Rensselaer Republican, Volume 27, Number 43, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 June 1895 — WASHINGTON. [ARTICLE]

WASHINGTON.

J. Walter Blandford has been appointed private secretary to the Secretary of State, to succeed Mr. Landis. He occupied the same position with Mr. Olney while the latter was at the head of the Department of Justice. C. L. Tompkiuson, an American resident of Mexico, interested iu mining there, in explaining the new regulation concerning the taxation of mines in that country, said Ut Washington that it grew out of the fact that the Mexican Government had recently decided to resume control of the mints. It appears that the mines have for several years been leased to private individuals, who, while they have charged n mintage tax, have put it on a soipewhat different basis from that proposed by the Government. The charge for minting gold and silver has been almost 4% per cent, while the Government has collected iu addition a tax of .01 of 1 per cent, making in all a tax of over 5 per cent to be. paid by Mexican mine owners having their ores coined into money iu Mexico, while those who sent their products to smelters either in Mexico or the United States escaped the payment of the bulk of the tax. The Government, upon resuming control of the mints on July 1 next, proposes to levy a uniform tax of 5 per cent on tho gold and silver contained in all the ore mined in the country, without regard to where it is tfeated. The promulgation of a treasury department circular carrying into effect the joint resolution of Congress excepting from the operations of the alien coutrnet labor law all foreigners brought to this country by foreign exhibitors or owners of concessions at the Cotton States Exposition at Atlanta has called attention to the results of a similar resolution passed on behalf of the Chicago World’s Fair. Both resolutions authorized such foreigners to remain in this country only one year after the close of the exposition. Iu neither case, however, did Congress make any appropriation or provision for the nrrest and deportation of such persons. The exact number who remained in this country in violation of the law is not known, but it is believed that not more than three-fourths of the whole number ever returned to the country whence they came. Owing to the want of funds the Government took no steps to ascertain how many remained, nor is it likely to do so after the close of the Atlanta exposition. The necessary result will be that many foreigners will take this opportunity to come to the United States with

the Intention of remaining, knowing that Congress has made no provision for their deportation.