The Elk Mountain pilot., 1900-02-27
WASHINGTON NEWS.
What Congress Is Doing.-Notes From the
White House and the departments.

The Navy Department has decided to
assign Commander b. f. Tilley of the
collier Abarenda as the commandant
Of the Pago pago coaling station,
which will place him in charge of the
administrative affairs of the Samoan
territory of the United States.
The proposition now pending in
Congress for the appointment of
a 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. \ document recently issued by
the treasury bureau of statistics shows
that experiments made by other ma
tions have been very satisfactory.
The House of Representatives in
dulged in its annual joke of knocking
out the appropriation for the Civil Ser
vice Commission in the committee of
the whole Saturday and putting it back
again when the bill was reported to the
House. But there was thirty-five Re
publicans who placed themselves on
record as against the present merit
system and fifty-one Democrats voted
in its favor.
\ favorable report has been made by
the house committee on mines and min
ing ON Representative Mondelfs bill
to apply IL portion of the proceeds OF
sales of public lands to the endowment
md 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 for
federal aid and encouragement
Everything done in Congress nowa-
days Is planned and carried out for the
I.I. Z, l,.,x a
November election. Although the Re
publicans profess absolute confidence
in the reelection of President Mckin-
ley, and the Democrats that such re
suit is entirely probably, nevertheless
no legislation is framed and no vote is
taken without forecasting the conse-
quences upon the presidential cam
paign.
There is slight possibility of the eN-
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 IL two
thirds vote, and even in the case of
Caldwell of Kansas. some twenty-five
years ago, when the evidence was very
clear. it was found difficult to get
majority.
The secretary of the interior has
recommended to the committee on In
dian affairs that the Senate bill prOyid-
ing for restoring to tie public domain
portion of the Uintah Indian rcservn-
ton bordering western Colorado should
be reported adversely. He stated that
the law establishing the reservation
conferred upon the Indians such title
to the lands comprising the reservation
that 1t could not now be vacated with
ont their consent. The secretary urges
that the statutes of the reservation
should not be disturbed ut this time
and states that if portion of the res
ervation be segregated without the free
and full consent of the Indians serious
trouble with them is likely to follow.
Realizing that 1t will he n long time
before any bill to organize n pcrma-
nent form Of government in Puerto
Rico can become II law, the delegates
from the Chamber of Commerce nj san
Juan have asked the committee in
charge OF the Puerto Itican bill in
Congress to hurry through n joint res
olurion fixing the commercial and in
duStrinl status of the inhabitants of
that island and the amount of duty.
If any. that is to he imposed upon im-
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
tied. There Is no immediate haste so
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 Fcbru-
airy 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. Payntcr of
Nebraska. Murphy of AriZona. Otero
of New Mexico. Steunenberg of Idaho
and Smith of Montana While here the
western states governors Will hold Il
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 IL distinc-
tive western exhibit TO the Paris Expo
sition will also he considered aud steps
taken to carry the proposition into eff
feet.
Secretary Root has turned over 10
General Ludlow his plan to secure the
creation of II reserve list of persons in
civil life who are fully equipped for in
stant military service. General Lud-
low has been instructed to work out
the details of the plan i'll order that the
War Department may he enabled TO
submit tangible operative scheme for
the approval of Congress. which body
must supply certain legislation. The
secretarys purpose is to have the mill
tary schools and colleges of the coun-
try brought into close touch with the
rnmnlnl nI.nlN and Il.nns knut of tln