The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, June 10, 1898, Page 2

2 THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, FRIDAY, JUNE 10, 1898. ST SANTIAGO DE CUBA FROM THE HARBOR. WAR REVENUE BILL SOON TO BECOME A LAW | the amount insured. Passed by the House as Amended by the Conferees. Senate Will Follow Suit and After July 1 Uncle Sam Will Collect. Articles to Call Office, Riggs House, Washington, June 9. After five hours devoted to the con- Aderation of the bill to enable volun- teers to vote in Congressional elections, the conference report on the war rev- enue bill was presented to the House | to-day. Consideration was interrupted by a recess to 8 o’clock this evening, at | which hour the report was taken up | again and after three hours’ debate, in- | volving a wide range of subjects and | some sensational features, it was voted | upon and adopted, 154 to 107. The elec- | tion measure will be disposed of to- morrow, immediately after the meeting | of the House. The Hawaiian annexa- tionists made a strong fight to get the election bill out of the way, to prevent its going over to to-morrow as priv- fleged and likely to postpone another day their intended effort to force con- sideration of the annexation resolutions in the House. A very strong effort will be made to secure a vote in the Senate to-morrow before adjournment on the war revenue bill so that it may go to the President this week. Many Senators believe that the effort will be successful. When the House met after the recess Dingley, addressing himself to the re- port, s he passage of a war revenue resulting necessity for a speedy a conference and that of compromis said the great ends whi set out to accomplish were the rai approximately $175,000,000 from and from $400,000,000 to $600,000,000 from other sources. These ends would be se- cured through the bill as reported from conference, and while the nd the ion in iinstances personally distasteful to him, he felt that they had been, without the violation of any great principle, advo- -cated by the House and without mitigat- ing against the accomplishment of the reat ends originally contemplated by the hauguration of the war revenue legisla- tion. Dingley sald the House conferees made no effort to eliminate the tax on tea, owing to the deeisive vote by which the Senate had incorporated it and be- cause the new crop-was just about to ar- .rive; stocks on hand were very low and the consumption in the country amount- ed to'100,000,000 pounds annually. Relative to the coinage of silver bullion, Dingley explained that the provision would r sult ultimately In an increase of circula- tion outstanding by the amount of the present seigniorage, or about $42,000,000, the provision declaring explicitly that the .coinage should proceed at the rate of not less than $1,500,000 per month, if the dol- lars should be used for the redemption of silver certificates, which, when redeemed, should be canceled. The provision was not materially different from the law of 890, Further digression from the bill was in- dulged in by Swanson (D.) of Virginia, who very vigorously dissented from any inclination to turn the war into one of ag- gression to end with this country holdin great colonial possessions. He attackes then the bond and other features of the bill, notably the tobacco bill. Swanson took occasion to criticize the administra- tion in its conduct of the war and partic- aularly did he antagonize the pending bill conducive to interests of monopolists and the very rich. The speech brought from Grosyenor (R.) of Ohio an impassioned and highly gensational response. He said: “Had Sagasta, had Blanco, had Cervera been given an opportunity to make a speech on this occasion, they would not have made 80 Incendiarr an appeal against the proge- cution of this war as the gentleman from Virginia has uttered. I denounce his un- patriotic purposes, I denounce his un- patriotic and untruthful utterances.” Swanson, in a two-minute reply, “The only reason I ecan give for t fair, unjust, unpatriotic and untrue per: sonal attack upon me is that the speaker is in such a condition that he does mot know whether he is fighting the Confed- erate or Spanish forces.” e then pro- ceeded with an eloguent defense of ‘his district. Later Swanson again secured the floor and declared his belief that the Ohlox member would never have made the “brutal attack had he been sober.” Grosvenor, being again recognized, de- clared he had attacked the sentiment of | embodying, as he ke of the urgent necessity for\ taxation | concessions | made by thé House conferees were in some | the Virginian's speech and not the per- sonality of the member. He denied hav- ing referred to the latter's district as “contemptible” and said he had the word “contestable.”” This declaration 7 Be Taxed. was greeted by hisses and gen- eral protests from the Democrats and _corroborative expressions _from the Republicans, He denounced Swan- | son's insinuation that he (Gros- venor) was not sober as a ‘‘weapon which no honorable opponent would us in a debate such as the one in progress. The Democrats jeered and the Repub- licans applauded the denunclation. Following the Grosvenor-Swanson epi- sode Hill of Connecticut, Henderson of Iowa, Moody of Massachusetts, Payne of New York and McMillin of Tennessee spoke. Hill declared that he would vote against the bill because of the coinage provision, belleved, a giving of some new life to the dead issue. But the other Republicans who addressed the House contended that it would affect no more than the law at present provided in the matter of silver coinage and was not open to serious objection. The vote on the conférence report was taken at 11 o'clock, resulting: Ayes 134, noes 107. ¢ The Republicans who voted against the adoption of the conference report on the war revenue bill were: Brewster, Henry of Connecticut, Hill, Littauer, McIntire. pr?;}t‘e Democ&a(s w'hr) vuI():l for the re- were: Cummings, s, F - ald, McAleer, Mc(‘!e]]in. L At 11:35 o'clock the House adjourned. PROVISIONS OF THE WAR REVENUE BILL. List of the Principal Articles Upon Which Uncle Sam Will Collect the Tax. WASHINGTON, June 9.—The war revenue bill as agreed-upon by the con- ferees of the House and Senate will no doubt become a law. The bill provides that the act shall take effect on the day succeeding the date of its passage, except as otherwise bpecially provided for. The following is an abstract of the provisions of the bill: A tax of $2 on all beer, ale, porter and other similar fermented liquors, for every barrel containing not more that thirty- one gallans, and at a like rate for any gther] quantity or fractional part of a arrel. SPECIAL TAXES FROM JULY 1. 1. Bonkers employing a capital not exceed- ing $25,000, $50; employing a capital exceeding $25,000, for every additional $1000, $2, surplus included in capital. Savings banks having no capital stock and whose business is confined to Tecelving deposits und loaning or investing the same for the benefit of their depositors and which do no other business of banking are not subject to_this tax. 2. Brokers, $0, but any person having paid the special tax as a bank shall not be required to pay the special tax as a broker. 3. Pawnbrokers, $20. 4. Commercial brokers, $20. 5. Custom-house brokers, $10. 6. Proprictors of theaters, museums and con- cert halls, in cities of more than 25,000 popu- lation, §100. This does not include halls rented or used occasionally for concerts or theatrical representations. 4. Circuses, $100, to be paid in each State in which_exhibitions are given. 8. Proprietors or agents of all other public exhibitions or shows for money not enumerated here, $10. 9. 'Bowling alleys and billlard rooms, $5 for each ‘alley or tabie. TOBACCO, CIGARS, CIGARETTES AND SNUFF. In lieu of the tax now imposed by law a tax of 12 cents per pound upon all tobacco and snuff, however prepared; upon cigars and cigar- ettes’ manufactured and sold, the following taxes to be paid by the manufacturer: $3 60 per thousand on cigars weighing mors than three pounds per thousand, $1 per thousand on cigars weighing not more than three pounds per thousand, 3§ 60 per thousand on cigarettes welghing more than three pounds per thou- sand and $150 per thousand on cigarettes welghing not more than three pounds per thou- sand. The compromise provision In regard to t taxation of the stock on hand provides for e tax equal to one-half the difference between the tax already paid on such articles at the time of removal from the factory or Custom- house and the tax levied in this act upon such articles, Dealers having on hand less than 1000 pounds of manufactured tobacco and 20,000 clgars or cigarettes on the day succeeding the date of ‘the passage of the bill are relfeved from the necessity of making returns and thus relieved from the necessity of paying the tax. TOBACCO DEALERS AND MANUFAC- TURERS. R i e S e ke e N ose. annual sales nmdda.m and not m.m | by the me | benefit of its t2 Aoexs and not exceeding 600 tons, $3. tons, $. = Mortgage of real estate or personal D3 pounds, $12, and if their annual sales exceed 100,000 pounds, $24. Dealers in other tobacco, whose annual sales exceed 50,000 pounds, e selling their own products at the place of manufacture are exempted from thi; tax. bacco whose annual sales Y ,000 clgars, exceed 20 sales TRANC| Life—On each policy for ea On policles on the indus- plan, 4) per cent of the amc ily premium is charged. Fr ternal beneficiary societies and purely local c operative companies, gmployes’ relief associ tions, operated on the lodge system or 1 operative plan, “‘organized and conducted pbers thereof, for the exclusive mbers and not for profit,” are trial or week! of the first exempted. u , inland, fire)—Each policy, 3 tive and mutuai pted. Insurance (casuaity, fidelity and guarantee)— Each policy and each bond for the performance of the duties of any office or position or other obligation of the nature of indemnity, and each contract or obligation guaranteeing the validity of bonds or other obligations issued by State, county, municipal or other public y, or guaranteeing titles to real estate, or mercantile credits, guaranteed by any surety company upon the premium charged, 3% cent 1. land or tenement, mot exceeding one cents; exceeding one year and not ex- three ‘years, cents; exceeding three e 1. ifest for customs house entry or clear- if the regis- of such ship, vesscl or steamer ed 300 tons, 31; exceeding 300 tons E. ne exceeding $1000 and not exceeding §I cents, and on each 300 in excess of $1500, cents, @ E Passage ticket from any port in the United States to a foreign port, if not costing excee ing $30, $1; costing more than $30, ceeding $60, $3; costing more than Proxy for voting at any electlo of any incorporated company, except religious, Charitable or literary socleties or public ceme- terles, 10 cencs. Power of Protesting not c ance, check or draft or any marine protes! cents. War house receipts, ¢ stemp dutles on manifest pascage tickets do not appl ports o British North sels plying between in tates and ports United America. ADHESIVE STAMPS. Section 7 provides that if any person or per- sons shall make, sign or issue any instrument or paper of any description without being stamped, he shall be guiity of a misdemeanor, the penalty being $100 at the discretion of the court. ¥ Section 8§ provides a penalty of a fine not ex- ceeding $1050 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding five ¥ or both, for counterfeit- ing the stamps and the penalty is made to ap- ply to all persons having any connection with the counterfeiting. . Proprietors of proprietary articles are given the privilege of furnishing their own dies or designs for stamps; a failure to perform which act is made a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not less than $50 nor more than $500, or by imprisonment of not to excsed six months, or both. It is also made a misdemeanor by gection 10 to evade the provisions of the stamp law, punishable by a fine not exceeding $200. Other sections following relate to the admin- stration of the law. Section 12 provides for the distribution of stamps. Section 16 exempts Government, State, county and _municipal bonds from the opération of the law and also the stocks and bonds issued by co-operative building and loan assoctations whose capital stock does not exceed $10,000, and building and loan assoctations or companies that make loans only to their s Z . Section 18 provides for a stamp tax on tele- graph messages and exempts messages of of- ficers and s of the Government on of- ficial busin graph and railroad companies over their own Tines. Sectjon 20 makes it a_misdemeanor to eva the plans of schedule B, relative to dn medicines, perfumery, etc.,, punishable by a fine not to exceed $500 or imprisonment to not exceed. six months o= both. Uncompounded medicines’ or those having been put up and sold at retail as prescriptions are not-included in the taxable articles, leav- ing it to apply particularly to proprietary ar- ticles. Section 21 adds the tax on propriotary articles to the duty on them, requiring the affixing of the internal revenue stamp before withdrawal for consumption. SCHEDULB A STAMP TAXES. Bonds, debentures or certificates of indebt- edness by any associatlon, company or’corpo- ration, on each hundred dollars of face value or fraction thereof, five cemts, and on each orfginal {ssue, whefher on organization or re- arganization or certificates of stock by any such association, company or corporation, on each one hundred ‘dollars of face value or frac- tion thereof, five cents, on es, or agreements to sell, a memoranda of sales or deliveries or transfers of shares or certificates of stock, on each-one hundred dollars or face Value of fraction, two cents: in case of sale where the evidence of transfer is shown only bv the books of the company the stamp shall be placed upon such books, and where the change of ownership is by transference the etamp shall be placed upon tha certificates; and in case an agreement to sell or where the transter is by delivery of the certificate as- signed in blank there shall be made and deliv- ered by the seller to the buyer a bill or mem- orandum of such sale to which the stamp shall be affixed. - Penalty: A fine of from $00 to $1000 and imprisonment for six months or. both. Upon each sale or agreement to sell any roducts or merchandise. at any exchange or Board of trade or other similar place, either for present or future delivery, for each $100 in value of said eale or agreement of sale or agreement to sell, 1 cent, and for each addi- tional $100 or fractional part thereof in excess of $100, 1 cent, provided that on every sale or agreement to sell there shall be made and de- livered by the seller to the buyer a bill, memo- randum of such sale, to which there shall be affixed a lawful stamp or stamps in yalue equal to the amount of tax on such sale, Bank check, draft or certificate of deposit not drawing Interest, or order for'the pay- ment of any sum of money drawn .upon or fssued by any bank, trust company or any By | o, Dcwus, companies or corporations, cent Bills of exchange (international), draft, cer- tificate of deposit drawing interest, or order for the payment of any sum of money other- wise than at sizht or on demand, or any promiesory note except bank notes issued for circulation, and for each renewal of the same, for a sum not exceeding $100, 2 cents; and for each adidtional $100 or fractional part thereof in_excess of $100, 2 cents. : Bills of exchange (foreign) or Ihtters of credit, 1f drawn singly for a sum not ex- ceeding $100, 4 cents: and for each $100 or frac- tional part thereof in excess of $100, 4 cents, If_drawn in sets of two or more, for every Dbill of each set, where the sum does not ex. ceed $100 in any foreign currency, 2 cents, and for each $100 or fractional part in excess of $100, 2 cents. . ¢ Bills of lading or receipt (other than charter party) for any goods or merchandise to be ex- ported to any forelgn port or place, 10 cents, EXPRESS OR FREIGHT. : It 1 made the duty’ a | steamboat company, carrier, express company | or corporation or person whose occupation is | to act as such to issue the shipper or con- signer a bill of lading, manifest or other evi- dence of receipt and forwarding for each ship- ment recelved, whether in bulk or in boxes, bales, packages, bundles or not so inclosed or | included; and there is to be attached and can- | caled to’each of said bills of lading, etc.. a stamp of the value of 1 cent; proviced that but one bill of lading shall be required on bundles or packages of newspapers when in- closed in one ceneral bundle at the time of shipment. Penalty $30. A tax of one cent s Imposed for every tele- | phone message for which over 15 cents is charged. Any telegraphic message one cent. Indemnifying bonds, o) cents. Certificate of profit of any association and on all transfers thereof, on each $100 of face value, two cents. Certificates of damage, or otherwise, by any Port Warden or marine surveyor, cents. ~ Certificates ~~ arv other description 10 cents. Charter party, if the registered ton- nage of the vessel does not exceed 300 tons, 3. | Exceeding 300 tons and not exceeding 600 tons, $. FExceding 600 tons, $10. Contract, brokers' note, or memorandum of sale of any goods or merchandise, stocks, bonds, exchange, notes of hand, real estate, or property of any description issued by brokers or persons acting as such, for each note or memorandum of sale 10 cents. Conveyance or deed for real estate on w consideration exceeds $100 and does not exceed $500, 50 cents, and for each aditional $500 50 cents. Entry of bonds at any Custom House not exceeding $100 in value, 25 cents; exceeding $100, and not exceeding $500 in value, 50 cents; ex- ceeding $0 In value, §I. Entry for the with- drawal of goods from customs bonded ware- house, 50 cents. issued 25 BONDS. The Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to borrow on the credit of the United States from time to time as the proceeds may be re- quired, to defray expenditures authorized.on account of the existing war (such proceeds when received to be used only for the purpose of meeting such war expenditures), the sum GF $100,000,000, oF S0 much thereof s may be necessary, and to prepare and issue therefor coupon or registered bonds of the United States in denominations of 320 or some multiple of that sum, redeemable in coin at the pleasure of the United States after ten years from the date of their issue, and payable twenty years from such date and bearing ~interest payable qnarterly in cofn at the rate of 3 per cent per annum. The bonds are to be first offered at par as a popular loan. The conference added the following proviso: Provided, further, that any portion of any issue of said bonds not subscribed for as above provided, be disposed of by the Secretary of the Treasury at not less than par, and un- der such regulations as he may prescribe, but no commissions shall be allowed or paid there- on, and a sum not exceeding one-tenth of one per centum of the amount of the bonds and certificates herein authorized is hereby appro- priated out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise_appropriated to the expense of pre- paring, advertising and issuing the same. COINAGE OF SILVER BULLION. That the Sccretary of the Treasury is hereby authorized znd directed to coin into standard silver dollars as rapidly as the public interests may require to an amount, however, of not less than $1,300,000 a month of silver bullion now in the Treasury, purchased in accordance with the ons of the act approved July 14, 1890, “An act directing the purchase of silver bullion and the issue of treasury notes thereon, and for other purposes,” and said dollars,” when so coined, shall be used when applied in the manner and for the purpose named in said act. The following provision has been added to the bond provision: SCHEDULE B. Medicinal Proprietary Articles and Prepara- tions—Upon every packet, box, bottle, pot or phial, or other inclosure, except natural spring waters and carbonated natural spring waters, where such packet, etc., does mot exceed at the retall price b cents, one-eighth of 1 cent tax; when the retail price is between 5 and 10 cents, one-fourth of 1 cent; between 10 and 13 cents, three-eighths of 1 cent; between 15 and 25 cents, five-elghths of 1 cent, and for each additional 25 cents in value, five-eighths of 1 cent tax. The same tax applies to perfumery and cosmetics and gther similar articles used as_applications to°the hair, mouth or skin. Chewling gum, each package of not more than $1, retall valué, 4 cents, and for each addi- tional §1, 4 cents. Spnylfnn.; or other wines, when bottled for sale, upon each bottle containing one pint or less, 1 cent; more than one pint, 2 cents. The stamp is only to be affixed when the article in this schedule is sold. ; Petroleum and sugar refiners—Every person, firm, corporation or company carrying on the busihess of refining petroleum or refining sugar, or owning or controlling any pipe line for transporting oil or other products, whose gross annual receipts exceed $260,000, is made subject to pay annually a special excise tax equivalent to one-quarter of 1 per cent on the gross amount of all receipts in excess of that sum; returns to be made monthly. The penalty is a fine of from $1000 to $10,000. A stamp tax of 1 cent is to be collected on every seat ¢old in a palace and a parlor car and on every berth s0ld in @ sleeping car, the stamp to be affixed to the ticket and paid by the company ‘issu- ing it. INHERITANCE TAX. A tax on Inheritances and legacies exceeding $10,000 is provided as follows: On sums be- {ween $10,000 and $25,000—First on benefits to the lineal issue or lineal ancestors, brother or Blster ot dsoeased, et the rate of 75 cents for every $100, Second, to the descendant of a brother or sis- ter at the rate of $150 for every $100. Third, to the brother or sister of the father or mother, or a descendant of a brother or sis- fer of the father or mother, at the rate of $3 for every $100. Fourth, to the brother or sister of the grand- father, grandmother or a descendant of the brother or aister of ‘.‘i&; grandfather or grand- mother, $4 for every $100. Fifth'— To those of any other degree of collateral consanguinity or strangers in blood or a body politic or corporate, at the rate of $5 for every $i00. All legacles or property passing by will or by the laws of any State or Territory to husband or wife are exempted from tax or duty. On sums ranging between 25,000 and $100,000 the rates of tax are to be multiplied by one and one-half; on those rang- ing from $100,000 to $500,000 the rates are to be multiplied by two; on those ranging from $500,- 000 fo 31,000,000 the rates are to bg multiplied by two and one-half; and on those above §1,000,000 the rates are multiplied by three. The tax is made a lien upon all property until paid, and it is required that the tax shall be satisfied before the legatee is paid, Certificates of indebt nu.—'fin Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to borrow from time to time, at a rate of interest not ex- ceeding 3 per cent, such sums as in his judg- ment may be necessary to meet the public ex- penditures, and to issue certificates of indebt- edness in denominations of $i0 or some multi- ple of that sum. h certificate Is made payable at such time not exceeding one year from the date of its {ssue, as the Secretary of the Treasury may prescribe, provided that the amount of such certificates obtained shall at no time exceed $100,000,000. % MIXED FLOUR. A substitute was adopted for the Senate pro- ‘vision for a tax on mixed flour, but the ma- terfal points were retained. In addition to the annual license of $12 upon manufacturers, a tax of 4 cents per barrel is levied uvon all mixed flour manufactured, sold or removed for ent le. Th rate is_proportionately levied on half harrels and smaller packages. = 'TEA. There shall be levted, collected and a4 upon tea when imported from foreign count a duty of 10 cents per The tax becomes ot every rallroad or | operative with the INTELLIGENCE AND SUBRIETY Sole Qualification for Suffrage. PROKIBITIONIST ~ PLATFORM DEMANDS SUPPRESSION LIQUOR ' TRAFFIC. OF Pledges Support to the Government in the War—State Ticket Nomi- nated and Convention Ends. Special Dispatch to The Call. FRESNO, June 9. — The platform adopted this forenoon at the State Con- vention'of Prohibitionists demands the suppression of the beverage liquor traf- fic by laws enforced by a party pledged to this end. It was' set forth that the right of suffrage should have no other qualfifi- cation save intelligence and sobriety, nor should one-half of the people be disfranchised in the name of law and kept so throu M the untiring efforts of the saloon against mothers, wives and daughters. The platform favors the hearty sup- port of the Government in the present war and pledges itself to this end. It holds that the currency problem has been largely produced by brewers and distillers, who, through the sa- loons, draw from the workingman's products silver which, changed into gold, is piled up uselessly or shipped away. It protests against the frequent tariff changes as greatly to the detriment of the country’s business interests and fa- vors a tariff commission. It also favors an extension of the in- itiative and referendum principle, now only having an advisory or limited in- fluence in lawmaking. Civil service rules shoul§ cover all subordinates, but changes should not be so made as to favor unjustly the party in power. Our laws should discourage land mo- nopolies by individuals or corporations. The platform favors a legal day of rest and good sanitary and moral con- ditions in factories, public schools and colleges. It likewise favors the construction, ownership and management of the Nic- araguan canal by the general Govern- ment. It holds for Government and, munici- pal ownership or control of natural re- sources and means of transportation and communication and declares against trusts and other aggregations of capital. Upon the unanimous adoption of this platform the convention broke up, sing- ing “Praise God, from Whom All ‘Bless- ings Flow.” 4 Nominations were made as follows: For Governor, J. E. McComas of Pomo- na; for Lieufenant Governor, Robert Sommers of San Jose; Secretary of State, George D. Kellogg of Newcastle; Con- troller, Garrison _Turner of Modesto; Treasurer, C. B. Williams of San Fran- cisco; Attorney General, L. B. Scranton of Los Angeles; Superintendent of Public Instruction, Mrs. Fannie M. Pugh of Oak- land; Clerk Supreme Court, W. P. Fassett of Winters; State Printer, Leroy S. At- wood of Stockton; Surveyor General Green Spurrier of Modesto; Associate Jus. tice Supreme Court, Mr. Stewart of Los Angeles and G. P. Hurst of Woodland. Board of Equalization, H. B. Burlingame, San Francisco; Dr. P. McCarger, Oak. land; C. T. Clark, Napa. Fourth district no nomination. RETURN. NEARLY COMPLETE, ] 3 The Republican Sweep in Oregon Fully Established. #PORTLAND, Or., June 9.—Practically complete returns from every county in the State except Curry, Lake, Harney and Malheur give the following re- sults: Governor—Greer (Rep.), 39,805; King (Fus.), 30,669; Greer’s plurality, 9226, Complete returns will increase this. For Congressman in the rst Dis- trict, Tongue (Rep.) has 2200 plurality over Veatch. In the Second District, Moody (Rep.) 1(:;‘_: a) plurality of 6654 over Donaldson S.). The plurality of Mason (Rep.), for Mayor of Portland 2641. CASTORIA For Infants and Children, The fa0- simile 1o WHITE FLAG BOLDLY USED AS A TRICK> Flimsy Pretext of Oquen- do’s Officers for Visit- ing the Iowa. Spaniards Probably in Quest of Information of the Torpedo Boat Sunk Last Friday Night. ON BOARD THE HERALD-CALL DISPATCH BOAT, OFF SANTIAGO DE CUBA, June § (via Port Antonio, Jamalca, June 6, delayed in transmis- sion).—A launch from the cruiser Al- mirante Oquendo came out of the har- bor flying a flag of truce this morning. A boat from the Iowa, which was lying nearest, went to meet her. Two officers of the Almirante Oquendo came on board, and a very dignified, stately offi- cer on the deck of the Towa received them and inquired their business. They said they came out under the impres- sion that a white flag was flying from the Jowa and supposed the battleship wanted to surrender. An investigation showed - several things on the Iowa which might have caught their eyes, one of which was a garment of Captain Evans hanging on a line. The matter was exnlained, and the Oquendo’s launch returned with many apologies. One man on the launch made the significant remark, “I am glad we did not have to wait around as we are very short of fresh water for our boilers.” There was a touching feature in the preliminaries to the action on the Iowa. Most of the officers’ rooms are not pro- tected by the armor belt. The excep- tion is the state room of Surgeon Cran- dall. This -~~ js piled full of pictures and mementoes cf wives and sweet- hearts of offic.rs and little presents made by loved ones hefore departure, which the owners wish to from splinters, shells and shrapnel. The same thing has been done in the case of the jackies. The torpedo-boat Porter proudly ex- hibits as it steams among the fleet the Spanish torpedo she picked up yester- nreserve day inshore, which either represents all that is left of the Spanish torpedo-boat in the attack on it by the fleet on Friday night, or else shows that the Spaniard launched it from its tube at one of our ships and missed. On this point opinion is divided, but the fact that the Porter saw a second torpedo which she could not recover makes many think the boat was destroyed, ai- though the point is made that if she struck and sunk she would probably carry her torpedoes to the bottom with her. Unfortunately the Spanish torpedo is of German make and will not fit our tubes and cannot be returned to them. The belief that the Spanish boat was sunk by the shots from the New York and New Orleans is strengthened by the fact that the Spanish kept signaling all last night, presumably to locate a torpedo-boat in case she had been cut off from entering, but had managed to slip through the fleet in the darkness. At intervals during the night the light over Morro Castle, which had been dark since the American fleet arrived, flashed out brilliantly and at various points along the shore flares were burned. The belief exists that an attempt to learn something of the fate of the tor- pedo-boat was the real reason for the appearance of the Oquendo’s launch with a flag of truce this morning. The | Spanish officers probably thought that if the torpedo-boat was wrecked and the men captured, something would | have been said, especially after Ad- | miral Cervera's courtesy regarding tha Merrimac incident. The Jowa’s officer who met the launch said nothing on this point, because he knew nothing | definite, and the Spaniards asked no | questions. If the torpedo-boat was sunk all on board must have been drowned. CARTER MAKES GLY CHARCES Accuses Ship Owners of Being Exorbitant. TRY TO HOLD UP UNCLE SAM. PERKINS DEFENDS THE SHIP- PING MEN OF THE COAST. Special Dispatch to The Call. WASHINGTON, June 9.—At to-day’s session of the Senate Carter of Mon- tana, in connection with the rejecticn by the Government cf the steamship Centennial as 4 transport, made some ugly charges against the ship owners on the Pacific Coast. He said they had been endeavoring to hold up the Gov- ernment and compel it to pay inordin- ate and extraordinary prices for ships to be used to transport troops to the Philippines. Perkins of California denied the statements of Carter,” declaring that the vessel owners of San Francisco had placed their ships at the disposal of the Government at a rate fully 50 per cent less than they usually received for them. Lodge of Massachusetts made some sensational disclosures ccncerning the disposition of the money appropriated by Congress a short time ago in pay- ment of the claim of the book concern of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. He introduced a resolution di- recting the Claimis Committee to make an investigation of the matter and re- port to the Senate what, if any, action could be taken. Lodge said that lobbyists were to re- cel\ée $100,800 of the $288,000 appropri- ated. - The “omnibus claim” bill, something over $9,000,000, forty private carrying pension bills and several measures from the general calendar, were passed. S SPANISH SHIP REPORTED NEAR HAVANA Rumors That the Enemy’s War Ves- sels Are Lying in Wait for American Transports. KEY WEST, June 9.—Four suspicious looking vessels, thought to be Spanish warships, are or have been attempting to elude the blockading squadron off Havana and to enter that port. When last seen, on the night before last, they were in Nicholas Channel, about eighty miles off Havana and heading in that direction. A Government tug from Cardenas Jjoined the American fleet off Havana vesterday afternoon, bringing a mes- sage for Commodore Watson from an auxiliary gunboat. This was to the effect that on Tues- day night the gunboat sighted four ves- sels, thought to be a battleship, two cruisers and a torpedo boat, between Salt Cayo and Padre del Cruz light. The gunboat followed them and when with- in speaking distance hoisted the private fleet signal. The strangers answered with three-mast head lights, which was not the required signal, and immediate- ly thereafter put out all their lights. The gunboat cruised after the stran- gers for two or three miles, once ap- proaching within 2000 yards, but even- tually abandoned the chase and re- ported to the nearest ship of the United States fleet. The commander of the gunboat which followed the four vessels says he is satisfled that they were Spanish warships either trying to get into Ha- vana or lying in wait for transports. The affair, however, is involved in doubt. The British cruiser Talbot left Ha- vana on Tuesday, and she may have been one of the vessels sighted by the gunboat. It is suspected that Spanish ships may be lying in wait for army trans- ports in hopes of sinking or capturing some, but they are well protected by the Indiana, Helena and Bancroft. Persistent rumors credited by naval officers of high rank here are in cir- culation to the effect that three Span- ish warships have succeeded in forcing their way into Havana harbor. One re- port says that onc battleship and two cruisers have entered the harbor. 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