The Elk Mountain pilot., 1902-07-01
LATE WASHINGTON NEWS AND
CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS

The Senate committee on Porto Rico
and the Pacific islands agreed to report
favorably Senator Foraker's resolution
authorizing the committee to visit the
Islands for the purpose of familiarizing
its members with conditions there.
The committee decided to postpone
final consideration of the bill providing
for the disposal of the Hawaiian public
lands until the question could be in
vestigated by the Interior Department.
Another question postponed until next
December is that of the disposal of the
property claimed by the Catholic
Church in Porto Rico
The bill providing for the establish
ment and maintenance of schools and
departments of mining in several
states, to be supported by the funds
arising from the sale of public lands,
is to 90 over until next session with
out action. Since the irrigation bill
came to the front and became law,
the friends of this bill have refrained
from pressing it, for fear of injuring
the larger measure. They took the po-
stion that irrigation was of more i'm
portance than the small allowance for
mining schools. There is some doubt
in the minds of some friends of the
will now be able TO secure part of the
land funds for this purpose, in view
of the donation of this fund for irriGa-
ton.
In his recent speech at the Algonquin
Club banquet in Boston, President
Roosevelt said: Peace has almost
come in the Philippines. We have
trouble with uncivilized tribes in
small part of the archipelago, but out
side of that, peace has almost come.
because the officers and enlisted men
wearing the national uniform bravely,
quietly. uncomplainingly and with an
iron resolution have gone about their
duty. The army has gone forward un-
til now throughout the Philippine is
lands there is a condition of greater
peace than has obtained in them from
the time when the keels of the Spanish
ships first furrowed the waters on Ma
Mia bay, and, more than that, remem-
Der that the army has conquered not
to bring military rule, but in order that
the sphere of civil government should
be constantly extended at the expense
Of military rule
Senator Penrose. from the committee
on immigration, has reported the gen.
eral immigration bill. There are nu-
amendment changing the educational
test. Among these is one increasing
the head tax on immigrants to So per
head and extending it to immigrants
coming in overland, which is TO be paid
by the transportation companies carry
ing the immigrants. The time for the
deportation of Objectionable immi-
grants Is extended from one to three
years after landing. and the transpor-
tation companies bringing in such OBJ
1ectionable persons are required to pay
half the land transportation where the
immigrants have left the seaboard
There also are Increased restrictions
on the Importation of anarchists and
insane and diseased persons. and also
ON the bringing III UI couJract IuDorers.
Because of the radical changes made
and the probability of early final ad
journment, consideration of the bill Is
doubtful.
The report of Secretary Root to the
senate calls attention TO the fact that
the minimum at which the regular
army is required to be maintained, by
the act of February ., 1901. is 52,96T
men and the maximum is 100000. We
now have less than 10000 in excess
of the minimum number. The cost of
that excess only is properly TO be stat
ed as occasioned by operations In the
Philippines. In the middle of the fis-
cal year ending June 80 1901. there
were about 10000 American soldiers
in the islands. That number is now re-
duced to about $1,000. Orders have
now been issued for the return of the
Eighth. Fifteenth. Twenty-fourth and
infantry and "A squadron
of the Tenth cavalry, and when these
orders have been executed the number
of American troops in the Philippines
will have been reduced to $4,000. For
the p-st six months we have been
bringing troops home as rapidly as we
could do so economically by the use
of our own transports.
During the debate of the Philippine
bill in the House the horrors of the
Civil War were brought up as prece-
dents by several of the speakers. In
replying to remarks made by General
Grosvenor and Mr.. Mahon as to the
treatment of Union soldiers in Confed-
crate prisons Mr.. Bartlett of Georgia
read from report made by Charles
\. Dana. assistant secretary of war,
upon the conditions in the southern
prisons. saying that the condition of
the Union prisoners in the South was
no worse than that of the Confederate
soldiers in the field. To prove his state
ment. made in the afternoon. that n
greater percentage of Confederate sold
iers died in Union prisons than did
Union soldiers in Confederate prisons,
he produced the figures from Secretary
Stanton's report of january IL, 1866,
showing that of 100000 Confederate
prisoners in Union prisons, 26,5T6 or
over twelve per cent. died. against D.
57G of about nine per cent. of the 30
600 Union prisoners who died in Con
federate prisons.
Representative Shafroth intends, be
fore the Philippine bill is passed, 10
offer an amendment striking out the
House amendment for gold coinage in
the archipelago and inserting the Sen
ate provision for coinage of silver dol