Dodge City times., 1888-01-05
NATIONAL AFFAIRS.

ASHINGTON, Dec. JV.-Opc3kcT SaEllSle
was at the capital yesterday working or
his committee list. He has a purpose in
the construction Of the committees beyond
the mere placing of members where they
would like to be, and causing degree Of
satisfaction by the result. The real ques
tion that presents itself IS how each com
mittee can be constructed SO as to accom-
plish or defeat certain things. The Speaker
has absolute power in this, and can name
whom ne wants for any committee. but he
has to select from the material before him,
and tis that which annoys him more than
the pressure and influence of individual
members. He has found but little difficulty
in getting the material he desired for the
Ways and Means Committee and Appropria-
| tions Committee, but some of the less i'm.
portant committees are giving HIM more
trouble.
The State Department has direct policy
to be carried out in the House, and wants
| a Committee on Foreign Affairs IN accord.
Mr.. Belmont, as chairman of the commit
tee, will be the exponent Of this policy, but
there is d ficulty in the way of getting a
committee with a majority certain at all
| times to work in accord with him. As to
the Committee on Pacific Railroads there
| is the same trouble. The Administration
has a positive policy with relation to the
settlement Of the Pacific railroads which it
IS proposed shall be carried out by this
Congress.
| OKLAHOMA.
| WASHINGTON, Dec. 30-Oklahoma comes
to the front this session with its we'll
known pertinacitv, and bills have already
| been prepared for introduction In the
House and Senate soon after the recess
! providing for the speedy opening to settle
ment of that Territory. But small por-
F, tion of the Indian Territory will be asked
for by the measures offered this session,
| and no attempt will be made to open to
settlement the tract known as the ''Chero-
kee Strip" or Cherokee Outlet" The
land Of which it is proposed to form the
new Territory lies in the very heart of the
Indian Territory and, although the very
| best lands in the United States, are sur
rounded by Indians on every side. They
would seem TO be very undesirable Local
ton for white people who desired to make
permanent and extensive settlement and
improvements. The land consists Of
three tracts, one containing 6T, lj5
acres, acquired from the Seminoles.
and another containing 7l5, SOL, acquired
from the Creeks, and third containing
495 l5l acres, acquired from the Chicka.
saws. These lands were all ceded by the
civilized tribes spoken Of by the treaties
made in 1866. For some of the lands the
Government paid fifteen cents an acre, and
for the remainder, acquired at subse-
Quent session of Congress, thirty cents an
acre was paid. The chief obstacle to
throwing these lands open to settlement is
the terms of the treaties of 1866, by which
the Indians sold these lands for certain
specified purposes. The Government was
to place on them nothing but friendly
tribes of Indians, or the freedmen who
had been held as slaves by the five civilized
tribes, but emanclpated by the abolition OF
slavery. These lands could not be opened
to settlement, therefore, without abroga-
ting these treaties, and to do so would be
to arouse such hostility among the Indians
as to render settlement on these lands very
hazardous. This is why the Indian Bureau
is opposed to the proposed Oklahoma.
AUSTRALIAN WOOL.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 29-In Il report to
the Department Of State upon the Aus
trallan wool clip for 1SS6-S7, G. w. Griffen.
United States Consul at Sydney, states that
the remarkable feature in connection with
the clip is the decided Improvement in the
quality OF the fleece over that of the previ-
Gus season-mainly due to the improved
condition of the natural grasses through
the copious rains in almost every part OF
Australia. The Victorian wool sold IN
London during the months of No
vember and December attracted no small
amount of attention on account of it's
superior quality and luster. A marked i'm
provement was noticed in the condition of
the clip from every one OF the colonies The
total number Of bales exported from all the
colonies during the year ended May 81, was
1,16!,574, against ], ,1l2 162 for the corre-
spending period of the previous year. The
wool exports of the Australian colonies to
the United Kingdom during the first four
months of the present year amounted TO
217, ll2, 1917 pounds against 213, 127 573 pounds
for the corresponding period of 1856, and
the increase in quantity was far surpassed
by the increase in value. The value Of the
shipments Of Australian woods to the Unit
ed Kingdom during the first four months
Of 1887 was SIS 46i, 730, while that of the
same period of 1885 was only S41.35S, ,OOO
The shipments forthe month of April alone
amounted to $1S,959,040, against S,430, $50
for the same month last year. The direct
wool import to the United States has been
very small. The absence of the usual num-
the colonial sales, especially at Sydney and
Adelaide, and the few that were present
shovel no disposition to bid against the
French and German BUYERS for laklngs Of
wool desired for The American market. In
deed the only effect of the presence Of the
Americans at all was perhaps to excite
The competition between the continental
buyers, VIII ch was sharp and keen, and
formed tue mainstay of the market. The
only direct shipments to America consis. ed
Of l40GO bales from Melbourne and 100 bales
from Sydney. The total number of sheep
in Australia the present year amounted to
g., ,OV0, 0Ol, against 2l2 0W in 1885,
THE FISHERIES COMMISSION, -~ =
WASHINGTON, Dec. 30.-Persons holding
close relations to the Administration clam
to know that the Fisheries Commission
will make short work when it reassembles
next month. Mr.. Chamberlain and Sir
Charles Tupper will come back from Ot-
tawa empowered to accept the proposition
made by our representatives during the
conference, to refer to arbitration
the two main questions at issue
namely: First, whether Canada will
give our fishing vessels the commercial
rights which we accord to their fishing
vessels: and, second, whether the three
mile limits shall follow the indsntations of
the snore. 1t is believed bv Secretary
Baya"d and the other American negotiators
that these questions would certainly be
decided in our favor by any arbitrato rs
that might be selected. Whether this
speculation viii prove true can only be de-
by the result.
Gr;mshaw and Sparrow Rewarded.
SEoAIIA, Mo-, Dec. 0-YeSterday Lo-
cal Agent Morseman. of the Pacific Ex-
press Company, received letter from Su-