Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 285, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 November 1919 — WASHINGTON NEWS IN BRIEF. [ARTICLE]

WASHINGTON NEWS IN BRIEF.

Washington, D. C., Nov. 25. The Lowden waterway plan, as authorized at the last session of the Illinois legislature, is satisfactory to the war department engineers. This was announced by Col. Harry Taylor, head of the river and harbor division, following a conference with Illinois state officials. Col. Taylor said he would recommend to Secretary of War Baker that a permit be granted for the • construction of the waterway. Outside of the farmers’ natoinal council, which is the extreme radical wing of agriculture, none of the farm era’ organizations with headquarters an Washington is in sympathy for an alliance with organized labor in the Labor party organized at Chicago. Spokesmen for the more conservative farmers’ organizations, including the National Grange and the National Board of Farm Organizations, say they have refused to participate in conferences proposed by organized labor. The war department. stated that gas constitutes one of the most powerful and at the same time humane weapons of warfare. German gas caused 27.3 per cent of the American casualties, but only 1.87 per cent resulted in death. The cabinet discussed Carranza’s failure to comply up-to-date with the administration’s demand for the immediate release of William O. Jenkins, but reached no decision on the course to be pursued. Secretary of War Baker and Chief of Staff March will leave next Sunday for the Panama canal to study the question of increased fortifications.