The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1883-12-20
NATIONAL CAPITAL NOTES.
The Senate Committees Decided, on in Cau-
cus-Proposed Legislation in the Inter.
csI of Settlers on Public Lands.

WASHINGTON, d. c.. Dec. 10.
The Republican caucus of the Senate this
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 WINDOWS place
rs 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-
manning Chairman. The Committee on
Appropriation remains the same, Mr.. Alli-
son at lis head, with the addition OF Call, OF
Florida, in place OF Davis, OF West Nlr-
ginia. Several of the new Senators have
places on the Committee on Manu- iactures,
Riddleberger, OF Virginia, being Chairman,
Sabn, Dolph and ColGuitt being among his
Malone as Chairman of the Committee Oh
Agriculture. The only change III 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,
the third ON the Committee, will be de facto
Chairman. Hill, of Colorado, takes the head
of the Post-office 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 Wyck 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
branches of the civil service. The Demo
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, a very important place. OF the
new Republican Senators, Sabin, Palmer,
Henderson, Bowen and Pike were not given
chairmanships.
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,
10 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,
5ogether with all laws authorizing the filing
IF declaratory statements for entering pub
lie lands by agent or attorney, be, and the
same are hereby, repealed; provided, how
ever, that this repeal shall not affect the
disposal of the lands under treaty Stipula-
tiOn with Indian tribes, nor be deemed to
impair any legal rights heretofore acquired
under laws hereby repealed, but all exist
ing settlements, entries or filings may be
perfected upon proper proof of lawful and
bona tide character of said claims, and OF
requirements of the laws under which such
settlement or filings were made; provided,
further, that any person who has not here
tofore had the benefit of the pre-emptiOn
laws, and who failed from any cause to
perfect title to tract of land heretofore
entered by him under the homestead laws,
may make a second homestead entry in
lieu of pre-emption privilege hereby re-
pealed.
SEC. 3. That no person who has made or
hereafter shall make homestead entry of
public lands shall be entitled to avail him.
stlf of the provisions of section 2,3O1 of the
Revised Statutes of the United States until
he shall have resided upon, cultivated and
made actual Improvement on the land en-
braced in such entry for the full period OF
thirty months, and iJ shall be the duty of
the General Land Office to require evidence
Of actual compliance with the requirements
of the law in respect to settlement, resi-
cases in which title now is or may hereaf-
ter be claimed under homestead or other
settlement or improvement laws of the
United States.
Sec. g. That any person applying for the
benefits of timber-culture laws shall make
his entry in person at the proper local land
office, and shall make affidavit that be is an
actual esident of the State or Territory III
which the land is situated, and that he has
entered into no contract or agreement to
relinquish the entry he may make, and that
he has no present or prospective purpose
to make such REIMBURSEMENT; and the Of
fering for sale as matter of traffic, specu-
lation or relinquishment of public land en-
tries shall be deemed prima facie evidence
that such entries were made for specula-
tive purposes and not in good faith, as re-
quired by law, and such entries shall there
upon be repealed and cancelled by the
Commissioner of the General Land Office,
and the land covered thereby shall be
deemed subject to entry by the first legal
applicant. The first section of the act of
May IA, 1880, authorizing lands covered by
reiinquished claims to be held as open to
settlement or entry without further action
of the Commissioner of the General Land
Office, and all other acts and parts OF acts
inconsistent herewith, are hereby repealed;
provided also thai when the timber-culture
entry shall have once been made on a tract
of public land subject to such entry and
the same shall be cancelled or relinquished,
the land covered thereby shall thereafter
be subject to entry only under the timber
culture laws, and no patent shall be issued
for such land until the requirements un.
der such laws shall have been fully COM
piled with.
Tho Congressional Library Building Pro-
Ianf