Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 22, Number 61, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 April 1901 — WASHINGTON GOSSIP [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

WASHINGTON GOSSIP

Army art* criticising the Logan statue quite severely. They say that* his position in the saddle is altogether unmilitary, that one leg is longer than the other, and that no officer ever carried a sword in the way that Logan is represented to have curried his. Congressman Landis of Indiana severely criticises the pedestal of the statue. Referring to the tablet on the east side of the pedestal, which represents Logan being sworn in as a United States Senator, the oath being -administered by Yieei“resident Arthur. Mr. Landis says: "The scene it portrays is entirely fictitious. Mr. Arthur, was elected Vice-President jp 1880, taking his seat March 4. 1881. Gen. Logan was then a Senator, having taken his seat in 1870. when, of course, he was sworn in. Mr. Wheeler of New York being Vice-I'resident. Unless Logan for .some mysterious reason took the oath a second time Mr. Arthur could not have administered it to him. Besides Arthur and Logan the tablet bears the figures of Mr. Culloin, William M. Evarts and Roscoe Conkling of New York: Oliver P. Morton and Daniel Yoorhees of Indiana; John F. Miller of California, and Allen G. Thurman of Ohio. They are represented as Senators looking on at Arthur swearing in Logan. Of course this must have been in 1881, as he presided over the Senate only at its special session in the spring of that year. Cullom was not then a Senator, but Governor of Illinois. Evarts was not a Senator till several years later. Morton had been dead more than three years; Thurman retired with the end of legislative day, March 3. The persons represented as being present at this fictitious scene who had a right to bo there as Senators, if it had really occurred, were Conkling. A’oorhees, who succeeded Morton, and Miller.”

Olil soldiers who wish to take up homesteads upon the opening of the Indian reservation in Oklahoma will do well, in the opinion of the land office officials, to tile their own claims and' attend to all the business themselves rather than trust their interests to agents. It is reported in Washington that agents are going about making contracts with veterans to represent them and file their claims, and are charging a fee in advance nnd a second to be paid after filing the claim; but an agent Can serve only one client properly, unless he calls into service a large force of assistants, which they are not likely to do and cannot afford to do for the small fees charged. There is no objection to an agent making entries for any number of veterans, but he will be compelled to stand in line with other applicants and will not be allowed to file more than two claims at a time. When these have been filed he must step out and take his place at the end of the lino again. ’ It is reported that some agents have already accepted fees from several hundred old soldiers and no man can do justice to so many. It will be seen, therefore, that it would be much better for everybody to look out for himself.

The Secretary of War has called for bids from private steamship companies for furnishing transportation for the government between New York, Cuba and Porto Rico. The idea is to see whether it is more economical to patronize them than to continue the present transport service, which is expensive. The dock charges alone amount to .$400,000 a year. During the last three months 1,270 passengers and 5,720 tons of cargo were carYied by the transports, and the quartermaster's department knows the exact cost, which has been very large, a single voyage costing from $12,000 to $15,000. Bids are invited for the next three months upon the basis.- of the passengers and freight carried during the last three months, and if a large saving cen be effected the transport service will be abandoned and the private steamships will be patronized.

For some reason our commerce wl>h Cuba is falling off. During the last nine months the imports of Cuba amounted to $53,108,702, while for the corresponding months of the previous year they were valued, at $54,030,747. Last year the share of the United (States was $28,004,030, or about 50 per cent, while this year it was only $24,525,009, or about 40 per cent. The exports to Porto Rico and Jlo the Philippine Islands, however, are increasing in a rapid manner. The following little table will show the exports from the United States to Cuba, Porto Rico and the Philippines during the eight months ending Feb. 28 for the last six years: Cuba. Porto Rico. Philippines. 1806.. ..$ ri,42a.150 $1,454,417 $ 82,838 1807.. 5.404,777 1.MW.207 80,011 1808.. 7,680,32:1 1,200.067 00,235 1800.. 10,142,040 1.826.663 117,021 1000.. 17.172.472 2.210.721 1.701,403 1001.. 17,286,752 4.205,053 2,707,881 It is probable that a bill will l*e introduced into the next Congress giving a pension of $5,000 to the widow of tlen. Harrison. It is understood here that she is left with about SIOO,OOO and her home at Indianapolis, which is ample for her support in that city, but Mrs. Grant nnd Mrs. Garfield both receive pensions of $5,000, and Mrs. Harrison may feel that she is equally entitled to one. When Congressman Mullowny of New Hampshire. Patrick Henry of Missouri and Berry of Kentucky met in the House restaurant a few days ago, some one remarked that there was “nearly twentyone feet of Congressmen there.” Knob of the men named is over six feet in height, Mr. Sulloway being 0 feet 8 inches.

Marconi, the invehtnr of wirclca* telegraphy, is in Wmthington for the purpose of wiling Ilia apparatus to the government. He called on the Secretary of the Navy and offered to place an outfit upon she nlijp* in the fleet for $12,000 each. No such arrangement can be made without the consent of Congress, and by the time Congress meets it is expected that the electrician of the weather bureau will have developed a method of wireless telegraphy quite as good as Marconi’s. The electricians of the signal service are also at work in the same line.