i A J - . . WORK THIS WEEK - - CONGRESS WILL NOW GET DOWN TO BUSINESS. " THE JOINT STATEHOOD MEASURE . It , Will Have the Right of Way In the Senate , Though Friends Will Not Make an Effort to Push It at Present. WASHINGTON-The joint state- hood bill will continue to bo the principal - cipal topic of discussion in the senate during the present weelt. but other measures will receive attention each day during the morning hour , .includ- r , ing the omnibus hill , for which Senator - 4 ntor 'Varen stands sponsor. The hill comprises more than 200 pages , but the senator already has succeeded in having It read by utilizing odd hours r. and thus has put a large and imP rt- , b - ant part of the work of consideration to the renr. There will be an effort made to get through the bill provid- Ing for the compensation of American - can fishermen whose vessels were seized previous to the arbitration of 1893. This measure Is in the hands of Senator Fulton , who will press it as an act of justice to men who , he thinks , have been discriminated against. The pure food bill will remain In the background for the present , not because the friends of that measure have abandoned it I , but because they consider its chances will be Improved by not pressing for immediate con- sideration. They have been assured by the republican leaders that the I bill shall have first place on the calen- i dar , aside from appropriation bills , . : . after the statehood bill Is disposed of , and therefore they will not antagonIze - ; . Ize the statehood bill for the present , 'f I If I ai ! l all. . Discussion of the statehood question . tlon will begin on Monday with a speech by Senator Morgan , and he ; will be followed by other opposing senators. The pre mt plan of the opposition - position to keep the discussion going until some of the appropriation bills , are reported and It becomes neces- , sary to take them up , or if this is postponed too long , to displace the , , bill with. the pure food bill. Failing i In all these expedients , they probably ) will seek a compromise. The only real fight Is against the uniting of Arizona and New Mexico , and there is taUt of eliminating those territories entirely from the statehood proposi- tion. It is believed that If this were r , done the bill for admission of Indian . Territory and OltlahonJt\ would lie passed. Thus far there has been no conference of opposing factions on the subject and possibly there would be little done to change the present status so long as the leaders are aux- . . m ! ious to keep other matters In the _ background , as appears to bo the case at present. MEMORIAL FOR DEAD LEADER 4 i Tribute of Chicago Orchestra to Theodore Thomas. CHICAGO-1'housands of persons , eager to pay tributes of respect to the memory of Theodore Thomas , were turned away from the Audi- torium theater Sunday night because . every seat in the hall was occupied t 'i tully half an hour before the time set for the memorial concert by the Chicago orchestra for Its dead leaelor. While the public memorial service was being held in the Auditorium a program of the dead musician's favorite - vorite numbers was also being ren- dered in many halls throughout the city. hlnaman Hanged for Murder. 1m ! MOM , Col.-Sing Yew , a Chi- nam.n : , was hanged In the penitentiary - tlarr here for the murder of Jeong K- Him , Ilt Walnut Grove , Sacramento 7i county , in October. 1902. : _ 0 _ _ _ _ _ _ . _ _ _ _ _ _ . _ _ _ _ _ _ , _ - . . _ _ _ . _ _ _ . . r ' SITUATION AT PORT ARTHUR - - Town Not as Badly Damaged as Re- ported. LONDON-Special dispatches from Toklo say that the Port Arthur garrison - son was marshaled at 9 o'cloclt Thurs- day morning at Yahutsui in accord- ance with the terms of the supple- mentary agreement. Tile Standard's Port Arthur corre- flpondent reports that the town ap- pears to have been little damaged by the h011lhardmont. Carriages and I'icltshas , he says , are moving about with well dressed people , who appar- ently are anything but slarved. The ruined forts resemble hllls shaken by a might convulsion , and In many cases every trace of the works has disappeared. According to the Dally Mail's Wet Hal Wel correspondent the British cruiser Andromeda , which sailed from Wel Hal Wei Wednesday morning for Port Arthur with hospital stores and surgeons , and which was not allowed to make a landing at Port Arthur , had a narrow escape , having passed two floating mines. Japanese officials In London con- sider that it was solely on account of the danger of the vessels ! : ! : taking mines that the Andromeda's offer was de- clined. It Is stated , however , that the British admiral omitted the formality of first asking whether assistance was acceptable to the Japanese author- tics. I RUSSIA'S FATE IN BALANCE. I - - i st. Petersburg Editor Discusses Pres- ent Condition in East and Locally Sl' PETERSBURG-Regarding the peace talk abroad M. Souvorin , editor - tor of the Novoe Vrem'a , in a signed editorial in that paper , passionately declares that the voice of the nation should give an answer , in order that the world might understand once for i all Russia's position The emperor , he I added , should commIt with representatives : . : I atlves of the land as his predecessors did before the days of John the Tel'- rib Ie. While papers abroad now say that peace could be concluded with- out dishonor if peace were made , they would declare It disgraceful. What the people want , he ( M. Souvorln ) cannot affirm , but the idea of ending the war at this juncture is abhorent to him and . he believes , to the Rus- sian people. If the inscriptions on the banners of demonstrators and the ac- tion of some or the zemstvos in favor of peace , represented the voice of the nation , It would mean the collapse of all of Russia's aspirations and farewell - well to Its position In the nations of the world. TAYLOR MAY LEAVE CASE Smoot Prosecutor Receives Federal Appointment and May Retire. ASHING'fON-Robert W. Tayler of Ohio , appointed to be judge of the United States district court of the nurllle1'1l district ur Ohio , called on the president to pay his respects and to thank him for the appointment. , 1\11' Taylor expects to assume his new duties on February 1 , on the retire- ment of Judge Francis J. Wing , re- slgnell. At present 1\11' Taylor is the principal attorney for the protestants In the Inquiry which Is being made by the senate in time case of Senator Smoot of Utah. It is expected that the formal inquiry by the committee will have been concluded by February 1 , but if It should not be Mr. Taylor will withdraw at that time. WASIIINGTON-The , Japanese legation - gation received the following cable- gram from the foreign office at Toklo , under date of Jan. 8 : "General Nogl , on Sunday , reports deliver of Rus- sian prisoners : under capitulation was completed on Saturda , } ' . The total cf the prisoners were 878 officers and 23,491 men , whereof 411. officers and 229 orderlies have given parole so tar. General Smlrnoff , General Fock , Gen- eral Gobatovsky and Admiral Wtll- mann preferred to be sent to Japan as priso1lCrs. . , , 'NO PEACE SOUCHTI I I I NEITHER RUSSIA NOR JAPAN ASKING FOR IT. THE WAR TO BE PROSECUTED' PROSECUTED'I I The Mikado , It Is said , Has Made No Overtures and Has Not Been Approached - preached In Regard to the Matter of Intervention. I WASHINGTON-Japan has made I no overtures for pence to RusBia directly - rectly or Indirectly , through the United States , or any other power , and contemplates no such action , and now that Port Arthur has fallen , pro- poses to press the war In the north all the more vigorously by reinforcing the Japanese armies at 1..lao Yang with the greater part of the troops which have been besieging Port Ar- thur. This , in brief , represents the views or Kogoro Takahlra , the .lap- anese minister , who has recently resumed - sumed charge of the legation at Wash Ington after a long Illness at New York. "The fall of Port Arthur , ' " said the minister , "is but a step In the war which Japan is waging for a princi- ple. Certainly it is an Important step , but nothing could be further from the truth than the assumption that , because - cause Japan has captured a strong- hold , the fall of which had long been expected , the Japanese government will now make overtures for lwace. Japan is too busy fighting. 'We are as much in earnest ! today as we were at the outset of the war. 'Vo have made no overtures for peace , either directly or indirectly , nor have the powers approached . preached us with any idea of Inter- vention. " At the Russian embassy it was reiterated - Iterated that Russia would fight all the harder in view of the temporary loss of Port Artnur. . Europe , it is learned , is firmly of the conviction that , however dark the outlook for peace at this moment , whell the prospect brighlemr it is Lu President Roosevelt that the neutrals as well as the belligerents will look for the intermediary through which negotiations - I gotiations can be made As n. Euro- pean ambassador said today. the American government Is practically the only government to which both belligerents will be willing to look for assistance in reaching a settlement , when the time comes , and aside from this fact the high personal regard In which the president is held , both at St. Petersburg and TOkio , makes it all the more probable that through him , when Russia and Japan have fought their fight , the powers must hope for I peac , Whipping Post Advocated WASHINGTON-The local grand jury , in making Its final report for the present term of the supreme court for the District of Columbia today recommended - ommended the establishment of the whipping post In the District. The question has been considerably agi- tated ever since the president in his last annual message recommended corporal punishment for wire beaters rll the District of ColumbIa. A recommendation - ommendation that persons about to be married produce evidence of freedom from certain diseases also Is made. Huge Bonfire of Cotton. DALLAS , Tex-A special from Shawnee , Okla. , says that several thousand dollars' worth of cotton , estimated - timated at GOO bales , gathered together In a huge pile in the little town of Asher in the southern part of Potta- wattamle county , furnished a hugo bonfire with which to greet the new ; year. Inthe presence of a large crowd the torch was applied and the ascend- Ing smoke was a witness that the farmers of this section are not to be outdone by those ot other sections to reduce the suppl. "One of the best sorts of minds is that which minds its own business " _ . _ - _ . _ _ _ , _ _ . _ 1 . . , I ROUSE SELECTED SPEAKER. South Platte Combination Wins the Day. LINCOLN-Tho forces of Douglas of Rock wore overthrown Monday and the republicans in legislative caucus chose Representative C. L. Rouse of Hall county speaker. Ills election was ratified Tuesday at noon when the house convened. John Wall was chosen ! : to succeed himself as chief clerk of the house. ClydO Barnard will bo his assistant. Senator W. H. Jennings of Thayer county was elected president pro tem of the senate. W. M. Wheeler of Fairfield was elected secretary. It was a complete victory for the South Platte combination beaded by ' House , who is a North Platte man. The combination hustled and secured votes , while the Douglas men were apparently powerless to stem the tide. Overconfidence on the part of the Douglas forces was one reason as signed for their defeat. Some con- > J tended that Dougllls could have won If his workers had consented to give up Westberg for clerk of the house. The list follows : Spealter-George L. Rouse , AIda. L Speaker Pro Tem-R. B. Windham , . . Piattsmouth . . . , 'Chlof Clerk-John Wall , Arcadia. Assistant Clerk-C. H. Barnard , Ta- ble Rocle. Second Assistant Clerk-C. E Sandal . da.l , Yorle. Third Assistant Clerk-Will Downey . e- , Lincoln. Sergeant-nt-Arms - Buck Taylor , Omaha. Assistant Sergeant - at-Arms-J. H. McKinnon , Greenwood. ' Chaplain-A. C. Crosthwaite , University - I vcrsity Place. Postmaster-So D. McGnnls , , Holt i county. 1 Doorkeeper-J. B. Parrish , Blair. , Chief Clerk Enrolling and Engrossing - Ing Room-A. . M. TlmUng Nebraska t Cit , } ' . f Senate Officer. i The result of the formal caucus of the senate was as follows : i Chaplain-Rev. Jacob Flook , Kear- ney. Secretary-W. 1\1 Wheeler , Fair- 11eld , First Assislant-M. J. Green- , Om- aha. Second Assistant-Walter Abraham- , son , lIoldrege. Sergeant.at-Arms-H. D. Wooer , J Stella. , Asslstant-Mell M. Schdold Dakota i CIt , } ' . Postmaster-.I. R. Manning , Wayne. # Chief Clerk Enrolling and Engross- ; lng-A. E. Chaffee , Syracuse. 1 CLEARING AWAY THE MINES i Japs Begin the Work 0. . Getting Charts From Rus.lana. 'OKIO-The Javanese naval .Aft- eel'l' ! have noL exullllutll the sut ken t Russian warships at Port Arthur and t therefore nothing is known of their r condition and possible avallablllty for ! further service. I The Russians surrenderC'd - possession - ! sion of the dock yard and other naval ; . property yesterday and turned over to the Japanese ten small steamers : available for immediate use. AU the other emit had previously been sunk. The work of clearing away the mines commenced as soon as the Rus- t sian charts provided for in the capitulation - f ulatloll agreement were delivered to r the Jallanese. It is impossible to move the ma- jorlt of the sick and wounded , who I will he nursed at Port Arthur. The ; Japanese are hurrying supplies of medicines \ and foods to the scene and with improved sanitation and careful nursing they hope to cure thousands of the patients. The case of the many prisoners is a troublesome and expensive - pensive task and It Is possible that Japan will arrange later , to return f' them to Russia. The question is now ! under consideration at Toklo.