The Grit-advocate., 1902-12-26

| principle of arbitration as applied TO
| the Venezuelan question is matter of
| great satisfaction to the president AL
his Cabinet. That all the powers have
| intimated. too. that they would prefer
| the president should arbitratc the
| present dispute is taken as a notable
| compliment to the president personal
| ly and to his administration. 1t is
| the hope OF both the president and Ms
advisers, however, that while there Us
| precedent for his acceptance OF the
| post of arbitrator, the powers will con
| sent to a reference OF the contrOyersu1
matter in the Venezuelan question %
the tribunal at The Hague.
Representative Mondell of Wyoming
| has introduced a bill increasing the
penalty imposed upon persons commit
| ting crimes against Indians. Under the
present law one years Imprisonment is
| the maximum penalty for stealing
property Of Indians regardless Of the
value of property taken. In many iu-
stances large numbers of Indian cattle
I and other property have been taken
and upon conviction guilty parties
! have been required to serve but one
/ years imprisonment. Under the Mon
dell bill the penalty imposed is one
| years imprisonment if property taken
| is not worth over $25; if over that
amount, the punishment shall be i'm
prisonment of not less than one year
nor more than fourteen years.
President Roosevelt, before he
| reached his decision to send the
Cuban reciprocity treaty to the Senate
and not to the House, consulted freely
| tho lpaIarS pf the Hopca and tla am
bers of his Cabinet After mature con
sideration it was determined that it
was unnecessary to send the Cuban
treaty to the House. Notwithstanding
| the fact that it affected revenues of
the government. Precedents were
looked up carefully. 1t was found
that previous reciprocity treaties had
been sent directly to the Senate for
ratification. The president. when the
Cuban treaty shall have been ratified
by the Senate will send a message to
both branches of Congress, with a
recommendation for such enabling
legislation as will make the treaty
operative. This will afford the House
full opportunity, it is expected, to
stamp with its individuality the nego-
tiations for Neiprocity with Cuba
MIR. E14litit, a Georgia Democrat
during consideration OF the legislative
appropriation bill in the House. Of
fered an amendment to appropriate
S250000 to enforce the Sherman anti
trust law and to direct the attorney
general to proceed to the prosecution
of all violators of the law Although
such provision was plainly amenabe
to a point of order. not a member on
either side of the House raised obiec-
ton. Both sides wheeled into line and
all agreed that some such action was
advisable. Some of the Republicans
raised objection to the looseness of the
language of the amendment, and Mr..
Hepburn offered as substitute for it
| the language Of the bill he introduced
the opening day of the session to ap
propriate $500,0O0 for the enforcement
of the law. This was further strength
ened to make the appropriation imme-
diatc!y available, and as amended the
substitute was agreed to without d-
vision. The legislative bill was passed
practically as it came from the COM
mittee. except the amendment.
The eight-hour labor bill. as amend
ed by the Senate committee on educa-
ton and labor, was reported to the
panied by a written statement of the
committees reasons for its action. 1t
is stated that the bill is substantially
the same as the House bill and that it
is favored by majority Of the Senate
committee. Speaking of the general
policy of the measure, the committee
says. Your committee do not doubt
the right of Congress to extend the
eight-hour day. The majority approve
the policy of extending the eight-hour
day. believing its results will be bene-
fetal, that the products of labor will be
improved and that the happiness and
homes of workmen will be greater and
brighter. the intelligence of the people
increased and civilization advanced by
such legislation, A majority of your
committee believe that this measure,
which has received from the committee
such serious and careful consideration,
is not radical, but conservative, and,
therefore, recommend it's passage"
Representative Fowler, chairman Of
the House committee on banking and
currency introduced bill which was
drawn by him in accordance with the
views of the Republican members eX-
pressed at recent conferences, and
WHICH Will De VI ecu lllol'uu VI IIt cur
rency bill reported to the House at the
last session. The bill provides: That
any national bank may. with the ap-
proval of the comptroller of the cur
rcncy, take out for issue and circula-
ton an amount of national bank notes
not exceeding twenty-five per cent. Of
its paid-up and unimpared capital
without depositing United States bonds
with the United States Treasury in the
manner provided by existing laws"
The bank is required to deposit bonds
or gold coin equal to five per cent. Of
the notes taken out. A tax of one
quarter of l cent is to be paid on the
first days of January and July of each
year in gold on the average amount of
such notes in circulation during the
preceding six months, which tax. to-
gether with the five per cent. deposit
ed, shall constitute a guarantee fund
TIL, bill provides that these notes shall
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