Jasper County Democrat, Volume 2, Number 31, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 November 1899 — WASHINGTON GOSSIP [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

WASHINGTON GOSSIP

In the next Congress there will be a large appropriation tor rural free delivery. The report of Perry Heath shows that rothl free delivery is a success, although the appropriation still limits it to the experimental stage. It has been demonstrated that the average cost to the population served in the whole country is only 84 cents per capita annually. whewu as in cities of only 5,000 having free otF livery the cost la at least $2.80 annually for each inhabitant It has been proved that where the roads are fairly good, the houses near together, and the population reasonably intelligent letters can and should be delivered and collected at the farm cross roads. The reports of the success of the system on selected routes are almost invariably enthusiastic, and it is believed Congress will appropriate at least $1,000,000 for the extension of the service to the farmers. It has resulted In an increase of the circulation of both daily and Weekly papers, while there has been an immediate addition to the general postal revenues. Fanners receive and write more letters when they can have them delivered and collected. As fast as the money is provided new routes will be laid out. On July 1 the routes extended over 8,930 miles, covered an area of 7,567 square miles, served a population of 273,004, and had handled 9,212,927 pieces of mail. President McKinley will probably outline his Philippine policy, at least far enough to ask Congress for a specific declaration as to the status of the islands. The treaty of peace ceded the Philippines outright to the United States, but Congress has not .vet accepted them, inasmuch as the treaty was ratified by the Senate alone, and the status of the islands has, therefore, never been fixed by statute law. The President has assumed that the United States can keep the islands, but he will report to Congress that, while the situation does not justify now the establishment of a civil government, it is necessary that the islands should be formally annexed to the United States by law, in general terms, so that the President may proceed legally to defend them. The national Government W&s decided to go into the menagerie business on a scale which wiH make the ordinary collection of animals look lonesome by comparison. The new menagerie will occupy 166 acres of land northwest of Washington. Circulars have been prepared and sent out to the consular representatives of the Government all over the world, instructing them to purchase and forward to Washington animals of as many different species, indigenous to the countries in which they are located, as possible. It is expected that Africa will contribute the most specimens, among them the gorilla, giraffe and chimpanzee. The national “zoo” 11111 be maintained in connection with the Smithsonian Institution.

The Government is not concerned over the claim made in the Spanish Senate that two of the Batanez group and the island of Calayan were not included in the transfer of the , Philippines from Spain to the United States through ignorance on the part of the treaty makers. The American commissioners gave the fullest consideration to the question whether these islands would not be outside the boundaries of the archipelago prescribed by the treaty, and It was finally arranged, with the concurrence of the Spanish commissioners, that they should be included within American jurisdiction, even if the maps followed by the treaty makers should prove to be defective. Librarian Putnam is doing a work for the Congressional Library which has long been needed. Of all libraries in the country that one should be most liberally supplied with newspapers and periodicals for use, not only by Congressmen, but by the public in a city where almost more than any other the people should keep abreast of the times. And yet there has been no place hitherto where the leading newspapers could be consulted. Mr. Putnam is now equipping one of the largest halls in the new building as a newspaper and periodical room, following the line of the Boston public library, which has a perfect system of newspaper and periodical reference. Large numbers of immigrants suffering with loathsome and dangerous diseases are dally arriving In this country. During the month of September alone fiftyone arrived in New York, forty-nine of whom were suffering with contagious and incurable disease of the eye. Thirty-nine of these unfortunates were deported and six are confined in a hospital and will be sent out of the country as soon as able to travel. Most of the afflicted are from the southern part of Italy and are Rnssian Jews, Italians and orientals of various types. In 1835 the national debt of the United States was only 837,733—1e5s than is owed by hundreds of men to-day. The debt reaches its highest point on Aug. 31, 1865, when it was 32,844,049,026. The first refunding was that of the revolutionary debt, at 6 per cent. After the war of 1812 the war loans were refunded at 4% per cent, while the enormop* debt incurred during the civil war hUI been refunded several times at various' rates of interest. President McKinley went borne to rote. He left with Mrs, McKinley on Monday in a private car over the Pennsylvania road, going direct to Canton. Assistant Secretary Cortelyou and a few others accompanied them. Checks amounting to $821,000 were received by the United States treasurer Wednesday in further part settlement of the Union Pacific railroad’s Indebtedness to the Government. It la expected that a further amount will be received within a short time. cured *>*■ otto cams can be cured in the Miot