The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-01-24
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.


caI-NexIean TreatyIToxas Repub-
ucans Looking after Ap0iIs-P0stal
Matters.
special Correspondence ~ The Statesman
WASHINGTON, Jan. Is, 1884.
The mournful cry that comes up /
from Denison, Gainesville and Sher-
man about branch of the federal |
court has amusing features Of Igno-
rance in it. No sooner was bill il |
troduced In Congress asking for sit |
ting of the federal court in Gaines
vile. than all of Sherman and all of
Denison opened up cry for branch
Of the court also. They really believe
down there that all one has to Dc to
get anything from Congress Is to
write out bill and introduce it. Our
congressman would Ike this to be the
case. But the york of Offering
bill and the afterwork Of pass
ing it sfe different conditions.
GAINESVILLE need not coast OF getting
the Court till she gsts it. There is little
hope of the federal court of western
Texas being divided up any more
than - IL. The reasons are chiefly
th2S the p esent law provides conven-
fences equal to population and litiga-
ton as compared with the receipts
and expenses Of the court.
| In comments in these letters upon
| the bill to secure Greer county to
Texas, it was stated that Lanham was
not the original intrOdLcer of the bill.
His friends say he has made bill out
of all that have been introduced, and
| aided by the committee reports and
Official documents; that the new bill
is very complete one.
The bill drawn by the stockmen's
committee, now in session here, to
suppress and extirpate contagious
diseases among cattle and other
dsmestic animals provides that thu
United States commissioner of agri
culture shall organize in his de Jart-
meut a bureau of animal industry
and shall appoint a chief who shall bt
a competent veterinary surgeon, and
| whose duty it shall be to investigate
and report upon the number, value
and condition of tho domestic animals
OF the United States, their protection
and use, and also inquire into and re-
port the causes of contagious ano
Communicable diseases among them
and the means for the prevention and
care of the same. The salary OF the
chief shall belt he same as th2: fof 9th T
chiefs OF division in the agriculture
depaI tment, and cle.rk shall be pro-
vidod at a yearly GALAXY of $500 The
commissioner OF agriculture is also
authorized 90 ap, ONT three agents
VINO snG.n be practical stock Tai5ors OF
hTr. Familiar eth
cial transactions in live stock, whose
duty It shall be to examil and re-
port upon the best methods of treat
ing, transporting and caring for ali
mails; the means to be adopted for the
suppression and extinction of con-
tagious pleuro- pneumonia, or lung
plague, and to provide against the
spread of other contagious diseases.
These agents are to be paid at
the rate of $40 day,
with all necessary expenses, while
engaged In the performance of their
duty. The bill also directs the COM
missioner of agriculture to make a
| special investigation as to the exist
1 ence of contagious diseases alonS the
dividing line between the United
States and foreign countries. and
along the lines of t. ansportatioD, and
make report of the results of such
investigation to the secretary of the
treasury, who shall establish such
regulations concerning the eXporta
ton and transportation of live stock
as the results of the investigation
may require. The bill further provides
for the cooperation of the authorities
iof states in stamping out contagious
diseases. Notice shall be given to
Transportation companies when pleu-
iro-pneumonia aud other contagious
diseases exist, and 5if such companies
iafterwards transport diseased cattle
itheir managers or officials shall be ad-
Judged guilty of misdemeanor, and,
upon conviction, shall be punished by
fine of not less than $1,000 nor more
than 5000, or by imprisonment for
not more than one year, or both. The
bill further provides that it shall be
the duty of the several United States
district-attorney to prosecute all vio-
lations of the act which shall be
brought to their notice or knowledge
by any person making the complaint.
and the same shall be heard before
any district or circuit court of
the United States holding within the
district in which the violation has
been committed, or the person or cor
poration resides or carried on bust
5 ness.
The Mexican treaty, now being dis
cusse0 IN the Senate, provides for a
period of six years to admit free of
duty a few of the raw products OF
| Mexico, all of which except hemp,
sugar below the grade of No. 16, and
leaf tobacco, are already on the free
list, in exchange for free admission b.
| Mexico of agricultural implements
and machinery, and material for rail
| ways and mines. together with loco
motives and engines, cars, road car
rlages of all kinds, pumps, water
pipes. stoves, tools, fence wire. brick
tiles. scientific instruments, clocks,
United States have decidedly
the best of the bargain. At present
there is little sugar to be sent from
| Mexico to this country, and though
the Mexican sugar industry has great
possibilities in the future they are no.
likely to develop very far in half a
dozen years. The same thing is, in a
measure, true of Mexican tobacco. At
the same time the heavy tax now i'm
posed by the United States is one that
can not stand, and the treaty only an
| ticipates by few years, and for an
unimportant source of supply, what
will before many years have to
be our policy for the whole
! world. On the other hand, the
| advantages secured by the treaty
for the United States, are
solid and varied. Our present
trade with Mexico is Insignificant. 1t
consists of some $S,O00,OO0 imports
and some $16,OO0,OO0 exports. of which
100000 are in foreign goods. 1t is
in all on 16 per cent of our foreign
trade, and is ninth on the list, being
less than one-half our trade with Bel
GUM, and only one-third more than
our trade with distant Japan. The
largest items in it are rot included in
the treaty. Cotton and cotton goods
form nearly one-fourth of our exports,
but IL railway material and equip
ment, in machinery and tools, there is
a beginning of an important trade.
j. q. Tracy and Nathan Patton, of
Houston; W. A. Saylor, of Austin,
and j. F. Pells, of Palestine, are here
to push Jack Evans for judge in Nor
rill's place. They are also after the
Federlas patronage of Texas, 80 it
seems; not to grasp 1t all at once, but
laying plans to capture 1t if it can be
controlled. They are the Davis party.
they say; his mantle is upon them,
and they viii take Ochiltree's scalp If
possible. Their presence here is a
significant feature in Texas Republi-