The Grit-advocate., 1904-12-23
LATEST WASHINGTON NEWS AND
CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS

Dunn, register of the land ONCE az
Couer d. Alene. Idaho: George H.
Moulton. Colorado. consul at George
town. Demerara, Guiana.
A bill amending the law preventing
the carrying OF obscene or immoral
literature into any state or territory,
so as to prevent the importation or
expectation of such matter passed in
the House.
The House passed the bill providing
a penalty not to exceed 81 900 or one
years imprisonment, or BOTH for any
one who knowingly pastures stock on
any forest reserve of the United
States without proper permits,
Russia has submitted to this gov
ernment new form OF arbitration
treaty which that country Is willing
to negotiate. AS the Russian draft diff
fsrs radically from that suggested by
Secretary Hay 1t IS expected the nego-
tiatons will require some time.
A treaty of arbitration between Italy
and the United States was signed De-
cember 14th at the State Department
by Baron Mayor Des Planches, the
italian ambassador. and Secretary
Hay. The treaty is identical with
other arbitration treaties signed by
this country.
The District of Columbia Court Of
Appeals has affirmed the decision OF
the Criminal Court in the postal con.
spracy case of August w. Machen.
George F. Lorenz. Samuel A. Groff and
Diller B. Croft who were sentenced to
two years Imprisonment In the West
~" "inia penitentIary and to pay fine
1000.
lie resolution granting the use Of
rr.- pension building for the
inaugural ball next March was
agreed to in the Senate and
the House resolution for an adjourn
ment for the Christmas holidays ex-
tending from December 2lst to Janu-
ary 4th was adopted.
The Senate passed the Teller bill
| validating the soldier homestead rights
/ Of NJ. ]. Wine. Moses Roley. Andrew A.
Harrison. William Bohanan, l.. l.. Bet
| terton, d. c. w. Brashears. J. r.
Blades, John PendletOn, c. NJ. Blair. f.
S. Wittemberg. w. X. Reynolds, J. NJ.
Walker and Caleb Sill.
( Senator Scott OF West Virginia by
| request introduced bill, also pre-
sented in the House by Representative
s!ogs. providing f5f the gay ssaeslt of
$1.50O to George Iyers Of Boone. Pueblo
county, Colorado as administrator OF
William 1vers. for rent and loss Of the
| decedents warehouse at Santa Fe,
which was burned during the civil
| War.
In the Senate on the 18th inst. a res
| olution was adopted fixing the date for
! the reception of the statue of former
| Senator John j. ingalls,. contributed to
| Statuary hall by the state of Kansas.
for January 2lst next The following
| bills were passed: Restoring to the
| public domain Il portion Of the ella
| river Indian reservation in Arizona.
| Confirming proofs under public land
| laws when made outside the land dis
| trict within which the land may be SIT
I uated.
! Representative MondclI of Wyoming
has secured passage in the House OF
his bill providing for transfer of con
| troll and administration of forest re
serves from the Interior to the Agri.
| cultural Department. This BILL which
was strongly endorsed by the Presi-
| dent in his message, and which Is rec
commended for passage by the secre-
taries Of the interior and agriculture.
Land Commissioner Richards, and the
chief forester, will place the entire
forest administration in the hands OF
Clifford Pinchot. and do away with the
division of authority which now ex-
lists, and which results in much con
fusion.
The House committee on public
/ fafii i,I I,r % A
postpone Indefinitely consideration of
a bill to repeal the timber and stone
act. The members of the committee
voting against postponement were
Chairman Lacey. Needham, California:
Miller, Kansas; Volstead, Minnesota.
The bill in question passed the Senate
at the last session and II was thought
that it would pass the House without
opposition. During the time It was
pending in the House the disclosure
was made that George II, Maxwell, an
apostle of the land law repeal was at
the head of a railway lobby and was
receiving 100000 yearly 10 advocate
the repeal of the land laws This dis
credited all efforts at land law repeal
and undoubtedly caused the radical
change in sentiment evident regarding
the timber and stone act repeal bill.
The Senate committee on territories.
by a vote of to 4, authorized a favor
able report on the statehood bill pro
vidng for the admission into the
Union Of Oklahoma and Indian Terri
tory to become the state of Oklahoma
and Of Arizona and New Mexico, to be
come the state of Arizona The bill
is the one originating In the House IN
the second session of the Fifty-eighth
Congress. but has been amended ma
tcrially by the Senate committee. Tho
most important changes made in the
House bill are the insertion of a clause
prohibiting traffic in liquor for a period
Of ten years in that portion Of the pro-
posed state of Oklahoma now known
rs Indian IerIitnrY and Tho elimina-