The Springfield herald., 1900-03-02
WASHINGTON NEWS.
What Congress is DoinK.-Notes From the
White House and tho Departments.

collier Abarenda as the commandant
Of the Pago Pago coallng station,
which will place him in charge of the
administrative affairs of the Samoan
territory of the United States.
The secretary of state has Informed
the congressional committee that he
desires prompt and full investigation
Of the charges made by Mr.. Macrum,
and says that If Mr.. Macrum's mails
were tempered with his neglect to re-
rygt The matter is the gravest violation
of the regulations and discipline Of the
consular service tbnt has occurred for
many years.
The proposition now pending in
Congress for the appointment of
n commission to study the CONNER
cial conditions of China and Japan is
similar to those already adopted by
the active commercial nations OF Eu-
rope. A document recently issued by
the treasury bureau of statistics shows
that experiments made by other ma
uons have been very satisfactory.
The House of Representatives In
dulged in It's annual joke of knocking
out the appropriation for the civil Ser
vice Commission in the committee of
the whole Saturday and putting 1t back
again when the bill was reported to the
House. But there was thirty-tiye Re
publicans who placed themselves on
record as against the present merit
system and tifty-onc Democrats voted
In its favor.
A favorable report has been made by
the house committee on mines ana mn
ing on Representative Mondelfs bill
to apply portion of the proceeds of
sales Of public lands to the endowment
and support of mining schools In the
several states and territories. The re-
port says that the magnitude of mining
Interests in the nation renders the
class of schools proper subjects Tor
federal aid and encouragement.
Everything done in Congress nown-
days is planned and carried out for the
possible effect it may have upon the
November election. Although the Re
publicans profess absolute confidence
In the reelection of President Mchh-
ley, and the Democrats that such re-
suit is entirely probably, nevertheless
no legislation Is framed and no vote ls
taken without forecasting the conse-
Quences upon the presidential cam
paign.
There is slight possibility Of the ex-
pulsion of Senator Clark of Montana.
In the first place, the evidence offered
by his prosecutors has not impressed
the committee, and secondly, no man
was ever expelled from the Senate OF
the United States. 1t takes a two
thirds vote, and even in the case OF
Caldwell of Kansas, some twenty-five
years ago, when the evidence was very
clear, 1t was found difficult to get
majority.
The secretary of the interior has
recommended to the committee on In
dian affairs that the Senate bill proVid-
Ing for restoring to the public domain
portion of the Uintah Indian reserva-
don bordering western Colorado should
be reported adversely. He stated that
the law establishing the reservation
conferred upon the Indians such title
10 the lands comprising the reservation
that II could not now be vacated with
out their consent. The secretary urges
that the statutes of the reservation
should not be disturbed Mt this time
and states that If a portion of the res
ervation be segregated without the iree
and full consent of the Indians serious
trouble with them is likely to follow.
Realizing that it will be long time
before any bill to organize perma-
nent form Of government in fuerto
Rico can become law, the delegates
from the Chamber of Commerce at San
charge of the Puerto Rican bill In
Congress to hurry through joint res
olution fixing the commercial and In
dustrial status of the inhabitants of
that island and the amount OF duty,
II any, that is to be imposed upon i'm
ports from and exports to the United
States Business is now entirely para
lyzed and no change for the better can
be expected until this question Is set
1A1 tS M m
far as organization of the government
Is concerned. The present military
government is entirely satisfactory,
but the commercial and industrial par
alysis will continue until the embargo
upon trade with the United States Is
removed.
Governor Richards of Wyoming
reached here this evening to attend the
meeting of governors called for Febru-
ary 21st by President Mckinley, to ar
range for the Centennial celebration
of the establishment of the United
States Congress. Other western gov
ernors who will attend are Governor
Thomas Of Colorado. who will arrive
tomorrow; wells of Utah, Paynter of
Nebraska, Murphy of Arizona, Otero
of New Mexico, Steunenberg OF ldaho
and Smith of Montana. While here the
western states governors will hold
meeting to discuss the needs OF the
western country and arrange plans by
which desired legislation beneficial to
the West may be secured. The pro-
posed plan of having the Rocky Noun
tain states unite in sending distinc-
tive western exhibit to the Paris Expo
sition will also be considered and steps
taken to carry the proposition into ef-
feet.
Secretary Root has turned over to
General Ludlow his plan to secure the
lis.t IL In