Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 20, Number 91, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 July 1899 — WASHINGTON GOSSIP [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

WASHINGTON GOSSIP

At the State Department it was denied that any official information had been received of the intention of the Canadian Government to send"" mounted police to the Porcupine region in Alaska. The Canadians would not, of course, officially notify this Government of their intention in the matter, but if the policemen could have been sent without publicity there is no doubt they would have gone ts the disputed region. The intimation received was considered as a threat, and this Government promptly said troops would be sent to Pyramid harbor, which undoubtedly will cause the Canadians to abandon their intention of ordering armed men into the disputed territory, and force a denial from both governments. There is considerable confusion as to the location of the Porcupine region, and the general impression is that it is in the vicinity of the Porcupine river, near the arctic circle, 1,500 miles from Lynn canal. This is erroneous, for the Porcupine region is located south of the Klaheena river, east of the Porcupine creek and west of Kluckwan, an Indian village a few miles from the Lynn canal. The extreme western point of the Porcupine region is only twelve miles from Lynn canal. This region is rich in gold, and 2,000 American miners have located there. The territory is claimed by and is in the possession of this Government, which does not propose to turn it over ta the Canadians.

It has been found advisable, on account of information received by the Washington authorities, to arm Government transports used in the carrying of troops to the Philippines. These ships have not carried any means of defense and are at the mercy of the smallest craft equipped with one rapid-fire gun. The latter would be able to sink the largest of the transports, which is nothing but a“*shipload of people, whose weapons would avail nothing in an attack at sea. The authorities decline to confirm the rumor that the War Department has had advices of a plan of the Filipinos to establish a small navy for depredation purposes, as a means of getting materials of war lauded at convenient ports, and as a system of attack upon our army transports. They admit the transports are to be armed at once, and the equipment will be furnished with such promptness that the navy will be called upon to supply the , guns and ammunitibn. It i* planned to place one or two six-pounders on each transport, and these will serve to resist the attack of anything the Filipinos are likely to bring against the ships.

Commissioner Evans has been vindicated of the charges made against him by the investigation of his bureau by the pension committee of the Grand Army. Everything iu the nature of a complaint has been Inquired into and the committee found that the commissioner had not only executed the laws relating to liis bureau, but had been liberal in doing so. While the committee is entirely satisfied with the work of the commissioner, it makes no concealment of the fact that it will endeavor to have the Secretary of the Interior change some of his rulings and amend the rules of practice. All the diplomats are quietly laughing at the State Department and a ludicrous blunder it made. Ambassador Tower at St. Petersburg notified the department of the death of the Grand Duke George.by cable, and it devolved upon the StateDepartment to send a reply in the name of the President of the' United States. This was done, and a cable to “His Imperial Highness Alexander III.,” instead of Nicholas 11., the reigning sovereign of all the Russias. Alexander 111., as every schoolboy knows, has been dead several years, and how the State Department came to make such a blunder is beyond the ken of ordinary mortals. President McKinley has decided to postpone his Western trip until the early part of October, unless Mrs. McKinley’s health permits him to leave earlier. ThePresident has made a positive engagement to visit Chicago to attend the ceremonies attending the corner stone laying of the public building, which will take place Oct. 9. As'his Western trip is postponed until fall he will simply extend his journey from Chicago to St. Paul and Minneapolis, where he will welcome the returning volunteners. If he should he able to leave for the West in August, he might go to the coast, but there is little likelihood he will start during the heat of the summer.

An old soldier whose patriotism has not dimmed with age wants to help reimburse Uncle Sam for the $20,000,000 paid to Spain on- account of the Philippines. He draws a of $72 a month and desires to Contribute 25 per cent of it for thnt purpose. Secretary-Gage received a letter from the old soldier in which was enclosed a check for 25 per cent of his last quarter’s* pension. The check was returned to the soldier with a personal letter of thanks from the Secretary of the Treasury. There will be two sons of former Presidents fighting for the flag in the Philippines, for in addition to Brig. Gen. Grant there will now lie Lieut. Col. Hayes of the Thirty-first infantry. Webb C. Hayes, sou of Grant’s snceessor, has ulready won his spurs in the Spanish-Ameriean war. He began as major of the First Ohio infantry, and went with Shatter to Cuba. He was wounded during tl;e fighting of July 1, and his horse was killed.