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From Washington. [Correspondence of the Alexandria Gasette. The national capital will entertain this week more distinguished men from all over the country than it ever has be fore in its bistory. Besides having Con gress on its hands, Washington will be the scene of four great conventions having for their general object the im provement and conservation of the coun try's natural resources. The Nationa Conservation Commission will mee with the governors of the states and territories; state conservation commis sions, and conservation committees o national organizations tomorrow morn ing; the National Rivers and Harbor Congress will meet Wednesday to discus the improvement of the waterways 0 the country; the National Council 0 Commerce will meet Thursday to dea with important questions affecting the commerce of the nation at home and abroad, and today, the Southern Com mercial Congress, an organization to do for the south what the trans-Mississipp Commercial Congress has done for the west, is holding its first meeting. The first formal meeting of the joint conser vation conference will be held tomorrow afternoon with President-elect Taft as presiding officer. President Roosevel is to make the opening address, and Judge Taft will follow. The Smithsoniau Institution issued the following statement today, with reference to President Roosevelt's South African hunting trip: "Mr. Roosevel pays all the expenses of himself and hi son Kermit, in connection with the pro posed trip, including outfiting and transportation. The expenses of three naturalists sentout from the Smithson ian Institution, will be paid by funds provided for the purpose no part of which is derived from any government appropriation, or from the income of the Smithsonian fund. Mr. Roosevelt will not receive one penny o the fund, for his own or his son's use and expenses, on the contrary, he make a gift to the government of specimen worth many thousands, and possibly o & that cannot be expressed. H will get nothing from the government the governments's share will be limited this receiving the gift." An argument in favor of retaining the present tariff on phonographs and musical instruments was made to the way and means committee today by Geo W. Pound, of Buffalo, representio half a dozen large manufacturers. Th present tariff is 45 per cent. Henry Alexander, a New York brush manu facturer, asked that bristles now paying a duty of 7 1-2cts. a pound, be placed or the free list. The new democratic leader, Cham Clark, was one of the early arrivals or the floor of the House, before the open ing today, receiving congratulations ove his election to the head of the minority Sereno Payne, republican leader moved about among the members. Congress man Nicholss Longworth was very busy baking hands with friends. Col "Pete" Hepburn, the Iowa veteran was most mourned of the defeated mem bers. Speaker Cannon was given a big demonstration when be entered the ball The National Exchange Bank o Springfield, Mo., was closed today by rder of Special Bank Examiner E. F Rorebeck, and Frank o. Hicks was ap nointed receiver. Capital $100,000 Surplus $1,049,000. Represenative Sherman, of New York vice-president elect, announced today after a call on the president that a con ference bai been agreed upon between President-elect Taft and Speaker Cannot to be held in Washington this week The definite day and hour had not ye been fixed. Recommendations for the readjust ment of postmasters' salaries; a reclass iflection of fourth class postoffices; ex tension of annual leave of postoffice em ployees from 15 to 30 days; abolishmen of the present bonding system of posts employees and inauguration of the in demnity fund as in the Canadian servic are 8 few of the striking points in th annual report of first assistant post moster General C. P. Grandfield, made public today. Appropriations aggregating $824, 408,948.01, will be necessary for vari ious branches of the government servic during the coming fiscal year, according to estimates of the departmental head sent to Congress today by the secretary of the treasury. Christopher C. Walters has been ap pointed postmaster at West End, Fair fax county, Va., vice G. H. Upperman removed. President Roosevelt announced today that he would deliver an address on Lin coln's birthday, February 12, at th celebration to be held at the Lincoln farm in Kentucky. Albert B. Cummins, of Iowa, wh will tomorrow succeed the late Senato Allison, was an early arrival in th lobby of the Senate, where he met number of friends. The Chicago city pure food ordinanc providing for condemnation of food found to be deleterious to the publi health, was upheld as constitutional to day by the U. S Supreme Court. Representative Townsend, of Michi gan, formally announced that he wa not a candidate for the speakership 0 the Sixty-first Congress. According to an announcement made by Secretary Cortelyou today, there wer 831 bids made for the $80,000,000 issu of Parama bonds, aggregating all told $102 808 800, Of these, 150 were ac cepted, the prices ranging from $102,
