The Elk Mountain pilot., 1901-12-17
WASHINGTON GOSSIP

lie building at Laramie, to cost $780,
600
The statement of gross postal re-
ceipts at the fifty large postotfices in
the United States for November. COM
pared with November of last year,
shows Il net increase of S4S2,O1S, -
over eleven per cent. as II whole. All
but six of the offices showed increased
receipts, the largest of the exceptions
being decrease of twenty-five per
cent. at Jersey City, New Jersey.
The Red Cross Society held it's an
nual meeting in Washington Decem-
ber 10th, and unanimously reelected
Miss Clara Barton president of the So
ciety. John NJ. Wilson was elected first
vice president. Mrs John A. Logan
second vice president, Lyman j. Gage,
treasurer, Richard Olney, counselor,
and 5. w Briggs secretary. The treas
urer's report showed receipts for the
year S5,310 and expenditures $500.
The annual report of Governor Otero
of New Mexico renews the plea for
statehood and says the federal census
returns for 1900 do the territory Il
great injustice. He says the popu-
lation of the territory, based on care
full estimates. should be at this time
313, ,191, including Indians. He also
takes exception to the census statistics
for mining. agriculture. horticulture,
timber, coal and iron Industries, and
attributes the alleged discrepancy In
the figures TO inadaptability of the
present system TO sparsely settled
mountain sections of the country.
Senator Teller has introduced bill
defining the judiciary circuits of the
United States. An additional circuit,
the ninth, is added, and under the pro
visions of his bill the eighth circuit Will
be composed of the states of Montana,
South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado,
Utah and Idaho, and the ninth of
Washington. Oregon. Nevada and Call
fornia He also introduced bill grant
ing the state of Colorado twenty-five
per cent. of the mineral land sales in
Colorado, not exceeding $4,000 per an
mum. to aid the School of Mines Mt
Golden: also setting apart lands for
cemetery purposes for the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows of Central City;
also granting lands In Alaska to the
Women's Home Missionary Society of
the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Senator Hansbrough also submitted
the bin introduced by him in the Sen
ate December 4th. The committee con-
sdered the two measures conjointly
and agreed upon section l of the pro
posed new bill constructing it from the
two measures submitted. II is: That
all moneys received from disposal of
public lands in Arizona, California, Col
orado. Idaho. Kansas. Montana. Ne
braska, Nevada, New Mexico, North
Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Da-
kota, Utah, Washington and Wyo-
ming beginning with the year ending
aside by law for educational purposes.
shall be appropriated as II special fund
known as the reclamation fund. for ex-
animation. construction and mainte-
nance of irrigation works fos storage.
diversion and development of waters
for reclamation Of arid lands.
AT meeting of the subcommittee of
western members OF Congress. Sena-
tors Warren. Hansbrough, Gibson.
Dietrich, kearns and Dubois. Repre-
scntativcs Mondell. Newlands. Shaf-
roth. Reeder and Jones. Delegates
Smith and Rodey Were present. a bill
drawn by Senator Warren WIS submit
ted by him for consideration. 1t is n
modification of the state engineers hill
and is intended as compromise meas
ure between the plans offered by the
advocates of national control and those
favoring state control of irrigation. 1t
provides that the states having engi-
neerng departments shall control the
distribution of water from works con
structed mt government expense. but in
states which do not exercise public con
troll over appropriation and distribution
of water distribution shall he made
under regulations made by the secrc-
tary of the interior.
In discussing the isthmian canal
treaty before the Senate. Mr.. Lodge
contended that the new treaty does
away with all the objcctionabl BILE feat
ures OF the treaty of the last c. gress.
and enumerated the particulars in
which the revised agreement conforms
to the action of the Senate in the last
Congress. when the old treaty was be-
fore it, lie analyZcd the new treaty
from beginning To end. showing that
in specific terms it abrogatcs the Clay
ton-Bulwer treaty of 1850 which. he
said. had stood constantly in the way
of the construction of an isthmian ca
nal. The abrogntion of this treaty. he
contended. was most important
achievement. and he did not believe
that the United States should or would
lose an opportunity 10 make secure
that concession. Senator Lodge also
callcu alteHtlou 10 lne OMISSION III par
agr;lph one of article three of the
words ''in time of war as in time of
peace" lie said that in the old treaty
the para nph read that the canal
shall be free and open. in time of war
as in time of peace, to the vessels of
commerce and of war Of all nations
on terms of entire equality" etc. He
urged that the omission of this phrase
had the effect practically of leaving
the United States To do with the canal
in time of war according to its own
pleasure. He also referred 10 the fact
that rule . in the treaty of the powers
regulating the control of the Suez ca
nal. which had been embodied in the