The Elk Mountain pilot., 1903-12-22
EVENTS IN WASHINGTON AND
TRANSACTIONS OF CONGRESS

ing $13S, 10000
The President to-day sent to tn,
Senate the nomination of Joseph w
F1fer OF Illinois to be an interstate com
merce commissioner. This is a re
appointment.
Congressman Hogg, member of tn,
House committee on general pensions
was appointed a subcommittee to ex
anime pension bills pertaining to Colo
RADIO, Nebraska and the two Dakotas
The Senate committee on public
lands has reported bill authorizing
the Secretary of the Interior to restore
to public entry lands embraced in
whole or in part with segregations foi
reservoirs.
The President has rendered the po.
sition of civil service commissioner
made vacant by the death of John R.
Proctor. to General John C. Black of
Chicago, commander-in-chief of the
Grand Army.
Secretary Moody. in addition to a
letter of commendation to Boatswain
Patrick Deery of the Peoria, who at
great peril swan to the submarine
boat Adder and attached a line to her,
viii order that a medal of honor be
presented to him as an evidence of the
departments appreciation of his hero
ism.
The Senate finance committee ia
vorably reported the bill increasing
from $4,000 to 100000 annually the
amount available for purchase of metal
for nickels and pennies, and providing
that instead of confining their coinage
to the Philadelphia mint, as hereto
fore, they shall also be made at the
Denver. San Francisco and New Or
leans mints.
Senator Mitchell made a speech in
advocacy OF the bill to aid the Lewis
and Clark Exposition at Portland, Ore
gon. He said that almost 100000
had been raised by the sale of stocks
in the exposition company, and that
over $500, 900 had been raised by diff
ferent states for the purpose of max
ing exhibits, making total of ST.,
126,907 of available money for the en-
terprise. He said that n magnificent
site of over 400 acres had been secured
on the Willamette river, which already
had been graded and planted to shrubs.
The President sent to Congress a
communication from Secretary Hay
commission on international exchange
constituted under authority of Con
gress to make an effort to bring about
a fixed relationship between the
moneys of the gold standard countries
and the silver-using countries. The
secretary says to carry this policy to
completion it yet remains to submit
the conclusions of the foreign commits
sioners to the Chinese government and
to defray the expenses of which the
secretary says an appropriation of
100000 will be necessary. This
recommendation the President APP
proves.
The House committee on territories
listened to Delegate Rodey of New
Mexico on the proposition to admit
New Mexico as state. Mr.. Rodey
asserted that New Mexico has a big
ger population than any territory has
had at the time of its admission, and
and that its population now surpasses
eight states of the Union. The popu-
lation of the United States is going to
be 100.000,000 in 1910, said Mr.. Ro-
dey. in this increase of 24,000,0 900
New Mexico will without doubt furnish
100000. Thirteen hundred miles of
railroad have been built in New Mex
leo since the last census was taken.
One hundred and fifty postofiices have
been added, and 100000 acres of land
have been homesteaded." 1t is be-
lieved that the territorial committee
will make its report on the statehood
bill about January Is.
In his testimony before the Senate
committee on military affairs, Secre-
tary of War Root read extracts from
official correspondence bearing on the
charges and also concerning General
Woods administration as governor
general of Cuba. The secretary's
statement was an elaborate and care
fully-prepared defense of General
Wood. He made specific reply to
each of the charges urged so far
against General Woods confirmation
and assumed responsibility for many
of the matters charged against Gen
eral Wood. among others. it is under
stood, the granting of a license to the
Jai Alai. He devoted particular atten-
tion to the attack upon the integrity
of the official accounts of the Cuban
treasury under General Woods admin
istration, and he was prepared, with
any amount of data, to answer the
charges of loose and faulty account
ing and auditing. He took occasion
to say that the weakness of this
charge might have been established
long ago had the Senate printed the
accounts which he transmitted to that
body last winter in answer to a reso-
luton.
The executive council of the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor held confer
ences with Speaker Cannon and Mr..
Gardner. chairman of the House Com
mittee on Labor, discussing measures
in which the labor representatives are
interested. They requested consider
alton of the eight-hour bill and the
prison labor anti-injunction bills. A
conference was also held with Presi-
dent pro TEN Frye and Senator Mc-
Comas, chairman of the Senate Com
mittee on Labor. Speaker Cannon in
formed his visitors he had no doubt