Grand Rapids Herald-Review Newspaper, January 26, 1901, Page 3

{ j q Dews of the Northwest CLAPP THE WINNER ee REPUBLICAN CAUCUS MAKES HIM THE CANDIDATE. Will Take the Place in the United States Senate Made Vacant by the Death of Senator C. K. Davis— Tawney's Followers Decide the Contest—Withdiaws on Fifteenth \ Ballot and Supporters Jump to Successful Man — Speakers’ Vote Decides. St. Paul, Jan. 22—Former Attorney General Moses E. Clapp of St. Paul was chosen as the Republican caucus nominee for the place in the United States senate made vacant by the death of C. K. Davis, Satfirday after- noon, after one of the hardest contests in the history of the state. Six candi- dates remained in the contest and re- ceived votes for fifteen ballots, and as many others were looked on as possible nominees. Friday night, in a caucus lasting four and a half hours, fourteen ballots were cast, the final one showing no ma- terial change from the first. The cau- cus then took a recess until 2:30 o’clock Saturday afternoon and the work was continued at that time. Only five of the 140 Republicans were absent and all were represented by proxies. Tawney Releases Men From Pledges. The first ballot of the day, the fif- teenth of the contest, showed a gain of three for Clapp and the loss of the same number for Evans. However, that ballot was never announced. Earlier in the afternoon Mr. Tawney had told his friends he would release them from their pledges, but they an- nounced that they would continue to vote for him. This ballot showed them all in line, but before the vote was footed Senator Lord announced a de- sire to change from Tawney to Evans. He was quickly followed by others, ‘but Senator MacArthur announced his change from Tawney to Clapp, others making like statements, Clapp getting ‘most of the Tawney vote. Speaker Casts Deciding Vote. Speaker Dowling, in the chair, realiz- ing the nearness of a decision, cast the seventy-first Clapp vote, that being the number to select. Other changes followed, and then Representative Sherman Smith of the Evans forces moved to make the nomination of ‘Clapp unanimous. This motion was carried, and a committee was sent af- ter the winning and defeated, candi- dates, who addressed the caucus. Career of M. E. Clapp. Moses E. Clapp is forty-nine years of age. He was born in Delphi, Ind. ‘When he was seven years of age his parents moved to Wisconsin. He se- cured his common school education in Huéson and graduated from the Wis- -consin Law School in 1873. He moved to Fergus Falls, Minn., in 1880, where ‘he took up the practice of law, perma- | nently locating in St. Paul in 1891. Mr. ‘Clapp was elected attorney general of the state in 1886, 1888 and 1890, and has always been prominent in politics. He was candidate for the Republican nom- ination for governor in 1896, but was defeated by Gov. Clough. large law practice. He is an orator of ability and is familiarly known as the | “Black Eagle of Minnesota.” KILLED BY A TRAIT) ‘Well Known Farmer of Inver Grove Meets an Untimely Death. Hastings, Minn., Jan. 22. — John Kirchner of Invér Grove was run over and killed near his farm about a mile west of Wescott station by a Great ‘Western freight train. He was a well known and respected farmer, aged sixty-four years, and leaves a wife, four sons and three daughters. The coroner was summoned and deemed an inquest unnecessary, The remains are ‘reported to have been horribly smangled. CONGER IS COMING HOME. ‘The Minister to China Will Ask Leave of Absence. Des Moines, Iowa, Jan. 22.—Maj. E. 8. ‘Conger, United States minister to ‘China, with his wife, daughter and miece, Miss Pierce, will be in Des Moines ‘in the spring. Letters.from the family ‘received by friends here say he will | ‘have a leave of absence soon and they vare coming home. Escapes With Burning Hair. Duluth, Minn., Jan. 22. — Mahew’s store, a Jandmark at Grand Marias, heavily stocked, was burned to the ground. There was no insurance. Dr. ‘Mahew was asleep over the store and awoke to find the bed clothes and his ‘hair burning, and barely escaped with his life. River Closed by Legislation. La Crosse, Wis., Jan. 22.—A special dispatch from ashington says the ‘house has passed a bill closing the west channel in the Mississippi oppo- wite the city. This relieves the city of ‘the expense of maintaining a pontoon "pridge over the channel. Hardware Store Burns. Fessenden, N. D., Jan. 22.—Fire de- »stroyed Hendrickson’s hardware store. Loss on stocks. $3,000; insured for $2,- -000; loss on building, $1,500; small in- surance. The explosion of gunpowder ‘proke plate glass several blocks away. Fire at Superior. ‘West Superior, Wis., Jan. 22.—Fire Mestroyed the Smith-Alvord commis- ‘sion house, a feed mill and an elevator with all their contents. Loss is’ about $20,000, fully eovered by insurance. ‘The plant will be rebuilt. He enjoys a | WAS PROPERLY TROUNCED. Father Whips His Son Upon the Or. der of a Police Judge. Sioux City, Iowa, Jan. 22. — In the presence of the humane officer, the father of Ole Skogerson, a_ sixteen- year-old lad, whipped his son severely upon the order of Police Judge Munger because the lad had stolen something and was brought into court. The judge informed the father he could give his boy a g 0d thrashing at the police sta- tion in the presence of the humane of- ficer, or submit to his being sent to jail for thirty days. The father chose to give his boy the whipping, and it was administered to the satisfaction of the officer. MONEY WAS RECOVERED. Stolen Registered Mail Package Is Found in a Cellar. Hampton, Iowa, Jan. 22. — A refis- tered mail package containing $2,000 was last Monday taken from the mail car on a side track of the Chicago Great Western railway here. Postoffice Inspectcrs W. M. Ketcham of Mar- shalltown and C. E. Stewart of Iowa City, after a three days’ investiga- tion, were unable to locate the theft. Finally Saturday evening Inspector Ketcham and Sheriff Watt and Postof- fice Clerk Morey found the money in the cellar of Jack Hanson, a brakeman of. the Chicago Great Western. He was arrested and has confessed. Church Dedicated, Moorhead, Minn., Jan. 22.—The new Congregational church was dedicated with appropriate services. The morn- ing sermon was preached by Rev. G. J. Powell of Fargo, superintendent of the home missions for North Dakota, In the afternoon the dedication ser- vices proper were held, the sermon be- ing preached by Rev. George R. Mer- rill, D. D., of Minneapolis. The church is a handsome red pressed brick struc- ture, trimmed with brown stone and cost, with furnishings, $8,000. May Be Postoffice Robbers. Vermillion, S. D., Jan, 22.—Postoffice Inspector C. L. Morris of Sioux Falls is of the opinion that the three men re- cently arrested for holding up a saloon and killing the proprietor at Snyder, Neb., are the ones who recently robbed the postoffice at Komstad, in this (Clay) county, and who over a year ago robbed the Dalesburg postoffice. For the lat- ter robbery two of the men were ar- rested, but afterward broke jail and made their escape. Minnesota Concern Wins. Stillwater, Minn., Jan. 22—The Min- nesota Thresher Manufacturing com- pany has been advised that the United States court of appeals had filed a de- | cision favorable to the company in the action brought for infringement of a patent. The amount involved was over $2,000,000, of which the Stillwater com- pany gets one-half. The action was against all of the leading thresher companies of the country, and was bit- terly fought. @ Memorial to Late Senator Davis. St. Paul, Jan. — In the United States court in this city memorial ser- vices were held for the late United | States Senator Cushman Kellogg | Davis, District Judge Lochren, pre- siding. Judge C. E. Flandreau _ pre- sented a formal memorial, which on his motion was made a part of the court records. Brief addresses were deliv- | ered by W. J. Hahn, Judge Samuel R. Thayer and others. | | La Crosse, W! Jan. 22.—Wailing of a baby saved Mr. and Mrs. J. 9. John- son and their three children from as- phyxiation by escaping coal gas. Dur- ing the night the child began to cry, which awoke the mother, who dis- covered the presence of gas in the room.. She aroused the husband and chaildren and opened the windows. The family is in a serious condition. Peter Vien Is Mi Winona, Minn., Jan. 22. whereabouts of Peter Vien, who left here last fall for a trip to Norway, where he was to visit friends and rela- tives, are unknown. He left here on Noy. 10, and expected to reach Bergen, Norway, a month later. It is known that he stopped at New York city to visit relatives, but all trace of him since has been lost, Fire in a Manitoba Village. Winnipeg, Jan. 22.—Fire visited the village of Elgin. Among the buildings destroyed are Irwin’s general store, T. P. Jackson's gent’s furnishings, H. Bull’s harness shep, Temple & Ma- guire’s hardware, Dr. Chambers’ drug store, the Massey-Harris implement shed, the Public Opinion newspaper of- fice and others. The loss is about $25,- 000; insurance, $12,000. Charged With Embezzlement. Mitchell, S. D., Jan. 22.—N. J. Neilsen was placed under arrest, charged with the embezzlement of $237. A month ago Neilsen was-held up for that amount which belonged to the Workmen lodge. Later developments in his financial transactions led many to believe that the hold-up story was a fake. His ar- rest was caused by one of his bonds- men. Springfield, Minn., Jan. 22. — William Wendle, eighty-three years old, one of the earliest settlers, who came here in 1869, was found dead in his bed. His wife was not aware of his death until She arose. Heart failure was the cause. Child Dies in the Night. Farmington, Minn., Jan. 22.—The in- fant daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. B. Gilmore was found dead in bed by the side of its mother. The child had been sick but its illness was not considered dangerous. Shortage in Accounts Alleged. Glenwood, Minn., Jan. 22. — Louts Knudson, manager of E. J. Jones’ lum- ber yard at Cyrus, was arrested by Sheriff Thorson, charged with larceny in the first degree. He is said to be $3,000 short in his accounts. THE LEGISLATURE In the House. St. Paul, Jan. 16.—A bill which pro- vides for the application o& the Henne- pin county primary election law to every county in ‘the state was intro- duced in the house yesterday morning and formed the single feature of the brief. session. Representative Hogan introduced a bill making a new schedule of fees for sheriffs. Ten other bills of minor im- portance were introduced and referred. Speaker Dowling announced-his com- mittee appointments. The following are the important committees with their chairmen: Appropriations, Jacobson; _ banks, Barteau; binding twine, Haugen; claims, Grass; commerce, Feeney; cor- porations, other than municipal, Stev- enson; crimes and punishments, Ofs- thun; elections, Dobbyn; drainag>, Berg; general legislation, Torson; ju- diciary, Allen; legislative expenses, arson; municipal legislation, Jackson; public buildings, Smith; railroads, Ferris; state prison, Swe:t; tempe- rance, Ward; ways and means, Swan- son. In the Senate. Lieut. Gov. Smith announced the senate committees at the opening of the session. With several unimpor- tant changes the committees remain as they were two years ago. Senator McGill heads the committee on taxes and tax laws in place of Sen- ator Greer, chairman at the last ses- sion. Senator Somerville becomes chairman of the committe? on corpora- tions and Senator Roverud takes the head of the committee on legislative expenses in place of Senator Sivright. The judiciary committee remains prac- tically the same, except that Senator McCarthy takes the place of Senator Benedict. Senator Greer introduced a bill plac- ing teachers of the state university, normals, independent and __ special school districts on a civil service basis after two years of successful teaching, only to permit of their removal for cause. Senator Underleak introduced a bill to permit wives to bring suits for di- vorce in their own names. These and other bills introduced were referred to the judiciary committee. In the House. St. Paul, Jan. 17.—The house listened to the first reading of fifteen bills yes- terday morning and adjourned without doing anything whatever inside of forty minutes after Chaplain Lewis of the senate had offered the invocation. Some of the bills introduced were of considerable interest. The most im- portant of the lot was the bill intro- duced by Mr. Bush providing for the use of “ferrets” for discovering and causing to be plac:d on the assessment rolls property that is concealed. The bill is identical with the Iowa law, which provides that county commis- sioners shall be empowered to employ persons to search for concealed prop- erty, and ordains that the person who reports concealed property and causes it to be placed on the roll for taxation shall be paid 15 per cent of the amount of taxes 1eceived or such property. Mr. Sweet introduced a bill amend- ing the law against kidnapping, the practical effect of which will be to raise the limit of imprisonment for the oifense from ten to twenty years. Mr. Smith offered a bill creating the office of fire marshal. Mr. Plowman introduced a bill which has been turned down by the judic‘ary committee heretofore. It provides that the register of d:eds shall make a re- turn each year of the mortgages and other evidences of wealth registered, and that the assessor shall assess the The present same for the purposes cf taxation. , The other bills were local in their character, In the Senate. A short but busy session was the record of the senate yesterday morn- ing. The ball was started rol!ing with the presentation of a resolution which had passed the house for the appointment of a joint apportionment committee of fourteen members of the house and seven of the senate. The resolution was tabled. Several important bills were pre- sented, among which were the follow- ing: By Senator Johnson, to legalize employment by counties of “tax fer- rets;” by Senator Wilson, to submit to the voters at the next general election the question of whether or not a con- stitutional Convention be held to re- vise the Minnesota const tution; r+ ferred to judiciary committee. Other bil's were introduced and re- ferred to their respective committees. as follows: For immediate election of secretaries to act as treasurers at li- brary association organizations; to permit filing of bills of sale with town clerks; to permit A. 0. U. W. and M. ‘W. A. lodges to incorporate; to legalize mortgage foreclosures when location of property is in doubt. The senate then adjourned. In the Senate. St. Paul, Jan. 18. — Senator Miller caused some little stir by presenting a resolution calling for an investigation committee composed of two members of the senate and three of the house to ascertain how a discrepancy oc- curred in a bill passed by the legisla- ture of 1899 between the time it was passed and the time it was presented to the governor. The bill in question provided for a 41-2 per cent tax on ex- press companies in the form it was passed by the legislature. When it reached the governor the tax had been mysteriously increased to 5 per cent. Senators Miller and Roberts were ap- pointed for the senate on the investi- gating committee. Senator Greer offered a bill providing for the drainage of state capitol lands in Kandiyohi county, the expense to be met by leasing the lands. Senator Snyder presented a measure to establish a state board of control to manage all state institutions, a dupli- cate of the bill presented in the house. ¥ was referred to the finance eommit- ee, Other bills offered included: By Sen- ator Grue, making fire insuranee poli- cies valid when notes for premiums: habe passed maturity; *permitting township insurance companies to in- sure creameries within their respeetive town limits. By Senator Wilson, to have record kept of all log markings in the Second district. By Senator Thomp- son, requiring telephone companies to get permission from town supervisors before construeting lines through re- Spective towns. By Senator Wilson, giving landlords right of re-entry if lessees do not pay rent. In the House. J. H. Burns introduced a bil} in the house which provides that when a tel- egraph or telephone company, “or any other person,” is furnished with the written consent of the supervisors of the town he, or they, shall be permitted to use the highways and roads for the purposes Of erecting poles and string- ing wires without regard to the own- ers of the contiguous land. It is supposed that the bil! would, if it became a law, open up the way to a good many things that are not indi- cated in the text of the bill. Mr. Hurd of Ramsey introduced a bill to put the office of state oil in- sector on a salary basis. Mr. Sweet introduced a bill putting all county officers on a four-year term basis. G. W. Armstrong of Hennepin has a bill which provides for an eight-hour day for a}i labor. Mr. Bush introduced a bill making train wrecking or robbing an offense of the first-class and prescribing life imprisonment as the limit of punish- ment and fixing the minimum punish- ment at twenty years. In the Senate. St. Paul, Jan. 19—The matter of the reapportionment committee took up some twenty minutes of debate as to how many members should constitute the committee. Senator Daugherty wanted the number called for in the original resolution increased from sev- en to eleven. Finally a motion pre- vailed, made by Senator Somerville. that the committee consist of fourteen members. Only a few bills were introduced in the senate, and none of general inter- est. Senator J. D. Jones, from the com- mittee on rules, reported in favor of adopting the rules of two years ago with but two minor changes—the read- ing of the journal be dispensed with; that no smoking be allowed in the sen- ate chamber at any time, instead of forbidding it only during the sessions. The report of the committee was adopt- ed. Action on the confirmation of ex-Gov. Lind’s appointments was laid over for a week because of the illness of Sena- tor Brower. On motion of Senator Potter the chair was authorized to appoint a commit- tee of five on a state board of controi. The senate then adjourned. In the House. Representative Umland of Ramsey county introduced a bill which is a practical amendment to the divorce law. It provides that no person secur- ing a divorce in Minnesota shall be per- mitted to marry ‘in the state until one year after the date of the divorce. As most seekers for divorce take ad- vantage of the law requiring one year’s residence to justify a divorce and get married immediately on the issuance of the decree, the enactment of the measure would have the effect of ex- tending the period of residence for citi- zens of the state. 3. A. Peterson introduced a bill pro- viding for a limit of three mills taxa- tion for school purposes, which threat- ened to start a disturbance until it ap- peared that it applied only to Hennepin county, and was referred to the Minne- apolis delegation. The senate resolution providing for the appointment of a joint committee to inquire into the means whereby the text of the express tax bill was changed last session before it reached the gov- rnor, Was passed and Messrs. Roberts, Nichols and Pennington were appointed as the house members of the commit- tee. ; The rest of the fifty minutes’ session was consumed in routine business. In the House. St. Paul, Jan. 22. — The house, in a fourteen-minute session yesterday morning, did nothing but resolve to make the election of a senator a special order for to-morrow at 11 o’clock. The chaplain made a touching ref- erence to the illness of Queen Victoria in his prayer, and Mr. Roberts of Hen- nepin at once offered ‘the resolution making the election a special order. Mr. Hendricks introduced a bill pro- viding for the transfer of $400,000 of the taxes collected from the railroads un- der the gross earnings law to the road and bridge fund. The ‘€@ members presér ; weré not inciined to do any work and the house adjourned at 10:27. In the Senate. The session of the senate yesterday morning lasted just fifteen minutes. The only important matter before that body was the announcement by Lieut. Gov. Smith of the committee to pass upon the state board of control bill. The members of this committee are Senators Snyder, Thompson, Ever- ett, Somerville and Potter. GRAND ARMY IN CLEVELAND. The Ohio City Is Finally Awarded the Encampment Prize. St. Louis, Jan. 23—Delegations from Denver, Cleveland and Pittsburg were heard at the meeting of the national council of administration of the G. A. R.- held in the office of Commander-in- Chief Rossieur to decide on the place to hold the next annual encampment. Cleveland was selected as the place and Sept. 9 the date. The vote stood: Cleveland, Denver, 2; Pittsburg, I. Denver could not meet all the require- ments and Cleveland was selected be- cause satisfactory guarantees of that city’s ability to care for the encamp- ment were furnished. Marylanders to Be Disfranchised. Baltimore, Jan. 23:—Maryland’s leg- islature will be convened in extra ses- sion by the governor late in February. or.early in March. The object, plainly stated, is to disfranchise about 35,000} ‘illiterate voters, of whom 30,000 are| ) Blacks:. This will’ be done by amend: | ifig the election laws so as to remove} _ thie emblems from the ballots and hav- “ing no fixed place’on the ticket for any} set of candidates. The Republicans say’ |, such: am act’ will’ be unconstitutional) ye eA CONGRESS RESUME OF THE e WEEK’s PROCEEDINGS. oe 2+ + 2 In the Senate. ‘Washington, Jan. 16.—Some progress Was made by the senate yesterday in the consideration of the army Dill. One amendment that has created much discussion was disposed of and a tacit agreement has been reached for a vote very soon, Mr. Cockrell of Missouri emphasized his opposition to the increase in the army proposed by the bill and his in- tention to vote against it, but expressed his opinion that the bill ought to be disposed of speedily. Mr. Sewell of New Jersey also urged speedy action on the measure account of the s=ri- ous embarrassment the government was laboring under in preparing for the return of the volunteers from the Phil- ippines. The principal speeches against the ; bill were made by Mr. Berry of Arkan- sas, Mr. Bacon of Georgia "and Mr. Teller of Colorado. Mr. Warren of Wyoming delivered an extended argu- ment in support of the bill. During the speech of Mr. Bacon a colloquy be- tween him and Mr. Hanna of Ohio as to the issues in the November elections created much interest. Mr. Bacon’s amendment striking out of the bill the discretionary authority conferred upon the president to increase the size of the army was laid on the table by the decisive vote of 39 to 20. In the House. The house spent another day on the river and harbor bill without com- pleting it. Twenty-six pages were disposed of. The friends of the bill successfully resisted all attempts to load down th2 bill with new projects and only one or two unimportant amendments were adopted. The West- ern members labored unsuccessfully to secure an entering wedge for their pet scheme for the reclamation of the arid lands but received only very limited support. The senate resolution to appropriate $7,000 to enable the secretary of the senate to pay the expenses of the in- auguration of the president and vice president on March 4 was called up and precipitated a lively discussion be- cause it did not recognize the house as a particular faetor in the inauguration ceremonies. The resolution was re- committed with instructions to report back a resolution providing for inau- gural ceremonies under the auspices Sf a joint committee of the senate dnd house. Im the Senate. Washington, Jan. 17. — A final vote upon the pending army reorganization bill will be taken by the senate at 4 o'clock Friday under the terms of agreement reached late yesterday. Speeches in opposition to the bill were delivered by Mr. Allen (Pop.) of Ne- braska, Mr. Teller (Silver) of Colorado and Mr. Butler (Pop.) of North Caro- lina. Mr. McCumber (Rep. of North Dakota made an argument in support of the measure. The feature of the debate was the denunciation of the practice of hazing at the West Point military academy. Mr. Allen, Mr. Money of Mississippi and Mr. McCum- ber declared it to be an evidence of brutality and cowardice, the Missis- sippi senator maintaining that a cadet whom others attempted to haze would be justified in killing his assailants. He declared that if he were a cadet upon whom such cowardly brutality were attempted he would kill those who assaulted him if he had to wait a hundred years for the apportunity. In the House. he river and harbor appropriation bill was passed yesterday by the house. The bill has been under cons‘d- eration over a week and has been as- sailed from many quarters, but its friends have stood solidly by it and defeated every amendment to which the river and Larbor committee would not agree. ,The bill pass2d practically as it came from the committee. It carries slightly less than $60,000,000, of which $23,000,000 is drect appropria- tions. The friends of the Missouri river improvement, although they were unsuccessful in securing what they de- sired, persuaded Chairman Burton to offer an amendment to permit owners of property abutting on the Missouri to build dykes and.wing cams for its protection where such structures don’t interfere with the navigation of the stream. In the Senate. Washington, Jan. 18.—The return of * Hon. Matthew Stanley Quay to the senate was made the occasion of the most remarkable demonstration in the history of that body. Within the mem- ory of the oldest senator nothing ap- proaching yesterday’s scene was ever witnessed in the senate. The feature of the demonstration was the elabor- ate and beautiful floral display in honor of the Pennsylvania senator. Mr. Quay’s friends from Pennsyl- vania came to. Washington by.the hun- dred to witness his induction into of- fice and they brought with them floral offerings literally by the carload. While Mr. Quay’s desk and the desks of other senators adjoining his were banked with costly and beautiful floral pieces, scarcely an appreciable quantity of the profusion of flowers his friends had provided could be displayed in the sen- ate chamber. The demonstration ac- corded Mr. Quay when he entered the chamber amounted to an _ ovation. While he was receiving the congratula- tions of friends on the floor, the hun- dreds of persons who thronged the galleries arose as one and applauded him tumultuously. Mr. Quay appre- ciated this distinctly personal tribute. He glanced smilingly around the gal- leries, nodding familiarly to friends whom he recognized here and there. The brief ceremony of administering to him the oath of office passed without special event, the president pro tem having warned those in the galleries that it was against the rules of the senate for spectators to express either epproval or disapproval. During the day’s session thearmy re~ organization bill was discussed at |: length by Mr. Money of Mississippi, | Mr. McComas of Maryland’ and! Mr: j tion bill werey completed hefore ad=~ senator devoted attention to the - practice of ; at West Point, which he bitterly denounced. Im the House. Yesterday was an exceedingly dull day in the house. The entire day was spent upon the bill to revise and codify the postal laws, which is to be the con- tinuing order, not, however, to inter- fere with appropriation bills or confer- ence reports, until disposed of. It is a bill of 221 pages and is simply a revis- ion of existing laws. In the Senate. Washington, Jan. 19.—Just before 3 o'clock last evening ‘the senate finally disposed of the army reorganization bill. The vote stood 43 to 23. While party lines were drawn on the measure four Democrats voted for it, Senators Lindsay of Kentucky, McLaurin of South Carolina, Morgan of Alabama and Sullivan of Mississippi. Senator Hoar of Massachusetts, who was de- tained at his home by illness, was paired against the bill with Senator Spooner of Wisconsin. The bill has occupied practically the entire attention of the senate since the 3d of January, and while the opposition to it at all stages was vigorous, it never was bitter. Numerous amendments were made to it but in general the com- « mittee was sustained and the measure, With the exception of the elimination of the canteen clause, is not widely. dif- ferent from that reported to the sen- ate. A determined effort was made to. amend the bill so as to provide against the sale of liquor in the Philippines, and to prohibit the importation of any kind of intoxicants into the islands, but it was defeated. Every effort to prevent the increase in the strength of the army was defeated by a decisive ma- jority. In the House. , The house spent the entire day on the bill to refer te the court of claims the claims of the William Cramp &° Sons’ Shipbuilding Company of Phila- delphia, for alleged damages due to the delay_of the government in furnishing armor plate and material for the bat- tleships Massachusetts and Indiana and the cruisers New York and Colum- bia. The elaims aggregate $1,367,244. The bill has been conspicuous at every session of congress for several years. It ‘met with the strenuous and deter- mined opposition of a portion of the mi- nority under the leadership of Mr. Mc- Dermott of New Jersey and Mr. Robb of Missouri. A filibuster was finally begun, but its friends at length suc- ceeded in having the previous question. . ordered upon the bill. The house then adjourned. The ordering of the previ- ous question gives the bill a technical advantage in parliamentary way, which insures a vote on it whenever it is. called up again. In the House. Washington, Jan. 22.—The house yes- terday, after devoting some time to District of Columbia business, passed a number of bills under suspension of the rules. They were to provide a home for the aged and infirm colored people out of the fund now in the treasury to the credit of deceased col- ored soldiers, amounting to about $230,- 000; to establish a branch _ soldiers’ home at Johnson City, Washington county, Tenn., and to increase the salary of the commissioner of education of Porto Rico from $3,000 to $4,000. A bill to give citizens of foreign coun- tries to sue in the court of claims for indemnity for alleged injuries which had been been recommended by the state department., was disastrously beaten. 4 In the Senate No business of special importance was transacted by the senate yesterday in open session. An executive session of more than two hours’ duration was held and sixty-six pages of the legisla- tive, executive and judicial appropria- Jgurnment, be Sock Ser 4 PROF. EMISHA GRAY DEAD, He Was Prominent Inventor. Trenton, Mass., Jan. 23.—Prof. Elisha. Gray of Chicago, who was associated with Arthur J. Mundy in the perfection of a system of submarine signalling, died suddenly at Newtonville. He was stricken while on the street. Neu- ralgia of the heart is assigned as the cause of death. Mr. Gray was one of the best known electrical inventors of 4 the day. He learned blacksmithing ‘ and carpentering and boatbuilding. He perfected the typewriting telegraph, the telegraph repeater, the telegraphic switch and annunciator, the speaking telephone and the telautograph. His mame came very prominently before i the public in connection with the Bel) _ x suit over telephone patents, re an Electrical SHIPS WILL BE BUILT. > Navy Department Cuts the Battle ship Specifications, ‘Washington, Jan. 23.—The navy de- x partment has cut from’ the specifica- oe tions for the new battleships items ag- . | gregating about $80,000, and Secretary 4 Long has offered the lowest bidders, the Newport News and Bath corpora- tions, $3,599,000 each for one sheathed battleship. The offer has been verified. CLOTHING CHINAMEN. The Czar Sending Winter Garments .o Paupers of Pekin. Moscow, Jan. 23. — The czar has or- dered 12,090 winter garments to he dis- tributed among the Pekin paupers. The rice and wheat famine in the capital is growing greater. Dispatches from a Cairo announce the gradual increase of the plague throughout Asia, Minor. JAPAN'S WAR OF CONQUEST. Tacoma, Wash., Jan. 28.—The steam- ship Athenian brings the news that the Japanese government has decided to levy new taxes for the purpose cf raising at least 22,000,000 yen for mili- tary purposes in China. Japan intends to continue her force of 10,000 men and twelve warships now in China. Storms in Alaska. Seattle, Wash., Jan. 23. — According to news brought by the steamer Alki, which left Juneau Jan. 10, terrific storms are raging on the South Alas- kan coast, and the White Pass & Yu-— kon railway had been blockaded for sevt is