Daily Kennebec journal., 1894-05-24
WORK OF CONGRESS.
There is Still Hope Of the Admission
Of Territories.
Stale Bank x-Raiiroads and Sirikes-1he
Pan.American Bin .taiiic League.

WAsnIycTog, May 2'.-[Special.l -
Delegate Rawlins Of Utah has got tho
laugh on himself, but just the same he
does not care to laugh till he IL quite out
VI the woods. When this congress began
1t was considered fixed fact that all the
territories would speedily be admitted as
states, and the New Mexico bill was only
delayed in the house by accident. The SEN
ate next decided to hold back Arizona, and
then Oklahoma lost its standing because
Of complications with the Indian Terri
tory One month ago all the delegates had
given up all hope, and Mr.. Rawlins as
signed some strong reasons for thinking
there could be no more states till after the
next presidential election. Quite sudden
ly, however, the senate committee reversed
Itself and reported unanimously In favor
of the admission OF Utah, and the bill,
therefore, is placed ON the calendar This
by no means makes 1t certain that Ii Will
pass, and in any event senators from the
new state cannot DC seated before Dcccm-
Der Of next year. The progress so far has
aroused fresh hopes In the other delegates,
but senators still declare their opinion that
the other three territories should await
awhile
The State Bank Tax.
The banking and currency committee
has been subjected to a very strong pres
sure to report the Brawley bill for repeating
the 10 per cent tax on state banks, and
several talented orators in the house have
ready powerful addresses In its favor.
Nevertheless the old heads still predict
that 1t will not pass and insist that half OF
those whom political pressure coTnpcls to
seem In favor Of IL are at heart against IT,.
1t would seem that their policy involves
the how not to do 1t and yet Seem to be
doing it.
The house committee on foreign nffair,,
which has been urged to undertake gen
eral revision Of the consular system, has
decided to let thefnatter rest for the pres
ent, chiefly on the ground that this conf
mittee has occupied more of the time Of the
house than any other except the ways and
means. 1t had week or more on the
Hawaiian business, as much on the con-
gular and diplomatic appropriation bill and
still more on the Chinese and other meas
ures--in short, 1t has had altogether one
month on the floor and will enter on no
new business for this session unless conf
pelled by "a sudden emergency.
The members of the judiciary committee
have devoted unusual attention to the re-
port of their subcommittee and the ac-
companying papers on the case of Judge
jenkins and now announce that the final
result will be bin limiting the power OF
federal courts in placing railroads in tie
hands of receivers us we'll ns in onjoirin g
laborers from stirling. Mr.. Bailey of
Texas, who has had a great deal 20 do
with this work, thinks there may be a
pretty lively contest over the bill and will
take plenty Of time to get ready for 1t.
OF Interest to New York.
The committee on war claims has given
new turn to the old familiar bill for
paying New York city the amount she OK
pended in raising troops in 1861, and Mr..
Holloway, clerk of the committee, by it's
direction has completed n digest of all the
laws and decisions bearing Oh the subject
of paying these claims. The total amount
refunded to states and municipalities to
the present time il $i4, 735, l76. The city of
New York could press its claim against the
state and then the state could collect it
from the federal government under the act
of July 81, 1861, but it is probable that 10
interest could be recovered in that way.
The city really paid out no moro than $500,
900, but the sum asked for in the Cum
mings bill is $3,095, 6si3i, the interest
having brought it to that amount. The
general law is that tho government pays
no interest, but in 1869 the comptroller
made II decision that where the claimant
was compelled to pay the interest on mon
ey borrowed to raise arms and equip troops
that interest became part of the claim, and
the amount actually paid should be allow
cd by the government without reference to
the ratio of interest. Hon. Delaney Nicoll
has recently argued the case before the
committee and Is to make the final argll.
mcnt soon.
The Public Health.
Tho house committee on interstate com.
merec has divided its spare time of late
very impartially between those physicians
who favor and those who oppose the cstab
lishmcnt of bureau of public health
Surgeon General Wyman is at the head OF
the opposition and maintains that tht
marine hospital service with some addcd
powers and an appropriation will be amply
able to do all that is expected of such o
bureau Tho committee is favorably i'm
pressed by the argument that the expenses
of the marine hospital service at present
nrc very largely borne by tax ON the ton
mage entering the ports, and that in it the
machinery already exists by which the
trouble and expense OF creating new
bureau may be avoided. DIR. Gardiner o.
the New York Acsdemy of Medicine, who
favors the establishment of the bureau
maintains in an elaborate argument thai
cholera and yellow fever arc now SO com
plctely under control that with but littlt
b additional force and a uniform system the,
could BE- absolutely prevented in the Unitet
States for all coming time.
All our silveritcs were greatly interested
In the so called Pan American Bimetalli'
league, which assembled here ON the 22d
though there has been some disappoint
mcnt in receiving SO many dcclination'
from Spanish America generally and onl!
seeing n half dozen or so of delegates
Nevertheless letters warmly approving thu
action of the league have been receivot
from many countries, including New Yea
land and Australia. There is nothing
official about this league-in fact, it Il
rather frowncd upon by officials-ant
it is simply continuation of the move
sment which began in the Denver conven
ton and was followed up in that at Ogden
L. 4. This is considered the third con
vention of the league. A. c. FisSo o
no,,x.s,, tb, ,,rae;Jnpt opI hac ~, ado N nj \.