Jasper County Democrat, Volume 2, Number 6, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 May 1899 — WASHINGTON GOSSIP [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

WASHINGTON GOSSIP

Later developments in the arrest of the dangerous gang of counterfeiters at Philadelphia and Lancaster by officers under the direction of Chief Wilkie of the secret service show that the gang was about to put into operation one of the boldest and most daring schemes ever contemplated by criminals. The plan was to manufacture >10,000,000 in >2O, >SO and >IOO notes. Jacobs, the leader, worked on the theory that every man could be purchased, and it was his intention after making this large amount of money to buy a receiving teller in a subtreasnry, deposit the Counterfeits in sums of not less than >IOO,000, take a certificate of deposit, and draw against them, receiving genuine money in return. This daring scheme was being worked out, and when Mr. Wilkie and his assistants interrupted it they found a >SO plate completed, which was even better than the plate from which the >l6O counterfeits were printed and which baffled the skill of experts. These men had the machinery for making paper which is almost an exact counterpart of that used by the Government. It is estimated by the commissioner of internal revenue that the Government lost about >240,000 as a result of the work of Counterfeiter Jacobs and his gang. Four wornout plates were found in the possession of these men, each of which is capable of printing 40,000 sheets of ten stamps each. This made 1,600,000 stamps, each of which could be used for stomping a box containing fifty cigars, miking 80,000,000 which hare perhaps been sold under counterfeit stamps at >1 per thousand less than the market price, thus making a tremendous profit since they escaped paying the revenue tax of >3.65 per thousand.

Tbe payment of the $20,000,000 to Spain in retnm for the Philippines completes the sixth great land purchase to which the United States has been a party. Just ninety-six years ago President Jefferson began the thrifty practice by paying $15,000,000 for Louisiana, thus more than doubling the national domain. By assuming claims of American citizens against Spain to the amount of $5,000,000 President Monroe secured Florida, and as a part of the same deal Spain relinquished all claim to territory north of California. President Polk gave $18,250,000 for New Mexico and California in 1818 and in 1853 President Pierce paid $10,000,000 for that part of Arizona and New Mexico south of the Gila river. President Johnson gave for Alaska in 1867. In assuming the national debt of Hawaii the United States has practically paid cash for those islands. Porto Rico is the only possession which has not been directly purchased.

The Department of Agriculture has encouraging reports as to the condition of winter grain in Europe. From some points in Russia there have been complaints of insufficient rainfall, but on the whole the condition of the wheat crop is represented as being satisfactory. Germany appears to be the only important country in Europe where there is a doubt as to the condition of the cereal crops. There considerable damage seems to have been done and the .crop may be short The outlook for India is for considerably less than a normal crop. The harvesting for 1890 is practically concluded in India. The Department of Agriculture testifies to the apparent authenticity of an estimate of 70,000,000 bushels of wheat for Argentina, of which between 45,000,000 and 55,000,000 bushels will be available for export. Up to June 30, 1898, the Government had expended $2,610,921 in printing the official records of the Union and Confederate armies, and it is estimated by Public Printer Palmer that before the work is completed the total expenditure will probably exceed $3,000,000. This is sl,600,000 more than the total amount appropriated by Congress for the erection of a new Government printing office, work on which will begin within a few days. The “Rebellion Records,” as the work is called, is probably the most stupendous publication ever attempted, the series comprising 111 volumes, averaging 1,000 pages each, and the final edition will be 1,298,700 separate volumes. The first copy was sent to the public printer Aug. 25, 1880, and it is doubtful if the work will be entirely completed by the same date next year. President McKinley is becoming as inveterate a smoker as Gen. U. S. Grant To this is attributed the development of his nervous condition. Tbe President smokes almost continuously from the time he goes into his office in the morning at 9 o'clock until he retires, about midnight. During the reception of official callers the President smokes. At the cabinet meetings smoking is also indulged in, mid whenever the door of the cabinet room is opened to admit a visitor a blue haze of tobacco smoke is visible. The President is a believer in the theory that tobacco smoke is efficacious in stopping the neuralgic pains from which he had been a sufferer for the last few mouths. Comptroller Dawes has announced the result of his call issued April 5, which shows the condition of thq 3,583 national banks in the United States. An abstract of the reports which come from the 3,583 national banks of the country, briefly given, shows the totaDflsources to be $4,639,138,100, loans and discounts amounting to $2,403,410,805. and reserve of lawful money $494,217,975, of which the gold holdings were $133,190,652. The deposits aggregated $2,524,306,257 and the average of the reserve held is shown to have been 30.89 per cent. The expenditures of the Government in tbe last ten months were $533,356,303, against $313,763,882 in the corresponding ten months ended April 30, 1897. This includes the $20,000,000 paid to Spain for the Philippines. The increase is largely due to. the larger outlay on army and navy. In April, May and June, 1898, for example, the outlay for army and nary was $54,984,376 more than Iba like months i* 1897. Adding this sum to the figures give* for tbe tea months, the audited expenditure for the war so far apffofini to