The Philipsburg mail. [volume] (Philipsburg, Mont.) 1887-current, 1898-02-18
NAYIONAL CAPlYAL
An Interesting Letter From Our Regu-
lar Correspondent.
HERSEY PENS ENTERTAININGLY
Tells What Is Going On in the Way of
Local Gossip - What Montana's
Representatives Are Doing.

| Washington, D. G., Feb. Is. An
amendment to the agricultural appro-
priation bill during the debate on that
measure in the senate was offered by
Senator Warren, of Wyoming. and pro-
vides for the establishment of an irri-
CATION division to be in charge Of an
irrigation engineer and an assistant,
! together with necessary clerical help.
for the purpose of lnquirlng into meth
ods of irrigation, storage, ETC. This
amendment was anta2onlzed by Sen
atOr Bate, of Tennessee. who took the
! ground that for the general government
| to assume to GlNe ana to such enter
! prises as land exclamation is centraliz-
ing III its tendencies and IS paternKl-
ism. In his position Senator Bate but
gives eXp!' s,ion to the old doctrines
whici. GOV arned the action Of the SEN
ate in 1t former age of the republic and
did so much to obstruct the growth
and development of the great west
For years the sectional jealousy of the
east dominated public thought and
limited the natural expansion Of the
country. Thus it was that such ordin-
arily road-minded statesmen as Web
ster were influenced to oppose meas
ures looking to internal Improvement
beyond the Appalachians and. later,
in the trans Mississippi regions 1t is
this same old antagonistic spirit crop
ping ont in the opposition of the
southern senator who, though worthy
man and no doubt patriotic one,
lives in the past and still surrounds
himself with the atmosphere of its
sacred though worn out traditions.
Replies We're made by Senators Allen,
Butler. White and Carter. The latter
in substance said that Oh the same
ground a that assumed by the senator
the whole agricultural bill could be
stricken out as it provides for a divi
sion of publication land, - asked the
Montana senator, for what purpose is
the government called upon to publish
agricultural reports? The government
is not in the agricultural business. -
Mr.. Carter further pointed out that
there are departments of pathology
laboratory department. Chemial appar-
atus, etc. In all of which the govern.
J ment is not concerned. Agricultural
experiment stations are established and
yet the government itself has no need
of such stations. 1t has no wheat nor
cotton nor any other crop to raise.
The amendment was defeated but
another was adopted providing for Sc
curing the same information through
the medium of agricultural colleges,
experimental stations, practical engin-
GERS and other sources and apprOprlat
ing $50 600 FIR the purpose 1t is
stated that Senator Warren will carry
his proposition into the conference
with the hope of securing its adoption
there.
The democrats were allowed so little
) time for debate on the Teller resOlu
ton that they have been seizine
every opportunity afforded them tC
talk about it in the discussions on the
appropriation bill. During the discus-
sion of the naval appropriation bill
Dearmon, of Missouri, made a splen.
did talk.
Congressman Hartman informs ne
that his bill providing for the cession
of the public lands to the states is in
the hands Of the committee on public
lands in the house, before whom he
made an argument thereup"n last
week. Mr.. Hartman's bill was intro
duced the twentieth of last May during
the extra session and therefore pre-
cedes the bill of Congressman Sha
froth, providing for the cession of the
public lands in the arid states only, by
nearly month. the last measure not
having been offered until June 18th
of the same session. The prospects for
, the Hartman bill are. that it will, il
reported at all, come in with the min.
eral lands exempted. Such an excep.
tion would Of course operate to keer
the general land Office in existence.
The department Of the geological
survey has in contemplation an amend.
ment to the agricultural appropriation
bill providing for the setting aside OF
a reservation along the basin of Middle
placed under the control of the Boze-
pose of experimenting in the field OF
: irrigation 1t of course thrs contem.
plates setting aside catchment area
within which to test the best methods
of impounding the storm waters in res
! ervoirs and the distribution of the sup
, ply for the practical purposes OF croI
irrigation. The agricultural bill has
gone to conference and the proposition
will have to be fought ont there. Mr.
Hartman has the matter in hand.
met ex-Gov. Hauser in the capita
, day or two ago. The governor
, speaks encouragingly of the outlook il
Montana and says there is marked
= improvement there. He states that the
! ! things are much better in New York
and the east generally than they were
: last year at this time. OF the Eas,
: Helena smelter Gov. Hauser said
. "We are doing so per cent more work
in the smelter than ever before in the
!. history of the works. We shall have
3 the dam finished inside Of the nex1
:. twenty days and shall at once begin
u the erection Of concentrator about q
mile distant from the smelter in tht
direction of Helena. Our people were
never better off, :" continued Mr.. Hal
a ser. "and we have hattering pros
It pect ahead of us for the immediate fu
ture. -
e A pension has been allowed JOSEPH
0 F. Bean, of Dupuyer. Mont, OF $S PEI
j. month from March 13, 1894.
Harry @. Lobdell has been. made post