Jasper County Democrat, Volume 4, Number 26, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 October 1901 — WASHINGTON GOSSIP [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

WASHINGTON GOSSIP

Congress will make special provision for the payment of the physicians and surgeons who attended the late President McKinley at Buffalo and for the payment of his funeral expenses. This was the course pursued after the death of President Garfield. What these expenses will amount to in the case of President McKinley cannot lie stated even approximately, at this time, as none of the bills has yet been sent in. In the ease of President Garfield Congress appropriated in all $57,500. Of this amount $35,500 was for the payment of the physicians and $22,000 funeral expenses. The total expenses in the ease of President McKinley Will probably be fully as great, for though the bills of the physicians will not be so large as they were in the case of President Garfield, who lingered for more than two months after he was shot, the expenses of the funeral are expected to be larger. Tile principal item, as in the case of the Garfield funeral, will be for railway transportation. This will include the special train which brought the funeral party from Buffalo to Washington, the special train of three sections which carried the party to Canton and the special train of five sections back to Washington. Congress- not only paid President Garfield’s funeral expenses, but also made liberal provision for Mrs. Garfield. She was paid her husband’s salary for the remainder of the year, was given n pension of $5,000 a year for the remainder of her life, and was given the franking privilege, by which she can use the mails without the payment of postage. Mrs. McKinley will certainly be treated with equal liberality.

For the second time within two successive administrations the duties attached to the office of Vice-President devolve

upon United States Senator William P. Frye of Maine, by virtue of his position as President pro tern, of the Senate, which he has held since 1896. T h e constitution does not provide for a successor to the Vice-President in tile event of his

death or accession to the presidency. Under the rules of the Senate, however, his only official function, which is to preside Over the Senate, is performed during his absence from the chamber by the President pro tempore. Under this ruling, in the few cases where the death or accession of a Vice-President has occurred, the President pro tempore has been invested with the authority of President of the Senate and Acting Vice-President. When Vice-President Hobart died during the latter part of President McKinley's first administration, Senator Frye assumed this position, and now that Theodore Roosevelt has succeeded to the presidency he will again be acting VicePresident. Senator Frye was elected to the Senate to fill the vaaency caused by the resignation of James G. Blaine and took his seat March 18, 1881. He has served continuously since.

The disaster to Company C, Ninth infantry, at Balangiga, Samar, P. 1., in which forty-eight American soldiers were killed by Filipino insurgents, is the worst reverse our troops have met with since the war in the Philippines began. In fact, it is the only one of serious magnitude. There have been other defeats, but they were all of a minor character. The capture of Lieut. Gilmore’s party at Balar two years ago was regarded as quite serious at the time, but only two or three were killed, the rest all being released after a long captivity. Last year fifty men of the Twenty-ninth infantry were captured in an engagement in Marinduque, but shortly thereafter were rescued by re-enforcements. Only a few were killed. More Americans were killed at the time of the Filipino attack on Manila, Feb. 4, 1899, and in the first day's engagement in the advance upon Maloloe than in the Samar disaster, but in both those instances our troops were victorious. The Ninth infantry has been peculiarly unfortunate in the. matter of fatalities. Its commander, Col, Liscum, was killed while the regiment was serving in China. Early in the fighting about Manila the commanding officer of its battalion, Capt. Rockefeller, was captured by the Filipinos and presumably put to death by them. At any rate he has never been heard from since. The regiment has seen all sorts of hard “hiking" and fighting in the past three years, getting its baptism of tire at San Juan Hili, Cuba. A new ship subsidy bill xvill be introduced in the Senate early in the next session of Congress. It will differ from the one which Senators Frye and Hanna made strenuous efforts to have passed last winter. What the differences are to be are to be determined Itetween this time and December, but it is determined they shall not alter the bill in any radical manner. Home efforts will be made, however, to make the new measure acceptable to those who opposed the old one. President Roosevelt is an early riser, and to expedite business he has introduced the novelty of inviting prominent public men to breakfast with him nt 8 o’clock. The President, by taking an early breakfast, is enabled to dispose of considerable business before his host of callers begin to arrive at 10 o’clock. Mrs. Roosevelt, ever since she arrived at the White House, has been busy with the affairs of her household. The slight alterations in the furnishings of the living apartments have been made under her supervision. The President will soon have shipped from Oyster Bay a large number of furs, trophies of the chase, and mementoes of hia army life, with which to decorate his new home. The Roosevelt children are now all attending school in Washington and are already in the full •wing of the work.

Race of the Australian-London Man Is graphically described in No. 11 New York Central’s “Four Track Series.** Every person Interested In the growth of our commerce should read it. Seut free on receipt of two-cent stamp by General Passenger Agent, New York Central, New York.

SENATOR FRYE.