The Holly chieftain., 1902-01-24
LATE WASHINGTON NEWS AND
CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS

The subcommittee OF Pacific coast
senator's and representatives in Chinese
exclusion concluded their work We'd
nesday and will report tomorrow to
the full committee representing all the
Pacific coast states. The majority re-
port will present a bill combining the
best features. of the several measures
that of the immigration bureau and the
Federation of Labor bill. 1t Is
also expected that there will
be minority report favoring more
simple treatment Of the question by ex-
tending the Geary exclusion law, with
an amendment prohibiting the entrance
Of Chinese from the Philippines.
The House continued to debate on
the pension appropriation bill and de-
voted much time to the proposition ad-
vanced by Mr.. Rixey of Virginia to
open the doors OF the Soldiers homes to
ex-Confederate veterans. Two notable
speeches were made in support Of the
proposition, one by Mr.. Gardner,
Michigan Republican. and the other by
Mr.. De Almond, Missouri Democrat.
Mr.. De Almonds eloquence aroused
both sides Of the House. The Republi-
cans, with the exception of Mr.. Gard
ner, took no part in the discussion of
the Rixey suggestion, which met with
much opposition on the Democratic
side on the ground that 1t was utterly
impracticable
Commissioner Jones of the Indian
Office has sent CIRCULAR letters of in
structiOns to all Indian agents direct
ing them to induce the male Indians
under their charge to desist from wear
ing long hair and to prevent both sexes
from painting their faces and bodies.
Indian dances and feasts are to be
prohibited and wearing citizens cloth
ing instead Of Indian costume and
blankets encouraged. Indian students
returning to the dress and customs Of
the tribe are to be punished by with
holding employment and rations, and
to prevent all undesirable practices by
the Indians agents are directed to use
all means at hand and suspend rations
and supplies and place young recalci-
trants In the guard house at hard la
Dor. Progress made In suppressing the
evils must be reported by June Both
next
The committee which is framing an
irrigation bill held a meeting Wednes-
day evening and amended the bill here
tofore prepared by striking out the pro-
vision charging entrymen s. an acre
for lands irrigated by the government
works, substituting provision to make
the charge the sum per acre it costs
the government to reclaim i'll all cases
of government construction. The cost
of construction is to he placed upon
the lands irrigated and the entrymen
charged the pro rata cost per acre.
Representative Newlands. who Is the
exponent on the committee of the ex-
treme views of those favoring national
control of irrigation, advocated strik
ing out the section Of the bill provid
ing for state control of distribution of
waters. He was earnestly opposed by
Mondell Of Wyoming, and the New
lands proposition was defeated.
Secretary Root was heard on the
question of the friar lands in the Phil
ippines before the House committee
on insular affairs the other day. He
said these land holdings constituted
one Of the chief causes of discomfort
among the people; they were the hot
beds Of inserrection and had furnished
Aguinaldo his chief appeal to popular
prejudice. The secretary said the re-
ligious orders SO fully recognized the
bad condition of affairs that they were
disposed to sell out and he urged that
the government take advantage of the
opportunity to remove the chief causes
Of discomfort in the islands. He did not
believe condemnation proceedings
would be necessary, as there were in
dications that fair price could be
agreed upon. A rough estimate of the
value of the lands. he said, was from
$5,OOO,OO0 to $7,500OOO, American
money.
The President has sent to Congress
with message simply of transmittal,
the supplemental report of the Isthmi-
an Canal Commission, in which 1t is
unanimously recommended that the of
fer of the new Panama Canal Company
to sell all of its rights, property and
unfinished work to the United States
for 40.OOO.OOO be accepted. The Sen
ate ordered the report printed in the
Record and also as document. After
quoting the correspondence which
passed between the commission and the
officers Of the Panama Canal Company
in Paris, the report says: 1.-The total
ity, without exception, of its property
and rights on the isthmus," mentioned
in the cablegram of January 9th, in
cludes the following classes of proper
ty: Lands not built on, buildings,
plant, work done, Panama railroad
maps, records, etc. The value of work
done is estimated as follows: Canal