The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1893-10-28
FROM WASHINGTON CITY.

Governor Caleb w. West OF Utah, in
hs annual report, states that the total
population Of the Territory is estimated
at 233, ,SOb, an increase Of 25 800. Be
cause Of recent financial stringency and
the decline Of silver values, the pOpula-
ton Of the mining districts has ma
tcrially decreased during the past six
months, while there has been steady
growth in the other parts Of the Terri
tory.
Anderson Of West Virginia has intro
duced bill 10 amend Section 5,b28 Of
the Revised Statutes by striking out the
words "unlcss such force be necessary
to rcpel armed enemies OF the United
States or 10 keep the peace at the polls"
This IN one Of the Federal statutes not
repealed in the Tucker bill, and the
IL intended TO prevent any
army or navy officers bring troops 10 the
polls.
Representative Doolittlo of Washing.
ton has introduced a joint resolution in
the House providing for a commission,
consisting Of three Senators and six Rep.
resentatives TO 90 over the entire route
Ough examination with a view OF sub
mitting 10 Congress a comprehensive re-
port OF the existing conditions and fur
nishing information upon which future
legislation may be had. The resolution
was referred to the Committee on Inter
state and Foreign Commerce.
The Banking and Currency Com
mittee heard Bryan of Nebraska on his
bill to secure depositors OF National
Banks, compelling the banks to set
aside one-iourth Of per cent of the av-
erage deposits for the two months pre-
ceding January / until fund Of $l0,-
00O, 900 is created TO be paid depositors
Of failed banks. Bryan argued that the
depositors ought TO be paid at once, for
il every depositor was sure Of his money
he would not draw it out, and this
would have the effect OF preventing
panics.
Cummings from the Committee on
Naval Affairs presented to the House
and had passed resolution calling on
the Secretary of the Navy for informa-
tion as 10 the amount OF premiums paid
for the construction OF war
ships developing speed in excess OF re-
etc. After this the bill TO
remit the penalties on the dynamite
cruiser Vesuvius came up, and Savers OF
Texas vigorously opposed it, claiming
the Nesuyius was worthless for the pur-
poses for which she was built. Talbot
OF Maryland read letter from Secre-
tary Herbert declaring the claim an
equitable one and saying if the dyna-
mite guns did not show improvement
the Nesuvius would be fitted with other
The amount involved is $780,
900. The bill went over without action.
In the Supreme Court of the United
States eX-Attorney-General Garland
asked the court TO advance for hearing
the appeal Of the Northern Pacific Rail-
road Company VS.. j. l.. Patterson, Treas
urer Of Gallatin county, Mont, from the
Montana Supreme Court. The PROPOSE
tions contained in this case involve ulti-
mately the question of the taxability of
all the unpatented surveyed lands within
the limits OF the Northern Pacific, South
ern Pacific, Union Pacific, Central Pa
citic, California and Oregon, Oregon and
Atlantic and Pacific, Texas
Pacific and all other various land grants
made by Congress to aid in the construc-
tion OF railroads. These lands now
in the case of the Northern Pa
ciiiC grant alone to over 1900, 900 acres,
an area rapidly increasing as the surveys
are farther extended. The area of lands
in the same condition included in SINH
lar grants will more than double this.
These lands are to be found in almost
every State west of the Mississippi, and
their taxability has been one of the great
sources of revenue in those States. The
Southern Pacific Company, controlling
the land grants of that road, of the Cen
trail Pacific, Oregon and California and
California and Oregon, refuses to pay
taxes upon unpatented portions of those
grants. The States along the line of the
Northern Pacific have sustained the
claims of the County Treasurers, and tax
the lands within their jurisdiction; and
the railroad company comes to the Su-
preme Court for relief.
The report of Brigadier- General Will
lam p. Carlin, commanding the military
Of the Columbia, which in
cludes the States OF Oregon, Washington
and part of Idaho and the Territory
OF Alaska, has been received at the War
The General devotes
large part of his report to urging the
necessity for the abandonment of some
small posts in the department because
of their inaccessibility and the estab-
lishment of larger posts in place of them
at points near the railroad and the large
cities and towns. General Carlin re-
commends the discontinuance of Fort
Spokane, Wash, and the construction
of post near Spokane. Fort Town
send, he says, is useless to protect the
cities and harbors of Puget Sound, and
he thinks the garrison should be re-
moved to some important point. One,
ii not two, points in addition to these
named could, in General Carlin's opin-
ion, be abandoned with advantage to the
government. Fort Candy, at the
mouth of the Columbia river, would be
of great Importance in time of war with
q naval power, but it is inaccessible in
winter, and only small garrison is re-
quired there in time of peace. Fort
Stevens, on the opposite or southern
side of the river, is also point of great
Importance, and General Carlin urges
that it be strongly fortified. General
Carlin reports that desertions in the de-
partment of the Columbia showed an in
crease during the year. He says that
the attempt to enlist company OF In
diana resulted in failure.