Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1900-02-01
Entered at the Post Office at Laporte, as
second-class mail matter.

The resolution offered by Senator
Pettigrew, calling upon the President
for information regarding the treaty
entered into with the Sultan OF Sulu,
has been passed, after Senator Pettl-
grew had made an attack upon the ad'
ministration for entering into an
agreement which, he said, authorized
slavery.
The debate in the House upon the
Roberts case was continued Jan. "a.
Mr.. Roberts was not present. Mr..
Landies, of Indiana, charged that
Utah was admitted to the Union as a
result of Mormon conspiracy, ana
charged the apostles of the church
with living in open violation OF the
statute against polygamy. The other
speakers were Messrs. Powers (Rep,
of Vermont) and Miers (Dem., of In
diana) for the majority resolution;
Messrs. Snodgras (Dem., of Tennes-
see) and Wilson (Sil. Rep, of ldaho)
for the minority resolutions; Mr..
Lacey (Rep., of Iowa) for his PROPOSE
tion to expel without swearing in, and
for expulsion by a two-thirds vote.
Jan. 25, by a vote of 2S6 to so, the
majority report was adopted, and Rob-
erts was accordingly not admitted.
A bill has been introduced in the
House by Mr.. Clark, of Missouri, to
create a territory of the District OF
Columbia, to be known as the Terri
tory of Columbia" also to place bind
ing twine on the free list; and by Mr..
Mudd, of Maryland, to establish an
art commission of the United States.
The Republican caucus of the Sen
ate has decided definitely upon the re-
organization of the elective offices of
that body, and nominated Hon. Chas
Bennett, of New York, for secretary
and Hon. Daniel M. Ransdell, of In
diana, for sergeant-at-arms.
Senator Lodge has introduced bill
reducing the postage on books and
other printed matter belonging to
public libraries when sent from one IL
brary to another.
Leading dairymen and dairymen S
associations in al parts of the coun-
try are urging Representatives and
Senators to get in motion an investi-
cation of the office of the Internal
Revenue Commissioner. They want
the policy of this bureau in the prose
cution of olepmargarine cases to be
thoroughly aired. The oleo law was
passed as an agricultural measure. 1t
was fathered in Congress by farmers,
and it was put in shape by the House
Committee on Agriculture. While it
has been on the statute books, the
production of mock butter has stead
lily increased, and our exports of but
ter have diminished Ne uniform
practice of the oleo manufacturers is
to put on the packages of oleomarg-
arine the stamps and marks required
by law, pay the tax and then scrape
off the stamps and sell the stuff as
butter. The internal revenue agents
are familiar with all this and could
execute the law more effectively if
they would. The dairymen now ask
that the Internal Revenue Bureau be
investigated and the facts brought
out. The practice Of compromising
cases, of paying informers 10 per cent.
of fines exacted and the acceptance by
fnformers of bribes, are points also
that they want inquired into.
Bills introduced in the House: By
Mr.. Boutell ull.), to remove the tax
tative Cochran (Mo), for a constitu
tional amendment authorizing an in
come tax; Representative Knox
(Mass.), for the taking up and recoin
age of the Hawaiian silver coins; Mr.
Levy On. " asking the Secretary of
War for an itemized account of all re-
ceipts and expenditures in Cuba.
The Senate has adopted the resolu
tion offered by Mr.. Allen (Neb.) call
ing upon the Secretary of the Treas
ury for the correspondence and the
substance of all verbal communica-
tions which he has had with officials
of the National City Bank of New
York concerning the transfer of the
old Custom House to the National
City Bank.