Connecticut western news., 1888-03-07
AT WASHINGTON.
Some Matters of Moment Brought
 Up at the Capital.

Tn reporting the General Land bill to the that the main purpose of the bill and the principal projects to be accomplished are: First, to secure to actual and bona fide settlers all the remaining public lands adapted to agri- culture; and, second. to protect the forests destruction. The bill does not change the present mineral land laws except to restrict the definition of such land in the interests of homestead settlers and to classify iron and coal lands together at the rate of $l0 per acre. The most radical changes proposed are in re- gard to timber lands. The provisions of this portion of the bill have already been published It is stated that in the preparation of the bill the purpose of making the public lands source of revenue to the national Treasury has been wholly ignored as to land which could be made available in securing homes for the people, so that only mineral towns and reserved lands made specially valuable by the improvement of surrounding lands and forest lands are to be exempt from the homestead principle. In con- clusion, the committee calls special attention to the fact that every provision of the existing law under which public lands in large bodies have by fraudulent and dishonest methods ed to be repealed by the bill. Under it's terms monopoly of the public lands will be impossi- ble, and all public lands adapted to agriculture, even to partial extent, or on which citizen can establish home, is made available in se- curing him freehold estate. A letter of the
 
 Office estimates the public lands, excluding Alaska, classified as arabic lands, on which crops can be raised without irrigation, at about 75,OOO,O00 acres.
 The Secretary of tlle Treasury transmitted an estimate ot appropriation amounting to S49O,OO0 for an academic building at the Mill tary Academy, West Point Accompanying the letters are the reports of the Committee of the Academic Board, of the Superintendent of the Academy, and plans for the new building ia yir,,ot al ho site of the present building. It is to be built of stone, fire proof throughout, and to be simi- lar in architecture to the cadet barracks. The building is intended to accommodate all the departments of instruction at the Academy, and to provide suitable examination, lecture, and model rooms.
 The bill to amend the Chinese Restriction acts reported favorably by Senator Sherman from the Committee on Foreign Relations; pro vides that the words 'sChnese laborer' and "Chinese passenger" shall be held to include and mean any person of the Chinese race without regard to the Government to which the Chinese may owe allegiance, and without re- gard to tho port, place, or country from which he or she may como to the United States. All Chinese laborers who departed from the United States between Nov. IF, 1880, and June 6, 1882, having at the time of departure right to re- turn to the United States under the provisions of the treaty of Nov. F, 1850, are compelled to return within six months after the passage of this act, or be deemed to have waived their right to return under the provisions of the treaty, and shall forever thereafter be excluded from the United States. The certificate pro- vided by the act of May 9, 1882, to be delivered to Chinese departing from the United States for the purpose of Identification on their re- turn shall, ninety days after the passage of this act. be such as tho Secretary of the Treasury shall from time to time prescribe; and the Sec rotary of the Treasury shall have power to make all needful rules and regulations to prevent the entry into the United States of any Chinese who are denied the right so to enter by any act of Congress.