The Elk Mountain pilot., 1900-01-23
WASHINGTON NEWS.
What Congress Is Doing.-Notes From the
White House and the Departments.

! ground that he has been and still is in
! terested in legislation now pending in
the Senate.
Representative Shafroth said to-day
! that there appeared some misunder-
standing as to the provisions of the
arid land bill which he has introduced,
of the passage of which he is so conf
dent. 1t does not provide for the ces-
sion Of all the arid lands but loan of
| 1,OOO,OOO acres to each state.
The secretary of war has returned to
the military committee of the House,
with favorable Endorsement, bill
recently introduced by Mr.. Moody of
Massachusetts, providing that the Off
| GERS of the army who have served in
two wars with credit may be retired
with the rank next higher than that
which they now hold.
Senator Cullom has presented to the
Senate petition signed by 3,2O6 col
ored citizens praying for the execu-
! ton of such of our constitutional laws
as shall protect the colored people and
all citizens in their lives and liberties,
and that shall be effective in suppress
ing the barbarous custom of lynching
and burning colored men,"
The widow of Brigadier General Guy
| V. Henry was to-day allowed a pen
sion of $50 n month by the commis-
| sioners of pensions 1t appears from
the files of the pension office that Mrs.
Julia McNair Henry, the widow of
General Henry, was left penniless, and
a movement is now on foot to increase
TO substantial proportions by act of
Congress the pension which she will
receive under the general laws.
The House on Thursday passed the
Senate bill to extend the powers of the
| director of the census, after striking
| out the committee amendment to
authorize the director to contract for
extra printing with private contractors.
The whole fight was upon that amend
ment. The influence of the public
printer and the labor organizations of
the country We're employed against 1t,
and after lively debate of several
hours it was overwhelmingly defeated.
The publication of the reports of the
twelfth census, therefore, will be made
by the public printer as in the past.
The special committee of the House of
Representatives to investigate the case
of Brigham ii. Roberts of Utah to-day
reached final conclusion. On the po-
| lygamous status of Mr. Roberts, the
committee was unanimous, and agreed
| upon n formal statement of the facts.
On the question of procedure to be
adopted the committee was divided.
The majority consisting of all the
members except Littlefield of Maine
and DeArmond of Missouri, favored
exclusion at the outset. Messrs. Lit
tlefield and DeArmond will make n
minority report favorable to the seat
ing of Mr.. Roberts on his prima facie
rights and then expelling him.
| 1t has been decided by the Postoffice
tN
| system in n measure to supplement the
system of rural free delivery. Second
Assistant Postmaster General Shallen-
berger has found that it is feasible to
permit carriers on star routes to de-
posit mail in proper receptacles placed
along their line of travel. This plan
will be started il South Carolina be
ginning July LIST, and will be extended
to other parts of the country as rapidly
rs possible. This innovation makes
necessary n change in the postal regu-
lation which forbids mail contractors
and their drivers access to the mail
matter or to any mail locks or keys.
There is no disposition on the part of
the Navy Department to make any
change in the program for new naval
construction on account of the intro
duction of the German bill looking to
the addition of forty-eight armored
/ ships to the German navy. Attention
! Is called to the fact that there are now
already authorized twenty-one ships
for the navy in addition to the fleet
afioat. This number is as large as it
Is believed Congress will authorize at
this time, and as the German increase
Is to be divided among eighteen years,
while ours is continuous to each Con
gress, it is felt that the United States
navy is in no danger of losing the posi-
ton 1t now commands.
! The ways and means subcommittee
recently named to inquire as to the le-
gal meaning of the UNITED States" as
applicable to newly acquired islands or
dependencies in session are discuss
ing the general subject The members
feel that the question is pivotal one, on
which will depend the adoption of tar
1 iff systems for the islands. The only
decision directly bearing on the point
| is by Chief Justice Marshall, holding
! that the term United States" means
the entire territory over which this
government exercises control. The
members of the committee including
Mr.. Newlands who started the inquiry,
are inclined to view the foregoing Epin-
ion as a dictum incidental to the case
and not establishing fixed principle
of law.
The officials of the War Department
have known for long time that Sen
ator Hoar's speech made in the Senate
more than a year ago in favor of grant
ing independence to the Philippines
was cabled to Hong Kong, translated
into the native languages, and distrib-
uted among the different tribes of the
Philippine archipelago by the junta at
Hong Kong for the purpose of incit-
ing resistance against the authority of
the United States. 1t was cabled from
here to Paris and from Paris to Hong
Kong. and. as stated by eX-MiniSter