Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-07-25
CAPITOL TOPICS.
Public Lands Bill,

Representative Hall Of Minnesota today
reported to the House a bill amending exist
Ing law regarding the public lands. Pro-
vision Is made whereby settlers in town.
ships not mineral or reserved BY the gov
eminent, or persons and associations law
fully possessed of coal lands, or owners or
grantees Of public lands, shall have the
right to have such lands surveyed under
certain conditions. This feature of the bill
has III view the enlargement of the facili-
ties contained In the coal land laws, by
permitting such lands to be surveyed, as
can now be done in the case Of agricultural
lands required for actual settlement. The
discoverer Of a valuable deposit Of coal up-
on the unsurveyed public domain may now
take possession and hold his NINE vet
there Is no provision of law under which a
patent can issue therefor until the public
surveys have been so extended as to en-
brace II.
Another feature Of the bin provides that
when settlers and owners or grantees of
public lands make deposits in PAYMENT of
the cost of surveys certificates shall be is
sued therefor, and these may be used in
part payment for the lands settled upon
He Protests.
The House committee on immigration
yesterday afternoon granted a hearing to
DR.. G. D. CLAWS, the Washington rapre-
sentative Of a number of transatlantic
lines, to protest against the law which re-
quires steamship companies to provide for
immigrants while detained at the point of
er.try before being admitted to this country
or rejected.
To Bring Suit.
A bill las been introduced in the House
by Mr.. Maddox of Georgia, authorizing the
Attorney General to bring suit in the Su-
preme Court of the District of Columbia
against the Wichita and affiliated bands of
Indians to determine the legal interest of
said Indians in certain lands in Oklahoma
TERRITORY between the 9Sth and 1VOth de-
grees of longitude.
The Russian Thistle Augmentation.
The outlook for the rnillion-dollar appro-
priatiOn to exterminate the Russian thistle
which the Senate .attached TO the agricul-
tural bill, is now bright. The confereees
have agreed on items Of grnerence in
the bill except thft,,.. a firm stand was
made against 1t by the House confereees,
and disagreement will be reported hack
on that point. 1t is understood, however.
by the confereea that 8 Senator Cockreli
will make motion that the Senate recede
from. the amendmenter "rt,' r''o ~n.~-.
Dramatic Copyright.
Although the bill to increase the effective
ness Of dramatic copyrights has been re-
ported to the House there is still strong
opposition In the committee on patents to
desires to call UP the measure in the House
Saturday it was referred today to sub
committee, with instructions, if possible
to reach an agreement, so that it will re-
ceive the unanimous support OF the COM
mite emen.
Two More States. --....4.,. ,.
The full Serate committee on territories
has ordered favorable reports on the bills
admitting New Mexico and Arizona to
statehood. These bills have already passed
the House. ..s... .r,..~ CO.,, ,.-.,-.. -
Strike Investigation 10 Come Up.
The resolution for an investigation Of the
Chicago strikes by the commerce COM
mittee Will be called up in the House to-
morrow, according tn the decision of the
committee reached this morning. Bills to
extend the scope Of the life saving service
VII: he considered, as we'll as the bill to
retire tho older officers OF the revenue
marine service, which was recently the
subject of debate.