NEARLY $3,000,000
Loss of Property by a Groat Fire
at Montreal.
A <'onll i»Kratioll 111 tlie Btialiic** !>!•»
trlet tliHt Destroyed a Dozen
More* and Uarrliuii.eii
uien Budly lluiidtcuppcd
In Tlielr Work.
Montreal, Jan. 24.—One of the most
disastrous tires from which this city
has ever suffered began at 8 o'clock
last night, and notwithstanding the
efforts of the entire lire department
the progress of the flames was not
checked until I o'clock this morning.
By that time it had destroyed prop
erty valued at between $2.>00,000 anil
$:s,000,000 and was still burning.
Included in the property burned is
the splendid board of trade building
which cost over $500,000, with over
100 tenants, and half a dozen large
firms and two scores of smaller con
cerns.
The narrow streets, antiquated
buildings and the inflammable nature
of the stocks they contained made a
combination which the department
was powerless to overcome. The
fire practically burned until it came
to open space, which gave the fire
men an opportunity for effective
work.
The tire started at 8:05 p. in.in
the premises of Saxe & Sons, whole
sale clothiers, on the corner of Le
moine and St. Peter streets. The
streets in the locality were deserted
at the time anil the tire apparently
had a good headway before the first
alarm was sent in. The firemen on
arriving found the building, a three
story stone structure, a mass of
flames.
Second and third alarms were sent
in, but before reinforcements reached
the scene, the flames hail leaped
across St. Peter street, which is very
narrow, and attacked the five-story
stone building occupied by H. A. Nel*
son «£.* Sons, fancy goods. Here it
spread as rapidly as it had in lh«
Saxe building. In almost an instant
the building was a roaring furnace.
The warehouse of Beard mo re &
Co., tanners, adjoining Nelson's lo
the south, was next attacked anil
from there the flames communicated
to the establishment of Silverman,
Houlter «£■ Co., wholesale hatters and
furriers. Here another inflammable
stock added zest to the flames. In
the meantime the flames had con
tinued down St. Peter street on the
side on which it started to the cor
ner of St. Paul street, licking up the
premises of .7. Bourdeau & Co., hats,
caps, etc. St. Peter street for an en
tire block was a mass of flames on
cither side.
In the meantime a great fifrht was
being made to save the board of
trade building, erected eight year*
ago at a cost of $600,000, and adjoin
ing the Nelson building on (lie north
side.
For a long time the efforts of the
brigade were successful, a plentiful
supply of water keeping the exposed
portions cool. Hut the flames had
extended along the north side of St.
Paul street, going west from Silver
man, Boulter <& Co.'s, licking up half
a dozen concerns on its way, until it
reached the bi<* wholesale fur estab
lishment of James Coristine <£- Co.
This building extended all the way
from St. Paul street to the board of
trade building, and the flames ap
peared togo through it like a tinder
box.
When the rear wall of this building
was reached it was seen that the
board of trade would have to go.
Solid sheets of flames sprang out and
up and seized hold of the big build
ing in .a dozen different places, driv
ing the firemen back.
By this time every piece of fire
fighting apparatus the city possesses
was in use. Two water towers, which
had failed to keep the blaze from the
board of trade bniWing, were shifted
around to St. Paul street, but here
again they were too late.
From the north side of St. Paul
street the flames leaped across the
street anil destroyed the premises of
Thomas Davidson & Co., 11. Levy, drv
goods, and half a dozen other smal
ler concerns.
On Lemoine the extensive whole
sale grocery house of Laporte, Mar
tin & Co. took fire. After the fire
men had abandoned all hope of sav
ing the board of trade building, they
concentrated their efforts mainly on
this building, for the spread of the
flames in this district would mean
the loss of the entire wholesale dry
goods section. The building was
saved.
t'anc* ( in Detroit.
Jackson, Miss.. .lan. 24. — Gov. Lon
gino received a telegram last nijfht
stating that .1. K. (iibson, the Indiana
building contractor, who, it is
'.•barged, attempted to bribe the gov
ernor several weeks ago to secure
for him the state house contract,
and who forfeited his .t.VOOO bond
Tuesday, had been captured at De
troit. Two officers bearing requisi
tion papers left last night to bring
the prisoner bacK to Mississippi.
Will Auk .VlcKluley lo Attend.
Louisville, Ky„ Jan. 24.—Mayor
Weaver. Postmaster Baker and Hen
ry T. Jefferson started for Washing
ton last night to carry to the presi
dent a message froiji the executive
committee of the 28th triennial con
clave, Knights Templar, inviting him
to attend the }?rand encampment in
Louisville, August 27-.' 10.
rrrdltom Tla y iiet :j Per Cent.
Indianapolis, Jan. 24. —Receiver
Clark, of the Chosen Friends, says
the total liabilities of which the re
ceiver has accurate knowledge at
present are $774, *74. In addition to
all these claims there are protested
checks for large amounts which will
brinff the total indebtedness far
above SBOO,OOO. To meet this heavy
indebtedness the receiver has in his
treasury at present $2,000 in cash.
Kvery asset upon which the order
has a claim will have to be fought
bitterly in the courts before it can
be realized upon.
WEST POINT S HORRORS.
They are Described by (lie Wit*
neM llifit Appeared He fore fbe Con*
g;resf»loiinl Committee.
1 Washington, .lan. 25. — The commit
tee which is investigating the hazing
of Cadet l!ooz had before it yester
day the last witness who will he
called onto testify. He was F. 11.
Cunningham, a teacher at Hamilton
institute. New York City, who for
merly was a cadet at West Point, lie
was the te.it mate of Cadet Mac A
rthur, who was severely hazed, ac
cording' to the testimony adduced at
West Point, and he also was supposed
to have furnished material for an
article on hazing which appeared in
a New York newspaper. Before be
ginning his testimony Mr. Cunning
ham stated that it would not be vol
untary, but would be given because
he was summoned. Mt Cunningham
entered the academy ill June, IS9S.
He testified that his tentmate was
Mac Arthur. lie described the haz
ing of Mac Arthur in July, IS9S. lie
said he reeled into the tent after be
ing hazed and went into convulsions.
He was writhing and moaning so that
he (Cunningham) covered him with a
blanket to prevent his moans from
being heard by the officer of the day.
Witness said he would distinctly
class Mai-Arthur's writhings as con
vulsions, not cramps as Mac Arthur
had testified. Mac Arthur was
urged togo on sick report next day,
but refused. lie was hazed because
he was a son of (ien. Mac Arthur, al
though he had never exhibited undue
pride in the relationship. The worst
hazers were Barry, Doekery and Du
val. Witness said one reason why
he left the academy was his feeling
that hazing exerted a brutal influ
ence. Mac Arthur had said to him
that "another night like that would
make him feel like resigning."
Witness named Cadets Hill. Has
kell and Kensel as cadets who suf
fered from convulsions and needed
medical assistance as a result of haz
ing. A cadet officer told witness that
a cadet had choken Kenzel to pre
vent him uttering cries. Cadet Crown
had "qualified on prunes." breaking
the record by eating 135. They made
hiin sick. One of the academy in
structors lectured against hazing and
the classes decided against "hazing."
etc. As they left the lecture some
one shouted "brace" and every one
"braced" and that ended the agree
ment to stop hazing. Commenting
on a statement by (len. Ludlow "that
college hazing at West Point hazing
were the same, the witness said:
"i refute that statement. I went
through college before I went
to West Point, and i know there is
nothing in the colleges like hazing at
West Point."
He described hazing as torture. He
gave a graphic account of the agony
suffered in certain forms of hazing,
which sent a shudder through the
listeners. Men were hung on bars,
their feet up, so that when they
dropped from exhaustion the knees
struck on the wooden floor several
feet below. The fainting man was
again hoisted up and again repeated
ly dropped.
Cunningham said the object of
"calling out" was to place a trained
upper class man against an untrained
lower class man. The result was
Inevitable. In conducting a fight
the purpose was to cut up the face
of the lower class man before knock
ing him out. An upper class man
hail said to the witness that a cer
tain light was not correct, as the
lower class man's fate was not cut
sufficiently.
When on guara one time Cunning
ham was told by the corporal of the
guard "not to see a fight" then about
to occur. Cunningham's testimony -
produced a deep iinpressjon, and at
its conclusion the court \\*• nt into se
cret session. The hearings are now
closed and the committee will give its
attention to the report.
CUBAN'S REVENGE.
Tliey Burn Cane Field* Owned by a
•Muu Wlio Ktluied to A»»l»t Them lu
KlShtiu;; Spain.
Santiago De Cuba, Jan. 25. —Fifteen
hundred acres of sugar cane were
burned Wednesday as the result of
political friction, on Joseph Rignev 's
plantation, near Manzanillo, the
richest plantation in this province
During the war of the Cuban insur
gents against Spain Mr. Rigney re
fused to pay tribute to the Cubans.
For two years he supported a Span
ish garrison, but ultimately the Cu
bans destroyed the property with the
exception of the mill, valued at sl,-
000,000. This year the plantation
was fully equipped to produce sugar
to the full capacity of the mill.
Mr. Rigney'is loss is about SIOO,OOO,
but it will not seriously cripple the
business. A considerable quantity
of cane from the burned fields is still
valuable.
Two plantations at (iuantauainu
have lost heavily durAg the week
from similar fires. Burning cann
is a popular method of getting re
venge among the Cubans.
Wfre They Hurled Alive*
Washington. .lan. 25. —Adjt. (leu
Corbin has received a cablegram
from Gen. Mac Arthur in response to
his inquiries as to the case of First
Lieut. Rrewer, of the Twenty-seventh
volunteer infantry, who was reported
to have been buried alive by Fili
pinos. (icn. Mac Arthur says that
Brewer and Sergeant Schraeder, of
his regiment, disappeared September
11 last, and neither has since been
heard from.
Claims to be Neutral.
Washington, Jan. 25. The steam
ship Caracas, wh«ch arrived in this
country Tuesday from La Guyara,
brought official communications from
l)r. E. Blanco. They make strong
representations as to the strict neu
trality which the Venezuelan gov
ernment has observed all through
the asphalt controversy, which is set
forth as being solely an issue be
tween the rival companies them
selves. and not one involving the gov
ernment. Surprise is expressed at
the threatening attitude of th,i Uni
ted States,
CAMERON COUNTY PRESS, THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 1901.
A FIERCE CRUSADE.
Women Wreck Saloons at Wich
ita, Kan.
1r«. fSatlon and Three Foliowera I'm
Hatchet* In Demullnliin{{ the Fix
ture* ol Bar Itooium They
are Arrmltd .Tlrn. Na
tion llor»e\vhlp|>ed,
Wichita, Kan., .lan. 22.- Mrs. Carrit
Nation came back to Wichita yester
day after her recent incarceration
under a smallpox quarantine and the
net results of ten minutes' work by
her during the afternoon are two
wrecked saloons, the pieces of which
are being sold for souvenirs.
Mrs. Nation was assisted by Mrs.
Julia Evans, Mrs. Lucy Wilhoit and
Mrs. Lydia Muntz, all of the local W.
C. T. C. organization. With hatchets
concealed under their cloaks they
entered the saloon of James Burns
and did not leave a complete piece of
glass or a working slot machine in
the place. All showcases, both for
liquors and cigars, as well as the
plate glass windows and doors, were
broken into smithereens.
Next they ran to John Herrig's
saloon and had everything in the
front room, including the plate glass
windows, broken when he appeared
with a revolver, placed it at Mrs.
Nation's head and said that he would
blow out her brains if she did not
desist. She yielded before the point
ed revolver and with her companions
ran to the Carey hotel bar, where
she made her first attack on the
saloons of Wichita, three weeks ago.
Three policemen met her and she
struck at Detective Sutton with a
poke*-. He shoved her aside and a
youth struck liim in the face. A po
liceman struck the youth and
knocked him down. The police then
overpowered Mrs. Nation and hor
friends and took them to the
city prison, followed by 2,000 people.
Chief of Police Cudbon discharged
the prisoners after they reached the
jail, and is heartily condemned by
the citizens. The women made him
a promise not to wreck any more
saloons before noon to-day.
After leaving the city building Mrs.
Nation began a street lecture to the
immediate crowd that had surround
ed the city building, saying that she
expected to begin saloon wrecking
again at noon to-day when her truce
with the chief of police expires.
Shakrng her fist at the crowd she
said: "Men of Wichita, this is the
right arm of Clod and 1 am destined
to wreck every saloon in your city."
The women procured a wagon and
rode through the streets singing
"Nearer, My (iod, to Thee" and other
hymns. They halted in front of the
saloons they had smashed and held
prayer meetings. The damage done
by the women is estimated at be
tween $1,500 and $2,000.
The affair created intense excite
ment and thousands of people viewed
the wrecks.
Mrs. Nation caused a new sensation
last night by slapping Sheriff Sim
mons on the face, taking hold of his
ears and giving birii a rough hand
ling generally. Mrs. Nation was at
the Union station in the act of buy
ing a ticket to a neighboring town
when the sheriff pulled at her sleeve,
saying: "You are my prisoner,
madame." Mrs. Nation turned her
face about and, seeing Simmons, gave
him a violent slap across the face.
She followed this-up by taking hold
of his ears with both hands and
wringing them viciously. The station
was full of women, who began
screaming and tremendous
ment followed, as the sheriff, who is
a very small man. struggled with his
powerful antagonist. A policeman
came to his rescue and with the aid
of some bystanders they succeeded
in picking up the woman in thei?
arms and placing her in a cab,
which was driven to the county jail.
Last night Mrs. Wilhoit was arrest
ed at her home without making any
resistance and locked in jail, where
■she was placed in a cell next to that
of Mrs. Nation. When Mrs. Uilhoit
was ushered into the steel cage Mrs.
Nation cried "Hallelujah" and burst
into prayer. Half an hour later Mrs.
Kvans was arrested at her home.
It is said that a complaint for in
sanity will be lodged against Mrs.
Nation.
Wichita, Kan.. Jan. 23. —Mrs. Carrie
Nation and her colleagues in Tues
day's saloon smashing crusade were
arraigned in the city court yesterday
and waived a preliminary hearing.
Judge Kirk fixed their bond at SI,OOO
each, which was given, and the wo
men were released. John Herring,
into whose saloon Mrs. Nation and
her followers entered by the windows
they had smashed, was the complain
ant, and the specific charge was ma
licious destruction of property.
Enterprise. Kan., .lan. 25.—A street
fight occurred Thursday between wo
men led on one si(Lr- by Mrs. Carrie
Nation, the saloon wrecker, and on
the other by Mrs. John Schilling,
wife of the manager of the saloon
wrecked on Wednesday. As a result,
of the tight Mrs. Nation, who was
horswhipped, swore out warrants
against Mrs. Schilling and her hus
band, and Mrs. Hittner, charging
them with assault, and Mayor Hoff
man swore out a warrant against
Mrs. Nation, charging her with dis
turbing the peace. All were arrest
ed, taken before Judge Holt and all
but Mrs. Nation released on bond.
Mrs. Nation was found not guilty
and was released. The other wo
men will be tried to-day.
deported the t'onntltntlon.
Havana, Jan. is...—'The central com
mittee of the Cuban constitutional
convention reported at Monday's ses
sion of the convention the proposed
constitution. The document contains
some modifications of the original
draft. The members of the central
committee are not unanimous with
reference to several features of the
scheme and there is likely to be con
siderable discission before final ac
ceptance. The proposed constitu
tion does not contain any provisions
regarding the future relations b»«
tween the United States and Cuba.
SENATE'S WAH TAX BILL.
It Aim* to HffVrt a Totul llfdui'tloi
of $.10,000,000.
Washington, Jan. 25. —Senator Aid
rich, chairman of the senate commit
tee on finance, yesterday reported
the war revenue reduction bill back
to the senate. The committee re
ports n complete substitute for the
bill as it passed the house. Senator
Aldrieh made a statement explaining
the changes, which are as follows:
Stamp taxes repealed: Promis
sory notes, mortgages, bills of lad
ing for export, powers of attorney,
protest, charter party, telegraphic
dispatches, telephone messages, pas
sage tickets costing less than S3O, ex
press receipts, freight receipts,
bonds except bonds of indemnity, leg
acies to religious, charitable. liter
ary or educational institutions.
Special taxes repealed: Commer
cial brokers.
Taxes reduced: Conveyances, in
surance, cankers capital, proprietary
medicines, cigars, tobacco and beer.
The statement says that the pur
pose of the committee has been to
repeal such of the taxes imposed by
the war revenue act of tsos as are
most annoying and burdensome to
taxpayers, to retain such as would
be kept as a permanent part of ofir
revenue system, or at least retained
until all war taxes can be repealed,
and to reduce all others as fairly as
possible by some general plan of re
duction. Pursuing this general
plan, it has been possible to reduce
taxes affected approximately one
half.
Taking the estimates of the treas
ury department as a basis, the redutn
tion of revenue effected by* the bill
will be nearly $40,000,000. a reduction
somewhat less than w«s produced by
the bill as if passed the house of rep
resentatives.
The committee's substitute provis
ions in regard to cigars, tobacco,
beer, etc., reduce the beer tax to
$1.50 per barrel and on snuff and to
bacco to nine cents a Dounil.
All insurance companies are to Vie
required to make annual returns to
th" commissioner of internal rev
enue; the returns required being
such as will enable the commission
er to levy and collect from the com
panies the taxes required to be paid
by them.
In case of non-payment of the spe
cial taxes levied against insurance
companies, it is provided that the
delinquent company shall, besides be
ing liable for the payment of double
the amount, of such special tax, be
deemed guilty of a misdemeanor
and upon conviction sliall pay a
fine of not. more than S3OO.
The commissioner of internal rev
enue is authorized to examine books
and accounts of companies he sus
pects are making false returns.
CLEVELAND GETS IT.
<>. A, ft. Notional Council Derides to
Hold 'I'IIIM Year's ICiirampinrnt In
the Ohio .tlrtropoilw.
St. Louis, Jan. 22. —A vote was
taken yesterday by the national
council and Cleveland was selected as
the place in which to hold the next
annual (!. A. K. encampment. The
vote stood: Cleveland .">, Denver 2,
I'ittsburg 1. Denver could not meet
all the requirements and Cleveland
was selected because satisfactory
guarantees of that city's ability to
care for the encampment were fur
nished to the committee. The dijte
set for the encampment is the week
beginning September 9.
As a result of this action represen
tatives of Denver, formerly selected,
announced that they intended to take
up the matter with various state de
partments and would also hold an en
campment the second week of Sep
tember.
The meeting of the council lield
Monday was the result of the failure
of Denver to satisfy the council at
its December meeting of the city's
ability to meet the requirements of a
0..e-ccnt per mile railroad rate. Cleve
land, I'ittsburg and Denver sent dele
gations to yesterday's meeting to
plead for the sending of the encamp
ment to those cities.
The Cleveland delegation offered
the written pledge of the chairman
of the Central Passenger association
of one cent pet- mile to the encamp
ment. promised to raise the necessary
money to meet the expenses of the
encampment, offered free quarters in
100 school houses for the old sol
diers; to arrange tjie line of inarch
to suit and produced written pledges.
The delegation representing I'itts
burg pledged a one-cent rate, hotel
accommodations, subscriptions and
met the other requirements.
Denver's applicants for the en
campment honors produced letters
from Chairman McLeod, of the West
ern Passenger association, promising
one-cent rate on six railroads.
individual members of th* council
declared the Denver people were mis
taken when they thought they had
the promise of the Pennsylvania and
New York departments togo to Den
ver and were certain that none of the
departments would refuse to attend
the encampment at Cleveland.
A Confession of Weakness.
London, Jan. 22. —In a strong edi
torial appeal for strengthening the
navy of Great Britain and placing it
on an adequate war footing, the
Times says: "Our fleet should be
of sufficient size, force equipment
and readiness for war as shall leave
no reasonable doubt as to the result
of a naval conflict between Great
Britain and any other two naval pow
ers."
Troubles Never Come Singly.
London. Jan. 22. —The followinj
statement as to the condition o
Dowager Km press Frederick, eldes
daughter of Queens Victoria, appear:
in the Daily Chronicle: "It is witl
sincere regret that we announce tha
the Kmprcss Frederick's conditioi
has become materially worse. Then
is a serious development of the dis
ease from which she is suffering am
her physical pain is intense. A 1
idea of any tourney in pursuit o
health has been abandoned and it L
improbable that she will ever lean
Cronberg,"
DEPORTED AN EDITOR.
(■en. narArlliur Sruda *«i«> Piil>ll»hei
of a TlaniiH Nlirel Hack t > Thin Conn*
try.
Manila, .Jan. 25.—Gen. Mac Arthur
lias ordered the deposition to the
United States of (ieorge T. Rice, edi
tor of the Daily Bulletin, a marine
journal. Rice will sail on the Penn
sylvania next Monday. The order
characterizes him as a "dangerous
Incendiary and a menace to the mili-,
tary situation. '
Rice's offense was the publication
of allegations that Lieut. Command
er liraunersreutlier, captain of the
port, had charged excessive piloting
and moorage fees, a percentage of
which he had kept for himself.
The report of Col. Mills, who inves
tigated the allegations, completely
exonerated the captain of the port
and indicted the editor and the mer
chants who had given him the infor
mation and who were misled by figur
ing the rates upon the net instead of
the gross tonnage, the latter being
specified under the Spanish law.
Rice was summoned to the oifiee of
the governor general's military sec
retary and was called upon to prom
ise that lie would publish 110 more
such articles. He declined to give
such a pledge, but insisted that the
article was truthful and took up a
defiant attitude when threatened
with deportation. The deportation
order was then issued. Rice's home
is in lied Wing, Minn.
A BREAK FOR LIBERTY.
Inmates of a .Tlexlran Prliou Over
power Their (JiiardN, but are Sliol
While Trying to Kneapc.
Mexico City, Jan. 25.—News has
been received from Acapulco of a
partly successful attempt made by
desperate prisoners confined in Castle
San Diego to effect their escape. Re
cently the guard was replaced by a
detachment of artillerymen under
Lieut. Trujillo, anil the prisoners
noted that the force had been some
what diminished. A few of the bold
er spirits suggested that they at
tempt to overpower the guards at an
hour when all the gates were open
and the plot was carried Into effect
by a simultaneous rush 011 the sen
tinels, who. taken by surprise, were
unable to prevent the exit of the
prisoners as they poured out Into the
streets.
A sentinel stationed on the roof
of the castle with a repeating rifle
killed several of the escaping prison
ers and wounded others. Panic
spread through theeityas the prison
ers fled in every direction, but many
of them were captured and several
returned voluntarily.
A HANDSOME GIFT.
Invitation to tli« Prenldent t-» Attend
a .lla»onl<- Function In Fngraved on
u Solid (iold Plate.
Washington, .fan. 25. —Among the
callers at the White House yesterday
was Capt. (). .1. Humphrey, of San
Francisco, who was presented to the
president by Senator Perkins. Capt.
Humphrey visited the executive man
sion as the special envoy of Califor
nia comma ndery No. 1, Knights
Templar, of San Francisco, to present
to President McKinley an invitation
from the commandery to meet with
it upon its visit to the Pacific coast
the coming spring.
The card of invitation, which he
handed to Sir Knight McKinley per
haps rivals in splendor anything of
the kind that was ever presented to a
president. It is a solid gold plate
3% by o'/i •inches, and about one
eighth of an inch in thickness. In
the upper right hand corner is an
enameled Maltese cross, with the
usual insignia of the order, having in
the center a fine diamond of about
one carat in weight. The "card" is
beautifully engraved.
White Haw Fears.
Chicago, .lan. 25.—Dr. R. A. Whit®,
of the Stewart Avenue Universallst
church, in a speech before the con
gress of religions at the Kullerton
Avenue Presbyterian church yester
day declared against the subsidizing
of great American universities by
millionaires. "Institutions which
have been so endowed and subsi
dized are to lose their power of
spreading education, are to become
nnrrow and restricted and finally, are
to sutler absolutely disintegration"'
werti the views Dr. White expressed.
He declared that events at various
universities had caused a suspicion
in the public mind that an autocratic
influence had already been thrown
over professors and students.
The Story of a Itlutluy.
Port of Spain, Trinidad. Jan. 25.
Advices which have been received
here regarding the mutiny of Vene
zuelan troops in the Hoyo barracks
at Caracas, say that the mutineers
numbered 300. The outbreak took
place January 14. and the colonel,
two officers and four men were
killed. The mutineers escaped, with
out arms, by different roads and got
outside the capital. Half of them
were subsequently arrested near Car
acas and the others surrendered the
next day. There was no political
cause for the outbreak. The men
had been badly fed.
A die Pui-4-hane or Land und Catllr.
Caracas, Venezuela, Jan. 25. —A
Hamburg syndicate has purchased
the estate of the late President Cres
po, in the Orinoco district. It has
an area of 10,000,000 acres and upon
it there are 80,000 head of cattle. The
syndicate intends to control the
meat market of the West Indies and
also the packing industry.
WeMtern Kallroadern are Sore.
' Chicago, Jan. 25.—As the rsult of
the abandonment of Denver and the
selection of Cleveland for the next
encampment of the (J. A. R. for 1001,
western roads have decided to make
unusually low rates to Colorado tour
ist points next summer and especial
ly during the period of the 0. A. R.
encampment. Much bitterness has
developed among the western roads
over the loss by Denver of the Grand
Army encampment, which they be
lieve to be due in part to the sugges
tions of the Central Passenger asso
ciation rouds. .
THE PHILIPPINES.
The Tat't Commission's Re
port Is Published.
IT SPEAKS OF PROGRESS.
Work of Purification Is Slowly
but Surely Advancing.
MANILA AND ITS SALOONS.
Number of ln ln tbe City Ha*
<■ re.itly Drrreaned During Paul Year
-CbmmlMlou Advocate* I'mwage by
of Ibe Spooner Hill.
Washington, Jan. 20.—The presi
dent yesterday transmitted to the
senate a report of the secretary of
war enclosing' the report of the Tuft
Philippine commission. Jn his mes
sage of transmittal the president,
says:"l earnestly recommend leg
islation under which I he government
of the islands may have authority
to assist in its peaceful industrial de
velopment."
The commission gives a gratifying
account of the progress made in the
pacification of the country and the
gradual subsidence of guerrilla war
fare. Information received subse
quent to the date of the report con
firms the favorable anticipations of
the commission.
On January 2 the commission rein
forced the views contained in their
report by the following dispatch to
the secretary of war: "If you ap
prove ask transmission to proper
senators and representatives of fol
lowing: 'Passage of Spooner bill at
present session greatly needed to se
cure best results from improving
conditions. I'ntil its passage no
purely central civil government can
be established; no public franchises
of any kind can be granted and no
substantial investment of private
capital in internal improvements pos
sible. All are needed as important,
steps in complete pacification. Strong
peace party organized with defined
purpose of securing civil government
and relief from inevitable restraints
of military rule long before subject
can be taken up by new congress.'"
The report shows that the islands
are estimated to contain about 7:5,-
000.000 acres of land, of which less
than 5.000,000 are held in private
ownership.
The section of the report on the
liquor traffic in Manila indicates that
the powers of the commission are
ample to deal with that subject and
the success which they have attained
will compare favorably with the re
sults in this country. Many false
statements have been made regard
ing the use of intoxicating liquors
in Manila. The fact is that this
traffic is more effectively regulated
and kept within bounds in Manila,
than in any city of similar or great
er size in the United States.
In November, 1898, the spread of
venereal diseases among soldiers led
the military authorities, in order to
maintain effectiveness of army, to
subject known prostitutes to certi
fied examination and confinement of
diseased in special hospital, expense
of which was paid from fund in cus
tody of an army officer derived sole
ly from fees charged for examina
tion of from 50 cents to $2, according
to place of examination. This sys
tem has greatly reduced the percent
age of disability from this cause.
Known prostitutes are not permit
ted to land. A number have been
deported. (ieneral moral condition
of city is greatly maligned. Crimes
of violence now comparatively few.
(■ambling has greatly decreased.
Native vino shops in Manila in Au
gust. !B'JB. numbered 4.000. Now re
duced to 400. American saloons, in
cluding hotels and restaurants, re
duced from -':J4 in February, 1900,
to 88 now. Of these only 4S are li
censed to sell spirituous liquors.
"Any statement of the conditions
prevailing in the islands during th'»
last six months which ignores the ef
fect of the American election as a
controlling element in tlie situation
is inadequate. Since the result was
announced there has been a great de
crease in insurgent activity. In
tense interest was felt by the insur
gents before the election in the issue,
and intense disappointment since,
which will certainly effect the col
lapse of the insurrection in the near
future."
One of the longest chapters in the
report concerns the friars in the
Philippines. The commission gives
the history of the expulsion of these
friars from their places by the rebels
and declares that the burning ques
tion agitating the Filipinos is wheth
er they shall be permitted to return.
Regarding the return of the friars
the commission says it would be an
assistance to the American cause if
the Catholic church were to substi
tute American priests, but this is a
question of church policy with which
the commission has nothing to do.
Says the report: "ft is enough to
say that the political question will
be eliminated if the friars are not
sent hack."
The brief recommendation of the
president in the message sent to the
senate asking legislation in the in
terest of the Filipinos caused general
surprise among senators and occa
sioned speculation upon the prob
ability of an extra session of con
gress immediately after March 4. Sen
ators generally say they have had no
intimation from the White House
that a speeial session of congress
may be desirable, but they unite as
one man in saying that no Philippine
legislation is possible during the re
maining five weeks of the present
session. The Spooner bill, vesting
all power for the government of the
Philippine archipelago in the presi
dent, is the only Philippine bill.
3