Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 38, Number 81, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 July 1906 — WASHINGTION GOSSIP [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

WASHINGTION GOSSIP

1 During the last fiscal year there w«r« 6,533 desertions from the IJn.ited States army, an increase of 660 over the preceding year, and amounting to 11.07 per cent of the entire enlisted strength. That is to say, of every nine soldiers enlisted, one deserts. No other army other soldier In the world is better paid, better housed and better fed than the American soldier. The Inspector General gives as one o's the reasons for th« numerous desertions that no beer can ba had In the post exchanges, and he adds that the best judgment of the army la ihat if the exchanges were to furnish the soldier with light beer under tha supervision of the commanding officer, it would result in greater contentment and in minimizing the crime of deser-_ tion. The government has found it necessary to issue a warning to the publia against persons who represent themselves as agents and canvassers for the maps of the Geological Survey. As is generally known, they are by far the best that are to be had of the country mapped, because they are not only accurately drawn, but are on a large scale. They are sold by the government for five cents a sheet. The bogus “agents” charge two dollars. It should be noted, however, that the government does authorize certain booksellers and stationers to sell the atlas sheet maps at a slight advance over the government price, to pay them for the trouble of keeping and handling them. The Interstate commerce commission has extended its ■inquiry to include all the railroads in the country. Circular tetters were-sent Vvedtiestlny to the officers of SIS companies, operating 213,040 miles of railroads, calling for information to be furnished before July 15. President Cassatt and the coal roads are "to have full opportunity to be. heard. The Pennsylvania's committee made public the answers of Cassatt tlia questions asked of all officers and employes. He denied that he held stock in coat-companies or that he had ever received gifts from them, but admitted that he owned $350,000 worth of stock in various steel rail and equipment companies which sell to the Pennsylvania. The greater part of the business of the United States Supreme Court consists in deciding cases on appeal from ’the lower courts. Over some cases it has original and exclusive jurisdiction, chief among which are suits to which a State of the Union is a party. Last month the docket of original cases was called for the first time in twenty-nine years. When the attorneys for New Jersey and Delaware, which have had a boundary dispute before the court since 1877, asked for a continuance, the Chief Justice remarked that the court does .not keep cases on the calendar for more than a generation. There seema to be a limit to the period during which States shall suffer from the law’s delays. In a speech made at the White House to twenty city and state eivil service officials, President R6osevelt said that after having had experience in nearly all bcanches of government, he was inclined more and more to feel that the observance in letter and spirit of the civil service law was the first requisite in obtaining clean, decent, efficient governmental service In any branch or bureau of the government Political appointments, be said, while seemingly necessary in some cases, nearly always brought bad results. He said that exceptions would have to be made in the case of promotions to insure best results. -

By direction of the president, the civil service commission has investigated the matter of aged employes in the department service. The number who are 63 years or older is 1,626. Of these 8 i>er cent entered the service through examination. The work of only - ninety Is rated as poor, and ten accomplishing nothing, the vast majority being efficient and hundreds past 70 who can do a good day’s work. Efforts are making to persuade Congress to authorize the pnbllcuticn of the names of the heads of families as shown by the first census of 1700. The report of that census was never printed, and is accessible only In weli wom manuscript. It would be Interesting now chiefly to genealogists, bnt that is an Interest which deserves to be reThe trade of the United States with Japan is larger than with any other oriental to a bulletin issued by the department of commerce and labor, and aggregated In th* fiscal year 1106,000,000. Exports to that country hare grown from about <8,000,000 in the calendar year 1895 to over $55,000,000 in the fiscal year 1905, and Imports from that country from <27.500,000 In 1805 to nearly <51,000,•00 in 1905.