Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1901-11-28
TO GET TO WORK PROMPTLY
Many Important Bills Ready for
Congressional Consideration.
Speaker Henderson Expects to Have
Committee Assig nments Ready Soon
The Formation of New States
Arizona, New Mexico and Ok
lahoma Demand Admission.

lahoma Demand Admission.
In the week intervening before Congress
meets General henderson expects to dis
pose of all pending committee selections.
No Congress in the past decs de has met
Win larger amount Of public busint IS
pr pared ready at hand fer immediat4 con-
sideration without less of time, says II
Washington core spondent. There failed in
the last session number of important
bills, which will be renewed, and which
need hardly occupy the House for more
tran a few days in debate. OF these sucn
measures as the Nicaragua canal bill, the
Glodt bill 20 tax olCCmargarine, and even
tho river and harbor bill, may be consid-
Cied us perfected legislation, not Likely to
encounter serious or prolonged opposition.
on this account, and in view of cther i'm
portant pending questions, the speaker
viii probably make no changes in the com
mites further than actual necessities 1e-
qliiro.
All legislation concerning the colonies
has been reached by such thorough and
pam taking discussion that to make any
Cnaiges in committees having to do W tn
questions affecting the dependencies has
seemed to the speaker wholly inadVisable.
fortunately, Speaker Henderson has sue
ceeded in adjusting all personal questi IFS
connected with the appointing mt of COM
STIRRING up rivalries or unpleasant con pc
ltionS. For several weeks he has been
in consultation with his closest friends n
the Louise in regard to the few necessary
changes, and has received their alvi, {.
II is understood that he has completed a
preliminary schedule of the committees,
which is subject to few alterations be-
tween now and the opening of the s. IS on.
baVing retained the old members in their
places in order to secure the best work
ing cnlclency in committee organizati n,
the speaker confidently expects to be
ready to promulgate the list before adj
lournment for the Christmas holidays.
STATEHOOD BILLS.
1t is not unlikely that the Fifty-seventh
Congress will create one or two new
States. New Mexico, Arizona and Okla
homa have held Statehood convent o s
ana demanded admission. New Mexico
Will send here a delegation of fourteen
leading citizens to urge on Congress the
admission of the Territory. Oklahon a
and Arizona will also be represented here
during the session. While the matter of
population is not always accepted by con-
gress as conclusive reason why Ter
rltory should become a State, yet it is
a matter which carried great W, light The
long struggle made by Dakota for admis-
sion was marked by the strong app al
that the Territory had population enough
for two representatives, for many years
before her domain was divided and admit
ted as two states. Under the last cen us
New Mexico falls few hundred short Of
the ratio of representation as fixed last
winter. her population being 1914, VIII lie
he ratio OF apportionment is in round
numbers $4,000. Oklahoma has more
favorable showing, with 39S OI1, populat on
enough to justify giving her two repre-
4 I1+ no. Ira.t
has l3,M2 population. The New Mexicans
IRE especially urgent for admission They
represent their Territory as enjoying UNI
nareleled prosperity, 500 miles of now
lailroad having been built du ing the past
year, and work now progre ssing on 80
miles of projected road Tie a ses,, d
valuation of property for purposes of tax
aion amounts to $30.0O00I0. Il basis whic h
would enable the State for the next TWEEN
~ years to keep the percentage of taxa
tl0n down to less than | per cent. The
railroads report that they have 5000 i'm
miGrants, many of whom were disap-
pointed land seekers in Oklahoma last
July and August.
OKLAHOMA AND INDIAN TERRI
TORIES.
The objection that has hitherto h en-
made against the admission of New Mex
i"o, that a majority of her people were
MeNicans, or of miXei blood, is in great
measure now met by the fact that tn
proportion of Anglo Saxon resi- Tents s
locD in excess of those of Spanish descent
1t is also shown that the per capita exren
dlture tor school purposes is greater n
New Mexico than in any other jursdic.
tion in the United States.
While the Indian Territory has n popu-
lation of over 100000, it is not likely hat
any serious effort will be made this ses-