The Lamar register., 1903-12-02
EVENTS IN WASHINGTON AND 4
TRANSACTIONS OF CONGRESS

The treaty between Cuba and the
United States for adjustment OF the
title to the ownership of the Isle Oh
Pines has been returned to the SEN
ate Committee on Foreign Relations
for amendment to protect the interests
of American citizens before action is
taken.
Senator Thomas c. Platt and Gov.
Benjamin b. Odell of New York have
reached an absolute and entire agree
ment politically. Both will work in
perfect harmony with each other, and
with President Roosevelt. This, in brie1
Is said to be the net result of a con-
ference held at the White House re-
Gently The parties to the conference
were the president Senator Platt. Gov
ernor OdeIl and Chairman George w
Dunn of the Republican State Commit
tee of New York.
Representative Stevens of Texas has
offered a resolution directing the secre-
tary of the interior to report to the
House the result of the investigation
into the land fraud cases. The reso-
luton recites that it is currently re-
ported that the United States has been
detrauded of vast tracts of public lands
'--N-
the stone, desert, timber and home
stead acts and that public officials have
entered into unlawful arrangements to
obtain possession of the public lands.
The resolutions reciting the fact that
the existence of land frauds is Off
cially admitted, calls for specific de-
tails, including names, dates and
places.
But one member of the United States
Senate is more than eighty years OF
age. Mr. Pettus. the Junior senator
from Alabama. who was born in 1921.
Fourteen are between seventy and
eighty, twenty-nine are between sixty
and seventy, and thirty-two between
fifty and sixty. The fifteen who have
crossed the ore-and-ten line
include both senators from Alabama
and both from Connecticut. besides
Messrs. Teller Allison, Frye, Hoar.
Gibson. Stewart. Platt of New York.
Quay. Bate, Proctor and Cullom. The
Constitution of the United States spe-
cifies thirty as the age requirement Tor
the Senate. and all the states have
made good this condition by safe
margin of ten years.
In spite of all reports to the con-
trary, the United states Senate seems
to be growing more youthful. Thirteen
years ago a careful computation was
made, from which it appeared that the
average age of it's members was sixty
years There were then only eight who
were less than fifty years old. and one
who was less than forty-fye. To-day
the average is fifty-nine years and
four months. and in slightly larger
Senate there are fourteen men, instead
of eight, who are less than fifty. and of
these eight are less than forty-fve.
This difference is doubtless due to the
new states which have come into the
Union since that time. whose political
leaders were naturally younger men.
The Delaware overturn has also given
the Senate two youthful members. 1t
is almost a rule that the young states
have young senators.
President Roosevelt entertained at
luncheon on November cath representa-
tives of the labor organizations OF
Butte, Montana. The special guests
were Malcolm GILES, president OF the
Stationary Engineers union; Edward
Long, president of the Miners Union;
NJ. r. Dempsey. former president OF
the Miners Union: F. NJ. Cronin. presi-
dent of the Hotel and Restaurant
Helpers Union; William Robinson.
former secretary of the Miners Union;
j. w. Gilbert, president of the Miners
Union; J. w. Gilbert, president of the
Workingmen's Union. and Frank
Doyle. president of the Trades and La
bor Assembly. Invited to meet the
labor representatives were Secretary
Cortelyou of the Department of Com
merce and Labor, Carol ID. Wright.
commissioner of labor; Representa-
tive Dixon of Montana and Wayne
MacVeagh. former attorney general
and one of the counsel of the Pennsyl-
vania coal operators.
The Bureau of Statistics has issued
the preliminary figures for the i'm
ports and exports for 1903, corrected
to November 18th. The imports of
merchandise for twelve months ending
October, 1908, amounts in value to ST.
O2O, ,474 .O37. and for ten months of the
present year, $40. $780, $50. The ex-
ports for twelve months were $1,422,-
SS7 ,954. and for ten months $1,149.-
G94. .933 OF the imports for the ten
months this year free of duty amounted
to S366. .429 1888. and the dutiable s474,-
800. .S97, this being 32,993,s9O increase
in free and S1S.163.277 increase in du-
tiable-imports. The exports for the
ten months were. domestic 81, ,126, 1861
1856. and foreign SzJ,oZS.l4', al III
crease in domestic over the preceding
year of SCI 1.994.731. and foreign of
s207 .29O. Gold imports for ten months
were $50 65l ,32S, an increase of $63l,-
800. and the exports were S41,SS9, ,J2S.
an increase of S9.431.SS0. Silver i'm
ports for ten months were $19.334,92t
a decrease of 81. .167 ,656. and the exports
were $2S S,053,967. decrease of $1l,-
909.13S.
Representative Mondell has intro
duced a bill prohibiting the selection
of timber land in lieu of lands within
forest reserves and which follows out
the recommendations made by the COM
missioner of the General Land Office
in his last annual report. The text
of the bill follows: No public lands
of the United States, chiefly valuable
for the timber they contain. shall be
subject to location or application un-
der the provisions of the law provid-
ing for tile location. selection and pat
enting of lands in lieu of tracts COW
cred by an unprotected bona fde claim
or patent within a forest reserve. and