The Elk Mountain pilot., 1903-01-20
WASHINGTON NEWS AND
CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS

The House committee on invalid pen
sions has favorably reported a bill
granting a pension of $100 month to
the widow of General Franz Sigel.
The President has sent the following
nominations to the Senate: Marshal,
Frank A Hadsell. District of Wyom-
ing; United States Attorney, Timothy
F. Burke, District of Wyoming. Messrs.
Hadsell and Burke are the present in
cumbents and are renominated.
| Senator Clarke of Wyoming has in
troduced a bill providing for the in
crease of the lighthouse districts oil
the country from sixteen, the present
number, to eighteen. Also bill ap-
propriating $15O,OOO for the promotion
of the salmon fisheries of Alaska.
Senator Perkins has introduced bill
comforting on municipal corporations
in Alaska the right to exercise the
power of eminent domain. The bill
confers the same power on railroads,
| telegraph lines, wagon roads, gas and
electric light companies, bitches, etc.
| All leased lands shall remain subject
to homestead entry, and all fences on
| government lands shall be taken down.
| Preference in leasing rights shall be
| given free holders. 1t is declared by
| the bill that the measure shall be Tor
experimental purposes, to test the re-
habilitation of range grasses.
| Postmaster General Payne has de-
! cided that no more rural free delivery
| routes are to be established over roads
| that require the payment OF turnpike
| tolls by the Postofiice Department
| Where routes are already in operation
| and contracts are in existence for the
payment of tolls. the contracts will be
| carried out, but will not be renewed.
Senator Morgan has introduced bill
| to extend the scope of the Sherman an
| ti-trust law. 1t provides that the pro-
! visions cf the law shall he so extended
| as to include all persons and corpora
| tions hereafter engaged in producing,
manufacturing. transporting, and buy
| ing or selling any article for proht that
| is authorized to be acquired by pur-
| chase for the use of any branch OF the
| government"
In the Senate Mr.. McLaurin of Mis-
| sssippi called attention to charges
| that the people of Indianola, Mississip-
| pi had been guilty of threats and In
| timidation against the postmaster, and
| declared them to be untrue, remark1ng
| that his object in bringing the matter
| to the attention of the Senate was In
| Congressional Record as an answer to
| those who made the charges.
The Senate committee on foreign re-
| lations agreed to report the Cuban rec
| iprocity treaty to the Senate with two
amendments. The first of these is the
| guarantee against the further reduc-
| ton of the sugar tariff, and the other
| makes a reduction of forty per cent in
/ ~
| to Cuba instead of twenty per cent, as
provided in the treaty as 1t was origin
ALLY transmitted to the Senate.
| The President has selected Col. Ed
| ward NJ. Hayes. Thirteenth infantry,
| for appointment as brigadier general
| to succeed Gen. John A. Johnston, up
on the resignation of the latter, which
| will follow Immediately upon his con-
| firmation by the Senate. Colonel
| Hayes Is lying at the point of death
| at Fort Meade, South Dakota. He is
the officer of longest commission in
| the United States army. which he en-
| tered as a boy of thirteen.
Brigadier General Wood has applied
! for service in the Philippines and his
| request has been granted. 1t is ex-
pected he will be assigned to Minda-
mao. He will become major general
| in August, and it is quite likely that
| he will soon thereafter be assigned to
command the Division of the Philip
pines. 1t is expected General Wood
will sail for the Philippines in April.
| He will complete his report on the ad-
ministration of Cuban affairs before he
sails.
The House committee on insular af-
| fairs agreed to favorably report the
bill introduced by Representative
| Cooper of Wisconsin to establish
currency system in the Philippines,
with certain amendments, one change
| proposed being that the gold coin of
| the United States and the silver coin
authorized in the bill shall be legal
| tender in the islands. The bill as in
| troduced provided that lawful money
| of the United States should be legal
| tender.
After mature consideration it has
been decided by the President that
| Judge Taft shall remain In the Philip
| pines as civil governor. The decision
| was reached only after the President
had discussed the Philippine situation
thoroughly with Secretary Root and
| the other members of his Cabinet and
withVice Governor Luke e. Wright, who
| has been in this country for two
months. Governor Taft had been Off
cred Supreme Court judgeship by the
| President.
A meeting of the Nebraska delega-
ton in Congress was held at which a
| leasing bill formulated in the Interior
(, Department was agreed upon for in
! PRODUCTION in the House and Senate.
/ The bill as prepared for introduction is
a modification of the Lacey land leas-
! ing bill. 1t provides that the maximum
amount of land which may be leased to
| one company or individual shall be
| 12.2S0 acres. Leases shall run for ten
years. Rates shall scale from l to 6