The Dolores star., 1902-06-13
LATE WASHINGTON NEWS AND
CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS

national eltttlDu VIII De'tT uaI u uEhihSe
whichever political party is responsible.
If the platform pledges promising state
hood for the territories are not kept
and New Mexico and Arizona are re-
fused admission to the Union at this
session of Congress Advocates of
statehood are doubtful of securing
passage of the bill in the Senate at
this session.
Representative James NJ. Robinson
of Indiana. one of the leading Demo
Gratis in the House. has announced his
opposition TO the national irrigation
bill now pending. Mr.. Robinson says
the bill from the point of economical
administration. is one of the most dan
gerous measures that Congress has
been called To act on in years. He de-
clares the objections to it are so many
and so forceful that they can scarcely
be named within the compass of Il
readable article. He asserts that rail-
roads subsidized by land grants, and
otliccholders who want continuance OF
jobs and places for relatives and those
who expect to share in the exploitation
and jobs that will be necessarily Incl
dent. are promoting II: that agricul-
tural and mineral colleges in each state
will suffer and the taxpayers of the
larger states will suffer in contribut-
ing for an enterprise which in no way
affects them adyantageously.
Senator Culbertson. who favors the
construction of the Si.00O,000 dam mt
El Paso, in order to compensate Mex
leo for damages on account of alleged
usurpation of the waters of the Rio
Grande. has given notice of an amend
l.n ltl
authorizing statehood for New Mexico.
Arizona and Oklahoma, when 1t comes
up. This amendment will provide that
the government shall retain control of
the waters of the Rio Grande. 1t is
rumored that the Elephant Buttes
Dam Company. which is one Of the
chief factors in opposing the construc-
ton of the international dam, will be
backed by the Santa Fe Railway Com
pany in the construction of its dam in
Mexico. 1t is proposed 10 make the
dam much larger than was at first in
tended and thus be able to grant to
the city of Ell PasO water at the equit-
able price for which 1t has been con-
tending and provide for greater scale
of operations in the Rio Grande valley
Truman G.. Palmer of Chicago was
a witness before the Senate committee
on Cuban relations. For the past four
years Mr.. Palmer has been engaged in
the promotion of beet sugar interests.
He gave Il list of seventeen American
corporations which. he said. have $685.
~ acres in sugar producing lands in
Cuba, with an annual capacity of 2J5-
42o tons. OF thesp seventeen com
ranies ten have on file war claims
against the government Of the United
States aggregating S9,G65.9T4. The
largest of these claims, for SALT ,69s,
was filed by the Constancio Sugar
Company, with an estate of $1,000
acres and an annual capacity of 81 900
tons. Mr.. Palmer said lie had secured
the facts upon which this statement is
based from the official records of the
Spanish claims commission, and from
statements made by witnesses before
the Senate committee and the House
committee on ways and means. The
witness said that an effort on his part
to place the bonds of beet sugar
company had failed last December be-
cause of the agitation TO secure n re-
duction of the duty on Cuban sugar.
and that he later had sold his interest
in this company and since then had been
devoting his attention to the question
of the proposed tariff reduction. When
| Senator Platt asked what had induced
| witness to manifest so great an inter
est in the legislation proposed he re-
| piled: because that believe that if
this tariff reduction legislation fails
shall have no difficulty in securing the
means of building at least one beet
sugar factory year"
Felipe Buencamino, former secretary
of state in Aguinaldo's Cabinet, was
heard through an interpreter by the
House committee on insular affairs
Chairman Cooper asked Senor Buen
camino why he had come to the United
States He said he was here represent
ing the Federal party and the influen
tial element of the insurgents and the
Katipunan society. He said his colin
try, the Philippines, was like II sicE
man convalescing from dangerous i'll
ness. 1t was still bleeding from the
wounds of war. Its aspirations were
those of Washington, liberty with jus
tice, under American society. whicl
they loved. They looked to Congress,
to give them just and liberal govern
ment. He detailed the facts connected
with the early uprising of the Filipinos
Aguinaldo was an idol, and the peopl,
believed him when he told them tha
Dewey had promised them indepen
dence. He revived all that had beer
done since the outbreak. and spoke o.
the gradual extension of American au
thority and practical pacitication of tn,
greater part of the islands. Ther,
We're now 500 municipalities estab
lished, and they had proved satisfac
tory Under the Taft system. he said
the Filipinos have greater liberty thai
they would have enjoyed under tn
AguinaldO government had it been es
tablished. Governor Taft now was tn
idol of the people. He said the peopl
of the Philippines would have thei
political status fixed, whether they ar
Americans or Filipinos. He preferre,
that they should be Americans. Til
happiness of the people depended upol
American sovereignty I'VE would iik
to know what we are" he. said, wit
emphasis. Are we Americans or ar
we Filipinos? This is the question i'm
pressed upon me by the Federal part