The Springfield herald., 1900-03-30
WASHINGTON NEWS.
What Congress- Is Doing.-Notes From the
White nuuse and the Department.

White House and the departments.
The House committee on public lands
has reported favorably the bill extend
Ing the provisions of the soldiers
homestead act to soldiers of the Span
ish war and Philippine insnrrection.
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.
President Mckinley has asked the
authority of Congress to place General
Shafter on the retired list with the rank
of maJor-genernl. General Shafter
was retired from the regular army as
but the President thinks his public ser
vices justify this distinction.
The Senate committee on naval af-
fairs has agreed to report the bill for a
Pacific cable which Senator Hale was
authorized to draft ut the last session
Of the committee and the report was
later presented to the Senate. The bill
provides for present cable only TO
tend 1t in the future.
Under the currency act recently
passed it is possible TO refund SS4O, 600, :
600 of bonds. More than 200 charters
have already been applied for for
banks of $4,000 capital In towns of 81
600 population, and comptroller Dawes
thinks the total will go up to 500 before
the end of the month. The applications
come mostly from agricultural towns
in the middle west, Iowa leading.
Ex-Governor McCord of Arizona,
who recently came to Washington at
the request Of the Arizona Press Asso-
citation to further Arizona's claim to
statehood, states that there is no pros
pect of securing Arizona's admission
mt this session of Congress. Il have de-
cided to give up for the present" said
Governor McCord, "and will advise the
people of Arizona not to press the mat
ter until after Congress gets Puerto
Rico, the Philippines and Cuba off It's
hands"
The national society, Sons of Ameri-
ca, will present medals to such mem
bers of the District of Columbia society
us served in the war with Spain. This
action is taken in accordance with n
resolution adopted by the last Congress
of the national society at Detroit, au-
thoriZing n 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 a bill abolishing the pay
r,1n of on lunI a
by settlers under the desert land act
The committee also reported favorably
n bill to refund S1.25 per acre to per-
sons who have located under the pre-
emption or homestead laws, and who
have committed their entries by cash
payments to $3.50 per acre where the
lands located We're within n railroad
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, Mt
which time. 1t 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 ut 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 joint
resolution proposing an article to the
constitution to be voted upon by the
legislatures of the several states next
winter. 1t is to he article &c. 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 100000 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
during the drouth period in Cal
ifornia. photographer Newell of the
survey states that when the new ap-
preparation is available considerable
work will be done In Colorado and Wy
oming.
Great Britain will have to accept the
amendment proposed by the commit
tee ON foreign relations to the Hays
Pauncefote treaty, whether she wants
it or not. If the British government
should refuse to accept the amended
treaty Congress would promptly de-
clare the Clayton-Bulwer convention
revoked and proceed to enact canal leg
islation upon that presumption. The
secretary of state and Lord Paunce-
fote have had no official communica-
tlon on this subject since the amended
treaty was reported, although they un-