and Senator Burrows consented to defer his ree marks on the Quay case until tomorrow, Mr. Allison said that if the District appro- priation bill should not be concluded today it would take very Mttle time tomorrow. Under the head of “Auditor's office’ Mr. Allison proposed an additional amendment increasing the salary of one clerk provided for in the bill at $1,200 to $1,400. First Item Struck Ont. When the amendment appropriating $25,000 for improving the municipa! wholee sale market on the reservation between 10th and 12th and B and Little B streets northe west was reached Mr. Allison said upon further deliberation the committee did not care to retain that amendment, and it was struck from the bill. School Provision Passed. The provision for public schools was adopted without debate, except that Mr, Hawley remarked that he was greatly pleased to see that what he and others de+ sired had been done in relation to vib public schools of this city. He said it wi the confident hope of many people that tw of the trustees should be women. He said it was in the minds of members of the committee on appropriations that the Presl+ ent would appoint two women as trustees, and hoped the President would do so. He made no motion. The school provision was amended on motion of Mr. Allison to stipulate that one rying on his way, but is hardly expected to arrive in time. It is conceded that nine republicans will vote against the bill, but if there are no more under cover who will vote against the bill it will pass by a majority of not less than three. The republicans say that there is one other man on their side whose vote is in doubt, but that they do not believe that there will be more than ten republi- cans against the bill. The result is subject to the fluctuations that may come of the non-arrival of mem- bers expected on one side or the other, but this fs more apt to increase than to reduc: the majority for the bill. Mr. Long, whi is in charge of the republican pairs, say: that the majority is likely to be anywhere between three and nine for the bill, and is that the bill cannot fail unless there treachery on the part of some republicans. ————_+e+_____. MR. MUDD NOT RESPONSIBLE. He Introduced the New Form of Gov- ernment Hill by Request. The bill to change the form‘of govern- ment in the District of Columbia, intro- duced in the House by Mr. Mudd, has been referred to the District committee, but has not yet been taken up by any subcom- mittee. Mr. Mudd stated to the committee today that he had merely introduced the bill “by request’’ and had no intention of calling the bill up for co} upon the committee. ‘Mr. Mudd disavowed any pride of au- thorship in the bill and said that he had been careful to put the words “by re- guest” on the bill to assure the people of the District that he did not intend to give his indorsement to the bill. ————+ 2+ ____ PASSED BY THE SENATE. Various Bills and Resolutions Acted . Upon Favorably. ~ When the Senate convened today Mr. Money reported from the committee on ag- riculture a bill setting apart a portion of the Arlington estate for an experimental farm to be operated under the direction of the Secretary of Agriculture, and it was passed. - A resolution was adopted calling upon the President, if not incompatible with the public interest, to inform the Senate whether any persons have been executed by garrote in Porto Rico since the United States authorities have been in control of the island, and if 50, why the system of execution was employed. A Dill to establish a fish hatching and fish station in West Virginia was passed. The resolution relating to the Quay case was laid before the Senate, and Mr. Bur- rows (Mich.) rose to address himself to it. Mr. Allison (iowa) requested Mr. Bur- rows to yield to him that he might have the Senate take up the District of Columbia appropriation bill. his request-was agreed to, it being un- derstood that Mr. Burrows should proceed tomorrow with his speech. After. Mr. Penrose (Pa.) had protested that appropriation bills should not interfere with consideration of the Quay case, the District of Columbia appropriation bill was formally taken up. The bill, as reported to the Senate, carries $7,457,755. ——_—_-o-______ CHANGED BY CURRENCY ACT. Banks Cannot Count Certificates of Deposit as Part of Money Reserve. Under authority of section 5198, U. 8. R. 8., national banks have heretofore been permitted to deposit with any assistant treasurer of the United States lawful money in sums of not less than $10,000, and to receive therefor a certificate of deposit which certifies they were authorized to count as a part of their lawful money re- serve. Section 6 of the act of March 14, 1900, known as the “currency bill,” repeals this entire section of the Revised Statutes, and in consequence the banks will hereafter be prohibited from counting such certifi- cates as part of their lawful reserve. There are about fourteen and a half mil- Mons of these certificates now outstanding, which are held entirely by the banks in the principal cities of the east, with the excep- tion of two or three western cities, and are indicated in their reports as United States certificates of deposit. ——_——__-+___. PAN-AMERICAN CONGRESS. Meeting of Ministers and Ambassa- dors Called for Saturday. A meeting of all of the ministers and ambassadors representing the countries of the three Americas has been called for Saturday at the bureau of American re- publics to take steps to insure representa- tion of their respective countries at the second Pan-American congress, to be held in the City of Mexico. This meeting re- sults from the movement initiated by the executive committee of the bureau of American republics and it is expected that the result will be to fix a date for the meeting of the Pan-American congress and outline the program for the session, for it is regarded as expedient to have the topics to be considered approved by all of the nations to be represented at the Congress in advance of the meeting. deration, nor urging it of the two assistant superintendents should have charge of the colored school: A janitor was provided for at $250 for the Hillsdale School. Under the head of the appropriation for the metropolitan police, twenty-two instead of twenty-one station keepers were pro- vided for. Salaries for Police Court Judges. Mr. Berry objected to the incr ot salaries of two judges for the Police Court from $3,000 to $3,600. He said he had heard of no complaint from these judges about their sataries. He said there was a dis- pesition to increase such salaries, and he uW no reason for doing it. In his state cireuit courts the judges got but $2.000, and they did not complain about not having enough. Mr. Allison said the estimate for these salaries had been $4,000. Mr. Berry made a point of order against the increase of salary as a change in exs isting law, and he was sustained by the president pro tem., the amendment being stricken out. Mr. Gallinger Comments. When the item appropriating $1,400 for the church orphanage association of St. John’s parish was reached, Mr. Gallinger said he was surprised that a wealthy church should ask for this paltry sum of money. The next item for an equal amount for St. Joseph's Asylum he knew nothing about. He said, of course, “these worthy people” needed money and If they could not raise it from private subscription they, wanted it from Congress. He said the superintendent of charities had reported that there was room for more children in the District of Columbia indus- trial home, “and he didn’t see why Con- gress should appropriate for private charie ties when there was no demand for them,” He said all the children needing care by the public are being cared for dnd any one conducting a private charity of the king provided for in thi mendment did so on their own responsibility and for their own uurposes. a4 made no motion in connection with the amendments, but said he hoped they would not appear in the bill when ready for final passage. For Filtration Establishment. The following amendment was adopted on motion of Mr. Alison: For establishing those portions of a fil- tration plant which are essential to the operation of either system of filtration adopted, including necessary land, grading, Masonry and appurtenances, $200,000, to be available immediately. On motion of Mr. Gallinger, an amend p ment appropriating $1,000 for the Women’s Clinic In the District of Columbia wag adopted. Municipal Hospital. Mr. McMillan proposed an amendment appropriating $100,000 for the purchase of @ site for a municipal hospital. Mr. Allison proposed an amendment in- creasing the salary of the superintendent 0; the street-sweeping department from $2,2 to $2,400, which was adopted. Mr. Chandler objected to the appropriae tion of $50,000 for continuing the crection of a workhouse for males, which appropri: tion was put in the bill in the House o! Representatives. He made an extended argument to show that many persons believed that the works house, jail, etc., would eventually be re+ moved from their present location to som place further out of the city, and for that reason objected to any enlargement of thy buildings on their present sites in Washington Senator Allison strongly advocated that the appropriation be allowed to remain ip the bill, because of the great needs of the institution for additional room. Mr. Chandler insisted on an aye and no vote on his proposition, an@ there being nd querum a call of the Senate was ordered, The Appropriation Retained. The Senate then, by a decisive vote, ree tained the appropriation in the bill. On motion of Mr. Cockrell an amendment was adopted appropriating $2,000 for gr: ing and reguleting Quincey street fro. Brightwood avenue to 8th street, in Pets worth subdivision. On motion of Mr. McMillan an amends ment appropriating $25,000 for grading and improving Connecticut avenue extended was adopted. On motion of Mr. Chandler $11,000 wa: appropriated to purchase a etrip of lan adjoining the land formerly purchased b; the government for the purpose of cons structing & water tower on 18th street, this land to be used as a public park. The Bill Passed. With the above amendments the bill wag then passed by the Senate. ——- ++. Marine Band for Egg Rollers. The Gecretary of the Nevy today ordered the Marine Band to play at the President's grounds next Monday afternoon for the benefit_ of the children engaged in thelp usual Easter pastime of egg rolling. -——_—_—_—_— Roberts Warns Cape Colonists. COLESBERG, Cape Colony, April 11— In view of the state of unrest across border, Lord Roberts has proclaimed warning to the Cape Colonists that fur acts of hostility will be treated with thé rigor of Jaw.