The Springfield herald., 1902-04-04
LATE WASHINGTON NEWS AND
CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS

General OF Immigration Powderly,
whose term of office expires soon, will
be rendered some other position in the
government service.
The House committee on coinage has
ordered II favorable report on the bill
of Representative Mercer, establishing
Il coinage mint at Omaha, Nebraska,
and appropriating $950,000 for build
ing.
Senator Tillman from the committee
on mines and mining reported favor
ably the bill devoting portion of the
proceeds of the sale of public lands to
the maintenance of state and territorial
mining schools.
Congressman Shafroth is in favor of
a wider distribution of the Congress
sional Record. He has introduced Il bill
providing that each senator should
have 100 subscriptions placed ut his
disposal and each representative 100.
The Senate committee on public
lands has authorized a favorable re-
port on the bill which has passed the
House providing for the issuance of Il
patent to the townsite of Basin CITY,
Wyoming, to the municipal authorities
thereof for the use and benefit of said
town.
BY order of the Navy Department
the date of completion for the armored
cruisers South Dakota and California
has been set forward TO December 81,
1904, and for the protected cruiser Ia
coma to May 1, 1903. These vessels
are building at the Union Iron works
at San Francisco.
The monthly statement of the collec-
tions of revenue shows that the total
of the returns for February, 1902, were
SIS, $50, IL decrease as compared
with February, 1901, of S3,942,IIS. Dur
ing the last eight months the total re-
ceipts We're $1S3, 3,O41 ,744 n decrease of
S2O,O3S, ,4G6 from the corresponding per-
iod last year.
Representative Goldfogle of New
York has introduced in the House a
resolution asking the Secretary of
State for information whether Ameri-
can citizens of the Jewish religious
faith, holding passports issued by this
government, are barred or excluded
from entering the territory of the en-
pire of Russia.
A large number of business men rep
resen:ing the leading commercial Or
ganZationS of the country were before
the House committee OH commerce re
Gently when hearings We're begun on
the plan of creating Il new department
of the government, presided over by
n cabinet officer. 10 be known as the
Department of Commerce and Labor,
and argued in favor of the measure.
The Senate public lands committee
has reported favornbly Senator Mitch
ellis bill providing for rcfunding S1.2o
per acre to homestead and pre-emption
holders of land who secured lands by
entry within railway land limits and
pniI nt l,n rnt tn nf cl and
where railway companies failed to con-
struct the lines of railroad on account
of which such land grants were made.
The Secretary of the Treasury, upon
further consideration of the question,
informed the Danish minister through
the Secretary of State. that If sugar is
shipped from the Danish West Indies
to the United States prior to the ratiii-
cation of the treaty ceding the islands
to the United States and deposited in
bonded warehouses, it can be drawn
for consumption only upon the pay
ment of duty.
The Supreme Court has affirmed the
opinion of the United States Court of
Appeals for the Eighth circuit in the
case of George f. Emblem against the
Lincoln Land Company. The case in
volved the title to the land on which
tlit tbNu ol ulIl'i, III slatt VI Noi-
orado. is located. The court held that
the act of Congress confirming the title
of George +, Emblem, from whom the
town company secured title, WAS valid.
The House observed Good Friday by
voting Il large number of special pen
sions to worthy veterans and widows
throughout the land. In all 21J We're
passed. With one exception this is the
record for the number of such bills
passed at single session. During the
discussion it developed that Colorado
has S.134 persons ON the pension rolls
and is receiving the sum of S4I4,OO0
annually. Wyoming pensioners num-
ber 726 and receive $116,90O. New
Mexico has 1,155 pensioners who get
S263,950.
An important conference was held
at the war department between Sccre-
tary Root and General Wood. military
governor of Cuba, in regard to Cuban
affairs. 1t is understood that it re
lated mainly to legislation necessary
10 put the new Cuban republic on Il
sound commercial basis at the outset of
its career. General Wood has express
ed the opinion that the proposed TWEEN
ty per cent. reduction on Cuban i'm
ports will not afford the desired relief
to Cuba. He is endeavoring to secure
more liberal concessions for the island.
The civil service commission will
shortly institute Il test system of an
nual examinations of its employees.
which, if proven practicable. is desig
mated to be extended to all branches of
of the government service. These eX-
aminations will be required Of all re-
gnrdless of whether they are seeking
promotion or not, and the employees