Daily Kennebec journal., 1902-03-24
Capital Notes.

Secretary Hay and j. n. LeSer, MINIS
ter for Hayti, Saturday, signed natural
ization treaty.
BY an almost unanimous vote the
House committee on foreign affairs
struck out of the Mitchell-Kahn Chi
nese exclusion bill the paragraph pro-
hibiting ships flying the American flag
from employing Chinese sailors, under
$1,000 for each offence.
Assistant Secretary of the Treasury
Taylor, Saturday, sold to Felix lsman,
a. real estate dealer in Philadelphia, the
old mint building and grounds. The
price was $2,000.000, part of the pur-
chase money to be paid Immediately
and the balance within six months.
The crew at the Monomoy life saw
ing station since July l, 1901, has gone
to the assistance of four vessels, val
ued with their cargoes. at $15,90O, and
also saved the lives of all of the "a per-
sons on board. These figures do not
include those of the schooner Elwood
Burton, with seven persons on board,
which went ashore off Monomoy,
March 10.
A census report issued, Saturday,
shows that of the 5,739,657 farms in the
United States, 5,O9G,252 reported poul-
try. The total number of fowls 3
months old and over reported were as
follows: Chickens, including guinea
fowls. 233,59S.0S5; turkeys, 6599,367:
geese, 5,676,S63; ducks, 4,S07,35S. The
eggs produced in 1899 were 1,293,S19. 1S6
dozens, against S19.722,916 dozens in
1889.
A decision by Atty: Gen. Knox, an
nounced. Saturday. holds that the public
lands in Porto Rico formerly belonged to
Spain, and, by virture of the treaty of
Paris, now belong to the United States.
The openion was rendered on the request
of the secretary of the interior for a
ruling as to whether the so-called pub
lie lands of Porto Rico were ceded as
crown lands to the United States by the
Paris treaty or remain the property of
Porto Rico as state lands.
The situation in southern China is
attracting the anxious interest of the
state department officials, who are in
no mood to become again involved In
that quarter of the world. The last
advices to the department from the
seat of trouble was contained in a
cablegram received here from United
Safes Consul McWade at Canton, dated
March is, saying: ''Viceroy reports re-
beliion Kwangsi almost crushed" 1t is
not borne out by the press advices of
later date, hence the anxiety of the
officials.
Sec. Hay, Saturday presided over a
conference at the state department, at
which were present Sec. Root. Senators
Cullom, Mcmillan and Wetmore. St. Gau-
dens and Architect McKim. The object
of the conference was to perfect some de-
tails of the pending Cullom bill, looking
to the erection of memorial to Lincoln.
and also to the acquisition of the Lin
coin relics now on exhibition in Washing
ton in the house where Lincoln died. This
relics are the property of Mr.. Oldroyd,
the custodian of the building.
The projectors of the st. Louis Ex-
position have discovered with alarm
that the organic act providing for the
Exposition contains a paragraph which
threatens to prevent the participation
of the Chinese government. This sec
ton is peculiar one and not only pro-
hibits ''the coming into the United
States of any Chinese persons" in con-
nection with the Exposition, but absO-
lutely prohibits a suspension of this
provision of the act under any circum-
stances. The Exposition managers feel
that this will prevent absolutely the
participation of the Chinese govern
ment. if it stands and they are now
working earnestly to secure corrective
legislation.
The largest cemetery in the world is