Jasper County Democrat, Volume 1, Number 27, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 October 1898 — WASHINGTON GOSSIP [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

WASHINGTON GOSSIP

AU Washington is laughing at the plight of several government clerks. It has been the custom of the heads of departments to let off clerks who may have relatives in regiments passing through town so that they may have a chance to exchange greetings with the soldier boys. Thia privilege has been considerably abused, but there seemed to be no way of stopping it except to refuse leave to clerks asking it for the purpose mentioned. Saturday the Tenth Cavalry (colored) spent the day in Washington. Notice eras sent around through the departments that clerks having relatives in the regiment would be allowed time to see them. A good many white clerks, possibly forty or fifty altogether, remembered that they had brothers, cousins or fathers in the Tenth, and were given leave of absence to visit their heroes. Imagine the amazement and chagrin of the Caucasians who had played it low down on Unde Sam in order to steal a few hours for pleasure to discover that the boys of the Tenth were black, most of them very black. • • • The commissioners to Paris and the commission that is investigating the army are both to be paid out of the general appropriation for carrying on the war. A liberal allowance was made in the last army bill, to be expended at the discretion of toe President, for unforeseen contingencies, and both the investigating and peace commissions answer that description. The investigators will receive S2O a day in lieu of salary, hotel bills and incidental expenses, and are not required to render accounts. Their traveling expenses are also paid. The compensation for the peace commissioners has not been fixed, and will not be until they have completed their labors. All of their hotel bills and other ordinary expenses will be paid by Mr. Brannagan. toe disbursing officer of the State Department' who accompanied the party, but each commissioner is expected to supply his own pocket money. It is probable that a lump sum will be paid each of them when they return to the United States. That was the case with the members of the Geneva arbitration in 1871 and the Paris arbitration in 1893. * • • Few soldiers in the field nil! enjoy the privilege of casting their l>allots at Jhe next election. In the absence of a national law the State law will prevail, and there are few States on whose statute books are laws granting this privilege. Politicians at both the Democratic and Republican headquarters have been appealed to by a large number of regiments to secure furloughs to enable them to vote. The politicians are helpless, however, because the matter lies between toe War Department and the regiments. Unless the War Department giants the sohiiera furloughs in many instances they will lose their votes. Leaders of both parties are consoling themselves with the fact that toe soldiers are about equally divided as to politics, and as nothing can be done to relieve the situation they are turning their attention to matters nearer home. • • • With the exception of New Orleans, all the principal cities show a healthy increase in postal receipts during the past year. New York leads toe list with a net increase over last year of $586,438.45* Chicago follows with a net increase of 503,454.27. and then follow Philadelphia with 5163.152.f17z Boston with $134.040.11: Brooklyn with $133343.65; St. Louis with $120,882.69. and Baltimore with $98,169.60 increase. Kansas City, Mo., had an increased revenue of $92.and Washington. D. C-, led such cities as Milwaukee. St. Paul. New Orleans, Rochester. Newark. N. J.. Denver, and Providence with a net increase of $44,962.93. New Orleans reported a deficit over last year’s receipts of $1,303.98. • * • The administration will recommend to Congress the revival of the grade of admiral. and the promotion to that rank of Rear Admiral George Dewey, now in command of the Asiatic station. Secretary Long made toe positive announcement that he intended to recommend that the grade of admiral be revived, and that rank be conferred on Rear Admiral Dewey. The President indorses the Secretary. • • • According to the report of the surgeon general of tbe navy, the men-of-war of the United States were the healthiest places in all the world last summer, both afloat and ashore. In the entire navy, of about 24.000 men. there were only rightytour casualties, including accidents and everything, and of these only seventeen resulted in death. • • • Secretary Hay has settled down at once to ihe discharge of the many duties of hds new post. Already have applications for office begun to pour in upon him. but the Secretary finds upon examination that there are no positional in his department within his disposal under the law. • • • Mr. Simon, the new Senator from Oregon. is a Jew. and the third of his race to hold a seat in the Senate. The first was Judah P. Benjamin of Louisiana, the next was Mr. Moses of the same State. Both of them were men of distinction and influence. • • • Controller Dawes, who is treasurer of the Lafayette monument fund, received the first contribution for that purpose Monday. It was from Schoolmaster Ha'igh at Ryan. lowa, and amounted to $2.05. , ’ . . i•♦ • 1 Foreign governments are seeking uiformation in regard to the gun practice of the American sailors. They desire to adopt the system in their navies, as such good results were obtained from them in the Spanish war. • • • Information has been received in Washington that an offer is about to be made by the French interests controlling the Panama canal to sell out to the American Government.