The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1893-09-09
FROM WASHINGTON CITY.

ing the pending bill 10 extend the time
during which whisky may lie in bond
before penalties accrue. Secretary Car
lisle declares 1t would afford no relief u
owners, and says the amount Of penal
ties accrued and TO accrue are not sufIi-
cient to justify special legislation.
Representative Geary, author Of the
Chinese exclusion act, called on Secre-
tary Gresham the other day, and urged
him to enforce the law with the small
amount of money on hand for that pur-
pose. II is understood Geary received
very little satisfaction, a. Secretary
Gresham adhered in hi- views to the
present policy Of the administration in
the matter.
Senator Carey has introduced a bill
providing that all desert lands, whether
in or outside OF railroad grant, shall be
sold at Sl.25 an acre, and that all per-
sons who have paid more than that for
land shall have the amount reimbursed
10 them from the Treasury Department.
He also has bill granting per cent OF
the net proceeds of the sale OF public
lands in all States TO be paid for common
schools.
Senator Mitchell Of Oregon has been
early in pressing bill TO reduce letter
postage TO cent per ounce, and has in
trodneed bill for that purpose. The
trouble in securing legislation Of this
kind heretofore has always been the OPP
position from the PostofiiCe Department,
because there was not sufficient revenue
from the postal system to carry on the
postal business OF the country and Con-
gress refused to appropriate larger sums.
There has been considerable corre-
spondence concerning the forcible ex-
pulsion of Italian miners from Cripple
Creek, Col, between Secretary Gresham,
Governor Waite and Baron Fava, but it
is likely the explanation offered Minister
Fava by the State Department and Gov
ernor Waite will be satisfactory to the
Italian government, and that the Incl
dent will be declared closed After the
correspondence with Governor Waite
Secretary Gresham wrote Baron Fava
that the attack was not due to race pref
udIce, but the feeling against cheap la
Dor. When the Americans found them
selves undcrbid by the Italians, they took
torcible measures OF securing the ends
they desired, but did so with no feeling
against the unpopular workmen as Itai-
iaus. Gresham expressed regret for the
occurrence, and hoped it would not dis
turb the friendly relations between the
two countries.
In response to a resolution of inquiry
on the subject Of silver purchases under
the act OF 1890 Secretary Carlisle sent to
the House 6i Representatives a letter
setting forth the following facts: From
August l3, 1890, to August l6, 1898, the
department purchased l6l ,52l 900 fine
ounces, costing $3.50 $50, ,459 The high
est price paid was $l.294 an ounce, Au-
gust 20, 1890; the lowest SO cents an
ounce, July "A, 1893. Treasury notes to
the amount of $3.50, ll5,9 ,9S5 have been is
sued in payment of the silver bullion, OF
which STA 636 has been redeemed, Yin
standard silver dollars and retired since
August 81, 1890. Up to August l, 1893
$40, ,lS4, 4,l 100 in Treasury notes has been
redeemed in gold 36,0S7, l85 standard
dollars have been coined from bullion
purchased under the act of OF 1890. On
the l4lh instant the government owned
of silver purchased under the act OF 1890
1873, l6l 1915 ounces, costing 1921 ,2l7, ,677.
Secretary Hoke Smith has heard the
argument of counsel upon the applica-
tion of the ellison Asphaltum Company
for the restoration of the two most east
erly tiers of townships now included in
the UnCompahgre Indian reservation in
Utah. 1t was the contention OF counsel
that these Indians hold the lands they
occupy by suferance only, and therefore
neither they nor the Secretary of the In
terror have any right to lease any part
of them for mining or any other pur-
pose. They argued that the only way in
which the asphalt deposits in the reser-
vation can be rendered accessible is by
restoring the lands to public domain, and
the power to restore lands by executive
proclamation is beyond question. At
the conclusion of the argument the Sec
retary announced that he had serious
doubts as to his authority, and in any
event he would not do so. He thought
it probable he would send communica-
ton to Congress on the question of open
ing the reservation or part OF it to set
tlement.
Representative Hermann says he has
some doubt as to what is necessary for
the Improvement at The Dalles, but is
of the opinion that ii the delegation
should unitediy support the proposition
for canal not so large as that at the
Cascades, but sufficient for all vessels
that can navigate the upper Columbia,
favorable action may result in the fu-
ture. Meanwhile he is OF the opinion
that it would be a good thing to have q
portage road built to accommodate the
traffic of the river. From his intimate
knowledge of the men who will compose
the River and Harbor Committee he is
convinced that they will never agree to
a boat railway. They have argued the
question many times with him, and say
that they do not propose to commit the
government to railway project of any
kind, and especially to one which must
be largely experimental and will cost
millions before it is completed and $780,
900 q year to operate. Representative
Hermann is of the opinion that in time
a canal can be built, but the same rea-
sons which are presented for not build
ing boat railway, committing the gov
ernment to building railways, operates
against the idea of constructing port
age road by the government.