Gilpin observer., 1902-05-08
LATE WASHINGTON NEWS AND
CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS

The Senate has confirmed the nomi.
nation of William H. Moody. of Mas
sachusetts to be secretary of the navy.
President Roosevelt has signed the
Chinese exclusion bill. The pen used
was given to Representative Kahn of
California, who has taken a deep in.
terest in the bill
United States Minister Powell at
Santo Domingo having reported to the
State Department that the revolutions
ary movement led by the vice president
had assumed serious proportions, the
Cincinnati, now at Norfolk, has been
ordered to be ready to sail for there at
once to protect American interests.
The select committee on census has
authorized favorable report on the
resolution recently introduced to col
lect and bring up to the crop year 1902
statistics relating to irrigation, area of
land reclaimed, cost and value of work
and such other information as may be
obtained bearing on the present condi-
tiOn Of irrigation.
Representative Mondell, in charge of
the irrigation bill in the House, has
decided to concentrate the efforts of
friends of the measure in securing
three days consideration of the bill,
commencing Monday, May 10Th. The
friends of the measure are confident
that it will pass the House if given
consideration, and are desrous that
action be taken as soon as possible
A favorable report has been made
by the House public lands committee
on the bill authorizing sales of timber
from public lands in New Mexico. I'm
| der tha nrOnnSod nt 1,o
sold in tracts not to exceed 25,OOO acres
for the highest and best prices obtain
able. Under the present law timber
can only be sold in tracts of one-quar-
ter section, thus restricting and pre-
venting sales.
1t is now believed that no further
consideration will be given by the
| President to the subject of retiring
Lieutenant General Miles so long as
the commander of the army continues
his present attitude of reserve, and
that the case will be allowed to remain
as it is unless General Miles himself
should do something or take some ac-
ton to revive the recent determination
of the President.
The agricultural appropriation bill,
as passed by the House, includes the
|
of agriculture SHALL on or before July
1, 1903, transfer to and consolidate
with the weather bureau and under
the direction of its chief, all the work
of the Department of Agriculture re-
lating to the gathering and compilation
| of statistics by the division of statis-
tics" The appropriation for good roads
inquiries was increased from $4,000 to
| $4,000.
In the House, Mr.. Shattuc, in an ex-
| tended speech on the labor conditions
of the country, said: Another serious
| factor in the problem is immigra ton.
The addition of 100000 immigrants
to the labor supply of our country
since 1890, and current increase of
100000 yearly, form a menace to the
| labor of our land should period of
depression again visit our industries.
The result will be positive reduction
| in the standard of wages, the standard
of living and the standard of civiliza-
tion."
| The House of Representatives, in
adopting the agricultural appropriation
bill, has amended the provision making
an appropriation for irrigation investi-
cations by providing that this branch
of the service shall investigate and
make inquiry into laws relative to
rights of riparian owners and of own
ers holding rights under the doctrine
of prior appropriation. These are ques-
tions now involved in the controversy
before the United States Supreme
Court in the suit brought by the state
Of Kansas against Colorado.
The committee of postal and treasury
xx-l,< Inn nrir
question of fractional postal cur
rency, probably will recommend to
Congress measure calling for the es-
tablshment of n currency of notes
adapted, with improvements, from the
postal notes used in Canada, Great
Britain, Germany and France. This
plan calls for books of fractional cur
rency arranged in detachable coupon
form, which are to be obtained from
postofiices or rural free delivery car
riers in amounts of from cents to 81.
The conferees on the Chinese exclu-
sion bill have reached a complete
agreement ON the bill. 1t strikes out
that portion of the Senate bill limit
ing the extension of all existing laws
to the life of the present treaty and
re-enacts them so far as is not incon-
sistent with the treaty obligations, un-
til otherwise provided by law, and ex-
tends the laws to our island territory
so far as applicable. 1t allows Chinese
TO enter for exposition purposes ana
retains the provision regarding certifi-
cation in the Philippine islands.
Commissioner of Pensions Evans
was n recent caller at the White
House, and while there the President
Informed him of the death of William
Mckinney Osborne, consul general to
| London and I'm an informal manner