Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-07-17
FORTY-FIVE STATES.
The Last One to Enter Has Had a
Long Struggle.
Measures Of National importance Yet Hanging
in the Congressional Balance.

convention to frame a state government,
and next December If the bill is carried
out as it has just passed the senate, Utah
will become Il state. 1t is only by a sort
of apostolical succession that this can be
called the state the Mormons first de-
signed, for the boundaries they laid out
included '.all that part Of upper California
between the dividing submits of the
Sierra Ncvadas and the Rocky noun
tains," and they named their state ''Des-
erct" Their intended state contained all
Of the present Nevada, all of Colorado west
Of the summit and considerable portions
Of Wyoming Idaho, Arizona and south
eastern California. The Mormon pioneers
reached the site of Salt Lake City July "a,
,1S47, when there were not 100, 900 white
Americans west OF the meridian of Kansas
City, and after many desperate attempts
10 break into the Union as a state their
Dcscret" is no more, and their Utah Is
the last of all the northern and central ter
ritories to come In. The vicissitudes of
the bill present something of a mystery
Va few weeks ago it was announced, as II
by authority, that Mr.. Cleveland would
veto any now state, and that the senate
would take no action, but suddenly tho
senate committee took up the Utah bill
md reported it fayorably, and it now goes
through Nevertheless it would be rash
to prophcsy as to any of the other three
territories, and their delegates will only
say that they have hopes.
Important Measures.
Among the measures of really national
importance yet to BIO decided the Mica
ragua canal bill will doubtless excite great
interest and probably some very earnest
discussion On the general principle that
the canal should DO built and that the
United States should control 1t there is
little or no dissent, but when 1t comes to
the proposition that the United States
shall guarantee the bonds leaving mar
gin of possibly $l3, 900, 600 for the promot-
crs, there Is u deal Of humming and haw-
ing, and the average member who will
talk at all says that the government had
better get rid of its present acknowledgements
with big corporations before it gets into
any more. The oft deferred bill to settle
the Indebtedness of the Pacific railways
furnishes the opponents of the canal with
material for much sarcastic comment, and
truly just now Is not "a very good time to
ask favors in the line of government
bonds. Another measure of great national
rnUtTtSb IL thD mcllhD blil lof lOfIclUlng III
railroad land grants the terms of which
have not been strictly complied with.
The total involved amounts to "a, 1928, 096
acres, the greatest section of which is in
tho Northern Pacific grant-namely, 3G,
901, al acrCs-and the greatest difficulty
according to tho lawyers of both houses, is
that bona lldc settlers have taken up much
of the so called railroad land on the rail
road companies terms, relying upon the
companies to perfect the title. The house
passed it easily, but the railroaders laugh
at the idea that the senate will
Tariff Delays.
Another important and greatly delayed
measure is tho Chinese treaty, and the ar
rival of Minister Charles DENLY after some
seven years Mt Pcking gave fresh impulse
to the discussion and was quite an event
in Washington society and diplomatic cir
Giles. Tho California members are par
ticularly active on this and tho Nicaragua
canal A to tho latter Mr.. Mallory, who
has it In special charge, says: "Thorc is no
doubt whatever that tho bill reported by
me will pass the house if We can ever get
it to the front, but there is no hope of do
ing that ut this session unless the commit
tee on rules will name n day for us, and
they are very slow to- do that so late in
the session. Our bill is condensed from
several offered ON tho subject, and, rs |
think, avoids the points in the senate bill
which arc most objected to, or, in other
words, it leaves no opportunity for u job. 4"
An Interview Repudintcd.
The labor leaders who recently descend
cd upon the capitol are indignant over the
charge that they came to blacklist mem
bcrs who vote against their resolutions.
All they ask Is that the federal troops be
withdrawn; that the George bill for com
pulsory arbitration be passed; that the in
functions, which have lately caused SO
much talk, bo dissolved, and that Attor-
ney General Olney be impcachcd. They
are modest gentlemen. Now that the OK
citemcnt is over all parties are having fun
with senator Pcffer Tho Populsts look
coldly ON him for his vote on the tariff,
the Republicans arc severe on his speech
about the strike, the Democrats never did
like him, and now the critics have fallen
on him for plagiarism and misstatcments
bf history. 1t somehow happened that
small paragraph in his speech is repro
duction almost word for word of an inter
view reported with ex-Presidcnt Harrison.
The latter has rcpudated the interview in
which he was reported as saying that no
president before Mr.. Cleveland had sent
troops into u state without tho request of
tho governor and if the senator actually
did bono the interview he got caught
both ways, for the statement is far from
true.
Among the many eases cited, tho most
interesting porhaps is that of the John
Brown raid ON Harpcr's Ferry. Tho sci
cure was on Sunday night and before the
next night troops We're organized at Wash
ington, Richmond, Baltimore and Freder-
ick, Nd. At l p. m. John w. Garrett,
president of the b. and o. railway,
uclcgraphcd to Secretary Floyd that the
road was INSTRUCTED by strike of the
armory rnen, by a band of robbers or by
''abolitionists, " Tho president replied:
Your dispatch has been received and
shall promptly be attended to. Orders
have been issued for three companies of
artillery from Old Point Comfort, and
have already accepted the services of Cap