The Topeka state journal., 1898-07-08

to read and write on the part of those
Is years old, passed the senate but did
not reach vote in the house.
The anti-scalping bill, prohibiting
ticket brokerage, reported in both
houses, went over to the next session.
The free home amendment to the In
dian appropriation bill giving over 20
100000 acres of public lands as free
homes for settlers was finally cOmpro-
missed on two years extension of pay
ment for such lands.
Minor Legislation.
Minor war legislation included the
following: Allowing a maximum in
crease of 100 army hospitals; towards
providing for the maintenance of vol
unteers between their enrolment and
mastering in United States service; ad-
ding two assistant adjutant generals;
organizing a volunteer army corps; or
ganizing a volunteer brigade of engin-
eers; creating two additional artillery
regiments, adding 1910 men; adding
fifteen assistant surgeons to the army
permanently and in emergencies as
many contract surgeons as necessary;
creating a United States auxiliary na-
val force, not exceeding 1000 enlisted
men and apprOpriating $3,000,O00 there
for; organizing a naval hospital corps
of twenty pharmacists and as many
hospital stewards and apprentices as
necessary; organizing a naval battalion
of the District of Columbia; keeping life
saving stations on the Atlantic and Gulf
coasts open during June and July for
patrol purposes; ratffying all temporary
appointments of naval officers on and
after April 21; authorizing assistance
for Cubans and providing them with
arms and supplies; allowing homestead
settlers who volunteer to count their
service in homestead requirements;
resolutions Of thanks to Dewey and his
men, the presentation of a sword to
him and medals to his officers; and
providing for increase in the force of
inspector generals ordnance and other
army departments.
Other Laws.
Other important legislation, aside
from war, included: Prohibiting the
killing of fur seals in the north Pacific
and importation of seal skins into this
country; prohibiting foreign vessels
from carrying merchandise directly or
Indirectly between q. S. ports; an Alas
kan homestead and right of way act;
encoura ging railway construction; ap-
prOpriating $500, 900 for the relief of the
Yukon miners, suffering from the fierce
winter there; creating a non-partisan
industrial commission to Investigate
immigration, labor, manufacture and
business; apprOpriating $473,151 to pay
the Bering sea awards; creating a COM
mission to allot lands on the Uintah IN
dian reservation IN Utah; adjusting the
old land dispute between the United
States and the state of Arkansas. to
compromise calling for a payment
from the latter of S1605 dispensing
with proof of loyalty during the late
war as a prerequisite in bounty land
application where proof otherwise
shows title; abolishing the distinction
between offered and unoffered lands;
the classification of the patent sys-
tenn; creating a commission to revise
the statutes relating to patents and
trade marks; removing the disability
imposed by section g. of the fourteenth
amendment to the constitution hereto
fore incurred; allowing $2SS, 900 for the
relief of the book agents of the Metho-
dist Episcopal church south, for damag-
es during the war; $3.50, Isl for the heirs
of John Roach, the Philadelphia, ship
builder for work on the cruisers Chi
cago, Boston and Atlanta; $28, 100 like
wise for the dispatch boat Dolphin:
$69, $50 to the Richmond Locomotive and
Machine works for damages and losses
in the construction of the battIeship
Texas.
Late in the session a general bank
ruptcy law was enacted providing for
voluntary and involuntary bankruptcy.