Gilpin observer., 1900-03-22
WASHINGTON NEWS.
What Congress Ia Ooing.-Notcs From the
White House and the Departments.


ing the provisions of the soldiers
homestead act to soldiers of the Span
ish war and Philippine insurrection.
President Mckinley has asked the
authority of Congress to place General
Shafter on the retired list with the rank
of major-general. General Shafter
was retired from the regular army as
brigadier-general several months ago,
but the President thinks his public SER
vices Justify this distinction.
EX-Speaker Reed was in town Satur-
day and spent the greater part of the
day in the room of the ways and
means committee chatting his former
colleagues abut the Republican muddle.
Mr.. Reed has always been an anti-eX-
pansionist and sees n great deal of
humor in the present condition.
The Senate committee on naval af
fairs has agreed to report the bill for Il
Pacific cable which Senator Hale was
authorized to draft at the last session
of the committee and the report was
later presented to the Senate. The bill
provides for Il present cable only to
Honolulu but declares n purpose to eX-
tend it in the future
The Senate committee on Interstate
commerce has decided to ask the Sen
ate to recommit the bill extending the
maximum time for the confinement of
live stock in transit from twenty eight
to forty hours. This decision was due
largely to the representations that the
change would result in cruelty to AM
mails undergoing shipment.
The remains of siXty-six soldiers who
died in Cuba We're buried at Arlington
cemetery Wednesday with military
hnnnrS Tho hnIinS nf phnllt l(Nl sol
diers who died in Cuba now rest in this
historic spot. The officers at Fort
Myer had charge of the services. which
were very simple. A Protestant and
Catholic clergymen read the burial ser
vice, taps We're sounded and volley
fired over the graves.
The national society. Sons of Ameri-
ca, will present medals to such mem
berS of the District of Columbia society
as served in the war with Spain. This
action is taken in accordance with
resolution adopted by the last Congress
OF the national society at Detroit. aC-
thorizing Il committee to procure from
the government an old Spanish gun or
plate from one of the captured ships. to
strike medals from the same and dis
tribute them to members of the society
who served in the last war.
The House committee on public lands
has reported n bill abollshing the pay
ment of S1.25 an acre on land taken up
by settlers under the desert land act.
The committee also reported favorably
Il bill to refund S1.25 per acre to per
sons who have located under the pre-
emption or homestead laws and who
have commuted their entries by cash
payments to $50 per acre where the
In AI wit t.pf Al
grant and the railroad was never
built.
Admiral and Mrs. Dewey left here
Saturday night for trip south. They
expect to visit Savannah, Macon. st.
Augustine. Jacksonville and Palm
Beach. The admiral and Mrs. Dewey
probably will not return to the city un-
til the latter part of next month. at
which time. it is said. they will sail
for Europe. visiting the Exposition
some time during the summer. Mrs.
Dewey has been made chairman of the
battleship committee in aid of the chill
dren's eastern festival for the Cuban
orphan asylum.
The Republicans have fired the first
shot at the trusts in pursuance of in
structions from the national commit
tee of their party. Representative Ray
of New York has introduced from the
special subcommittee on trusts a joint
resolution proposing an article to the
constitution to he voted upon by the
Legislatures of the several states next
winter. II is to he article 26 and en-
powers Congress ITO regulate and re-
press monopolies and combinations: to
create and dissolve corporations and to
dispose of their property
The Senate committee on appropria-
tions has reported the urgency def
cheney bill. carrying an appropriation
of $4,000 for continuing the work of
the geological survey In stream gaug-
ing in the arid and semi-arid states.
This work has been suspended by rea-
son of the exhaustion of the appro-
priation caused by extra work of the
survey during the drOuth period in Cal
ifornia. Hydrographer Newell of the
survey states that when the new ap-
preparation is available considerable
work will be done In Colorado and Wy
oming.
The investigation of charges that GER
tain federal appointments are polyga
mists came to II close Tuesday by an
agreement for unanimous report from
the House committee ON postilices and
post roads. which holds that AT the time
the appointments were made the Pres
ident was not aware that the appoint
ees We're charged with polygamy. As
to the facts of the polygamous status
of appointcos the report states that the
common repute of the communities in
which they lived, was that the parties
We're polygnmists, but that there is
want of definite and conclusive evil
dence on that point,
At Il meeting of the national cxccu-
tive committee engaged In raising
funds for II home for Rear Admiral
Schley, last night. Secretary Evans re-
ported many favorable responses to the
circulars soliciting contributions. lie