The Springfield herald., 1904-02-12
EVENTS IN WASHINGTON AND
TRANSACTIONS OF CONGRESS

yard to assume command of the South
Atlantic squadron, in place of Admiral
Benjamin +. Lamherton.
The agricultural appropriation bill
reported to the House carries a total
pf $5,77l ,240. an increase of $233 900
sver the current law. Only two sala-
lies are raised by the bill, and these
)nly temporarily. being $500 each to
he chiefs of the bureau OF animal in
lustry and entomology.
Representative Martins bill author
2ing registers and receivers of United
states land offices to furnish trans
:ripts of their records to individuals
passed the House. Tten cents per hun
dred words shall be charged for such
transcripts, which shall be admitted
IS evidence in courts of the United
pttaes with the same force as original
ecords.
Assistant Secretary OF State Loomis
transmitted to the House a memorial
rom the Wales Island Packing Com
pany of New York praying for relief,
pn the ground that the decision of
The Alaskan boundary tribunal placed
is canning plant on the Canadian side,
which. it is contented. will prevent the
continuance OF the business of the con-
Germ.
Representative Shafroth OF Colorado
has introduced a resolution recitins
the work that has been done by the
commission on international exchange,
and authorizing the commission ito
agree. subject to the approval of Con-
gress. with other nations upon uniform
laws which will tend to preserve as
much of the gold product of the world
for coinage and monetary purposes as
possible"
BY unanimously agreeing to a reso-
luton amending the rules of the House,
February End. the resident commission
er to Congress from Porto Rico was
given additional authority equal in all
essential respects to that of dele
gate from a territory, the action not
requiring the concurrence of the Sen
ate The speaker announced amid ap-
plause the appointment OF Mr.. Degetau,
the Porto Rican commissioner, as a
member of the House committee on in
sular affairs.
The report of the commissioner OF
patents for the calendar year 1903
shows that the patent businesss trans
acted exceeded all previous records.
The total cash receipts of the office
were $1,616,69S. leaving a surplus OF
$1S9.000. There were 50.213 patents
applied for and 31,6e9 issued. The re-
port predicts the same increase for the
present year, and says the patent office,
since its inception in 1886. has furnish-
sd a net balance of $5,6s2,540 to the
government.
Secretary Cortelyou. in replying to
the inquiry of the house as to the
number Of carriages, etc, maintained
at government expense for the use OF
heads OF his department, discloses the
first automobile thus far revealed as
belonging to the government IN the
answer made to the government We
hicle inquiry. There are eight
carriage horses used in his de-
partment, the secretary says, ag-
gragating in cost $7.125: ten
vehicles, costing s4.26o. and harness
costing $685.. Four men are detailed
to drive and care for the livery, at an
aggregate salary of $3.50.
Under the Dingley tariff law frogs
legs are dressed poultry, This was Of
ficially decided by the secretary of the
treasury after he and the experts OF
the customs division had made an eX-
haustive study of the subject for three
months. The question arose about
November 1st when the auditor for the
,, Treasury Department wrote letter to
the secretary informing him that GER
tain collectors of customs along the
Canadian border were admitting frogs
legs under ten per cent duty for raw
or unmanufactured articles not specl-
fcally provided for. The weight OF
the evidence and the secretary's per-
| sonal experience were on the side OF
the contention that frog was a bird.
The House agricultural committee to-
day reported the agricultural appro-
priation bill. Among the western items
in the bill is an appropriation for the
| establishment of new weather bu-
rea station at Durango, Colorado. The
| bureau of forestry is givel an increase
of $4,000 over last years appropria-
ton for the purpose of carrying into
effect proposed reforms in forest man
agement in Western states and terri
tories An increase is also given the
bureau of animal industry for the pur-
pose of conducting an experiment sta
| tion in non-corn growing states. ex-
periments in feeding cattle. The bu-
reau of plant industry is given an in
crease of $4,000 to be devoted to a
study of forage plants in Western
states. The office of irrigation invesd-
cations is given an appropriation OF
SGT, 900 to continue the study of irri-
CATION problems. The Western men,
| ber of the committee, Representative
Brooks, of Colorado, has been active in
securing consideration of Western mat
ters, which have received recognition
| in the bill as reported.
| Commissioner Yerkes of the internal
revenue bureau. when shown the dis
patch from Kansas City stating that a
large number of express agents in Kan
sas and in the prohibition counties OF
Texas would be arrested for shipping
liquor into prohibition states. said his
| office had not yet been informed as to
actions brought against express agents,
either in Kansas or Texas; that If ar
rests had been made or prosecutions
begun it was probably due to the fact
that the local internal revenue officials
had learned that express agents and
others were having goods shipped to
them by wholesale liquor dealers and
they were selling and delivering them
to parties without having taken out
the special tax stamp required
| by lne internal revenue laws
No sale of liquor can be made
legally by a person who has not
paid the government special tax, and
If these agents have sold packages OF