The Elk Mountain pilot., 1903-02-10

vuHalo, wyoming, to purchase tract
II fifty-fve acres for cemetery purposes
Y SIPS an acre.
| The Grant memorial commission, ap-
Iointed under the act of Congress of
POL to select plans for monument to
General Grant. met on the 4th inst.
Ind decided to select the model sub
fitted by Henry Merwin Shready of
Few York
The State Department has been ad-
Used that Sierra the hold-over preSi-
ent of Honduras), has turned over the
Presidency to n council of ministers
nd that Bonilla, who claims to haye
Ieen elected to the presidential office,
las proclaimed himself president at
kmapala.
The conferences of the two houses
IN the bill increasing the salaries of
Enited States judges reached an agree
uent generally accepting the salaries
ixed by the bill as it passed the House.
1t fixes the salary of the chief justice
1T $1,000 and of associate justices at
t12, 500 Olch, of circuit judges at 81 900,
hnd of district judges at $4,000.
Both the House and Senate have
passed the Sutherland bill liberalizing
+ he laws relative to assessment work
on oil mining claims taken up under
he placer mining law. The bill per-
hts consolidation of assessment work
)ne on a group of five claims so that
e work for all may be done on one
aim, where such work is for the de-
|veloDment of all claims in the group,
lor to determine the oilbearing char
|acter of all.
The Senate committee on agriculture
tn
the omnibus statehood bill on the agri-
cultural appropriation bill as rider.
The proposition was strongly antagon-
lied. but it carried by a two-thirds
vote. Senators Hansbrough. Foster
Wash. and Quay. Republicans. and
Bate, Heitfeld and Simmons. Demo-
Gratis, voting in the affirmative, and
Senators Proctor. Dolliver and Quarles.
Republicans, in the negative.
Judge Willis Van Devanter. whose
nomination as circuit judge for the
Eighth circuit was sent to the Senate
by President Roosevelt, will. when he
assumes the duties of his new position,
make his place of residence Cheyenne.
Judge Van Devanter will remain on
duty in the Interior Department until
his successor is appointed and qualified.
There are numerous applications for
the place, but nothing is known of the
intention of the President in making
selection to fill it. Among those men
toned in connection with the position
is Colonel Hays of Ogden. Utah.
In accordance with the terms of the
hew militia law recently enacted by
Congress, the entire citizen soldiery of
he ccuntry is to be supplied with the
, ,gulm1, army service rifle. The state
4 NJ organizations aggregate ap-
4 ruxli1ately $4,000 men. nearly double
le n1mber of the regular army. They
III be furnished their new arms as
aptdly as, they can be manufactured
py the national armory at Springfield,
Massachusetts. In addition to this the
War Department is installing a plant
at the Rock Island arsenal for the
manufacture of. the service rifles.
though 1t will be some time before it
will be ready for work. The depart
ment has on hand a large reserve sup
ply of rifles, sufficient almost to equip
the militia, but will rely mainly on the
production of the armories. as the Off
cias prefer not to draw on the reserve
too heavily.
On February End. which was "sus-
pension day" in the House, the speaker
recognized Mr.. Bates of Pennsylvania.
who moved the passage, under suspen-
sion of the rules, of a bill to provide
for the better separation and utiliza-
ton of public and privatevlands within
the limits of railroad land grants in
the arid region. Mr.. Bates explained
that the bill was recommended by the
Interior Department. 1t permitted the
secretary of the interior. he said, to
exchange arid and semi-arid lands
within the limits of railroad and wagon
grants for public lands of equal value
in order to assemble public and private
lands in more compact bodies, so as to
permit them to be advantageously used.
Mr.. Jones of Washington protested
vigorously against the consideration of
such an important measure under sus-
pension of the rules. He declared that
thessmount of land involved was from
SO. 1000 to 10000. 900 acres. No man
couiAtell exactly how much land was
involved. This was proposition, he
said. 10 pass within twenty debates on
a side. bill affecting one-fifth of the
public domain of the United States.
People who had purchased lands from
the railroads now desired the govern
ment at its expense, to segregate them
from the railroad lands in order that
they could be used to advantage. If
they received the privilege of exchange
they would select the best land avail
able. Messrs. Kleborg of Texas and
Shafroth of Colorado also opposed the
measure The bill was defeated by
viva vQce vote.
The Senate committee on commerce
has been considering the nomination of
DR.. w. d. Crum. a colored man. to be
collector of the port at Charleston.
South Carolina. Senator Tillman.
Mayor Smithe of Charleston and Col
mel Hemphill appeared in opposition to
confirmation. They preferred charges
to the effect that Crum had sold out as
a delegate to the Minneapolis Repub-
lican convention, and in support of this
charge read an affidavit in which it
was declared that he had been sent to
.bo convention as a Harrison de1epate