The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1893-12-30
FROM WASHINGTON CITY.

| rhdlChlIy lnOulllcd.
Tho Oregon delegation was very active
IN securing the extension Of time for sot.
tiers on the forfeited railroad lands until
1897. Representative Ellis bill went
| from the House tO the Senate, and Sen.
ator Dolph had IL passed Immediately
without reference to II committee. Sem
ator Dolph had introduced and had re.
ported from His Committee on publc
Lands n bill Of similar character. and
10 the parliamentary status Of the meas
urc gave him IN opportunity tO put 1t
through without any delay. Settlers on
these lands will be greatly benefited by
tho extension granted, especially during
these hard times.
/ lac bill for the admission of Utah waa
passed without division by the House mt
the conclusion Of the debate Ncwlanda
Of Nevada made his maiden speech in
support Of admission He thought Utah
was fully prepared for Statehood but
objected 10 leaving the allotment Of lands
in Utah 10 bureau officers in Washing
ton, who did not understand the condi.
tiona there. The United States, he said.
should cooperate in the reclamation Of
the arid lands in that region. In de-
Tending Nevada he said he was unable 10
understand why there should be 10 omuch
aversion to a State which, when the
country was in revolution, had poured
5000, 900, 900 into the Treasury. New.
lands claimed the cause of the present
depression in Utah was the result OF leg
slation lcvclcd at her interests.
The annual report of Prof. Mcnden-
hall, chief OF the coast geodetic survey
If interesting. The report says that pre-
liminnry surveys needed for the location
OF II northeastern boundary line between
the United States and Canada are near
ing completion. The surveys have been
begun for the location OF the boundary
line between California and Nevada from
Lake Tahoe 10 the Colorado river, and
officers OF the survey have been sent TO
Southeastern Alaska under instructions
TO cooperate with officers detailed by
the Dominion Of Canada 10 locate the
boundary line between Alaska and Brit
ish Columbia. In accordance with re-
quests the survey detailed an officer TO
act az member OF the board OF engi.
neers to devise a system OF sewerage and
grading OF streets in san Francisco and
to cooperate with the IIarbor Line Com
mission OF the State OF Washington in
the harbor surveys OF Puget Sound.
The Committee on Public Lands re-
ported fayowbly Representative Her
mann's bill prescribing limitations for
the completion OF titles of lands in Ore
gon and Washington claimed under the
La commonly L "a tho - donation
act" The lst day OF January, 1925, is
liked as the period within which final
proofs can be made, and thereafter all
such lands under incomplete proof will
be held abandoned and the lands will
become part part OF the public domain
and subject to settlement. Such land a.
may have been claimed bypurchase from
the original claimant, or occupied and in
undisturbcd possession for twenty years
by such purchasers and occupants, or
heirs at law or devisecs, shall have pref
erence of right Of title by purchase or
payment Of 81 % per acre within ninety
days after January /, 1895. The bill is
recommended by several Commissioners
OF the general land Office and the pres
ent Secretary of the Interior.
The majority report on civil service for
the present year is document of about
Is, 900 words. The most interesting por-
tion il that bearing on the extension OF
the classified service to irec-delivery post
offices, the subject on which Commits
sioner Johnston dissentcd and was aC-
cordingly removed by the President
short time ago. The report condemns
the removal OF the salary list to classi
fed service in custom houses, and recon-
mends classification by grade. In sup
port OF this view the satisfactory results
of classification in the railway mail serv-
ice are cited. The report saws that in
the unclassifed service, taken as whole,
the government methods OF the United
States are so utterly indeiensible from
the standpoint OF decency and morality
that it is difficult for man of ordinary
intelligence who wishes well to his coun-
try to discuss the arguments advanced
in their favor with anything like toler-
ance. The report lillens our system to
those employed in Morocco and Turkey
The number of persons connected with
civil service in the United States is about
200, 900. The minority report of Com
missioner Johnston opposes the eXten-
sion of the classified service to free-de
livery postoflices as ill-advised and harm
ful to the cause of civil service reform.
1t is probable the State Department
will soon enter upon negotiations looking
to the adjustment of our relations with
China. The enactment of the Geary
law will be regarded as an infraction OF
the existing treaty, necessitating new
treaty. 1t is understood Gresham de-
sires to make an extension of our trade
relations and privileges with China the
central feature OF his administration.
The Secretary is known to have little
faith in the future of our trade relations
with the Spanish Republics,
and has made no recommendation for
an appropriation for the maintenance Of
the bureau OF American Republics. 1t
is known that Yung Yu, the recently ar
rived Chinese envoy, comes expressly
charged with negotiations for q new
treaty. The Chinese government is sat
istied with the amendment to the Geary
act, and is not anxious to extend the
privilege of immigration for its people,
but is solcitous for their protection and
privileges. Chinese statesmen are said
to regard with favor the extension of
trade relations with the United States in
preference to the governments having
more aggressive policy. The coming ne
gotiations will embrace q settlement of
the question of immigration, the treat
ment of the Chinese already here or who
may hereafter come legally, and the pro-
lection of American citizens residing in
China Al the Chinese lnnn tinn il Is in