The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1883-12-20
NATIONAL CAPITAL NOTES.
The Senate Committees Decided on in Cau-
Gus proposed Legislation in the Inter.
est OF SattIers on Public Lands.

morning simply fixed up the committees,
and adjourned to Thursday to consider the
subject of electing officers. Anson b. Nc
Cook, Of New York, and Mr.. Mcpherson,
Clerk of the last House, are candidates for
Secretary, the former especially having
quite number of warm advocates. Cana
dy, Of North Carolina, is gaining ground
on Colonel Geo. w. Hooker, under the Lead
ership of Sherman, Logan and Conger.
In the construction Of the committees,
Miller, Of California, takes Windom's place
MS Chairman of Foreign Affairs, displacing
Edmunds, who was next in order for the
position, but he preferred to retain the Ju-
dietary The only new Senator on this
committee is Wilson, of Iowa. The only
change in the Committee on Finance was to
add Miller, Of New York, Mr.. Morrill, re-
naming Chairman. The Committee on
Appropriation remains the same, Mr. Alli-
SON at It's head, with the addition of Call, of
Florida, in place of Davis, of West Nir-
ginia. Several of the new senators have
places ON the Committee on Manufactures,
Riddleberger, of Virginia, being Chairman,
Sabin, Dolph and Colquitt being among his
colleagues. Miller, Of New York, supplants
Malone as Chairman of the Committee on
Agriculture. The only change in the Com
mittee on Military Affairs, of which Logan
is Chairman, is to add Camden in place of
| Grover, Cameron, of Pennsylvania, was
left at the head of the Committee on Naval
| Affairs, with Anthony second. Mr. Hale,
4 the third on the Committee, will be de facto
/ Chairman. Hill, of Colorado, takes the head
| of the Post-otlice and Post Roads Com
\ mittee, Senator Ferry's old place. To
this committee Palmer and Wilson, the
new Senators from Michigan and Iowa, are
added. Plumb continues at the head of the
| Committee on Public Lands, Henderson, of
| Nebraska, is placed on the Committee on
Private Land Claims, Territories and
| Transportation Routes to the Seaboard.
Dawes keeps Indian Affairs, and Mitchell
gets Pensions, on which are Cullom and
Sabin. Mcmillan is on Revolutionary
Claims, and is Chairman Of the Committee
| on Commerce, Cameron, of Wisconsin, is
Chairman of the Committee on Claims, and
Ingalls, is Chairman of the Committee on
the District Of Columbia, with Palmer and
Riddleberger among his colleagues. Platt
has Patents and Harrison Territories. Saw
yer is Chairman of the Committee on Rail-
roads, on which are Cullom and Sabin.
Wilson is Chairman of the Committee on
Mines and Mining, and Conger on the Re-
vision of the Laws. Blair keeps Education
and Labor, and Hawley Civil Service and
Retrenchment. Van WyclS is Chairman of
the Committee on the improvement of the
Mississippi River, and Aldrich succeeds
Harrison at the head of Transportation
Routes to the Seaboard. Cullom is Chair
man of the committee to examine several
Gratis are given the Chairmanships of the
Committees on Private Land Claims, Rev.
olutionary Claims, Engrossed Bills, Epi-
demic Diseases, Claims Against Nicaragua,
Potomac Flats and Library. Malone has
the Craftsmanship Of Public Buildings and
Grounds, very important place. or the
new Republican Senators, Sabin, Palmer,
Manderson, Bowen and Pike were not given
chaiTmanships.
The Democratic caucus made the follow
ing assignments: Private Land Claims,
Bayard; Engrossed Bills, salisbury; Epi'
} demic Diseases, Harris; Revolutionary
Claims, Jones of Florida; Nicaragua
Claims, Maxey; Library, Voorhees,. Jonas
replaces Barrow on Elections. Vance and
Brown succeed Johnston and Call on For
gein Affairs. Call replaces Davis of West
Virginia on finance.
The bill of Mr.. Washburne, of Minnesota
to be introduced in the House tomorrow, is
important to would-be settlers on public
land, and will no doubt receive a great deal
! OF attention in Congress, the text Of it is as
follows:
SECTION !. That the pre-emption laws
together with all laws authorizing the filing
{ of declaratory statements for entering pub
q lie lands by agent or attorney, be, and the
q same are hereby, repealed; provided, how
/ ever, that this repeal shall not affect th'
! disposal Of the lands under treaty stipnla
tion with Indian tribes, nor be deemed tt
!, impair any legal rights heretofore acquired
i under laws hereby repealed, but all exist
, ing settlements, entries or filings may b'
. perfected upon proper proof of lawful ant
bona fide character of said claims, and o
$ due compliance with the provisions ant
G requirements of the laws under which sucl
o settlement or filings were made; provided
: 4 further, that any person who has not here
tofore had the benefit Of the pre-emptioi
i laws, and who failed from any cause h
r perfect title to a tract Of land heretofor
e entered by him under the homestead laws
n may make a second homestead entry il
i. lieu Of presumption privilege hereby re
pealed.
I SEC. 9. That no person who has made o
d hereafter shall make a homestead entry o
= public lands shall be entitled to avail him
1 self of the provisions of section 2,301 of tn
. Revised Statutes of the United States unit
he shall have resided upon, cultivated an
e made actual improvement on the land en-
braced in such entry for the full period o
r thirty months, and it shall be the duty O
= the General Land Office to require evidenc
. Of actual compliance with the requirement
of the law in respect to settlement, res
Il dence, Improvement and cultivation in a.
i, cases in which title now is or may hereai
ter be claimed under homestead or othe
settlement or Improvement laws OF tn
y United States.
= Sec g. That any person applying for I'll
- benefits of timber-culture laws shall mal
IA his entry in person at the proper local Ian
ot Office, and shall make affidavit that be is a
actual resident of the State or Territory
10
- entered into no contract or agreement
&c relinquish the entry he may make, and thi
,G. he has no present or prospective purpoi
- to make such REIMBURSEMENT; and the O
~ fering for sale as a matter of traffic, spec
rs lation or REIMBURSEMENT of public land ei
tries shall be deemed prima facie eviden'
- that such entries were made for specul
~ tive purposes and not in good faith, as r
n, quired by law, and such entries shall ther
az upon be repealed and cancelled by Il
d. Commissioner of the General Land Ofiic
and the land covered thereby shall
deemed subject to entry by the first leg
H. applicant. The first section of the act
of May IA, 1880, authorizing lands covered
~ relinquished claims to be held as open
settlement or entry without further acti'
of the Commissioner of the General Lai
n Office, and all other acts and parts Of &C
or inconsistent herewith, are hereby repeale
!. | provided also that when the timber-cultu
" entry shall have once been made on tra
le- Of public land subject to such entry a
the same shall be cancelled or relinquishe
n the land covered thereby shall thereaft