The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1904-04-21
At Washington.

declared Oy bpeCldl committee OF COD-
gress to be not guilty of any violation of
the statutes of the United States or of
any corrupt or unworthy conduct relat-
ing either to the appointment of Jacob
Fisher as postmaster at Hastings, Neb.,
or the leasing of the building in that
city to the United States for postoffice.
Three members of the Investigating com
mittee are Republicans and two Demo
Gratis. The report was unanimous.
Representative Littlefield has had in
serted in the Congressional Record some
very interesting correspondence on the
subject of peonage in Georgia. 1t in
cludes letter, written to Mr. Littlefeld
by Alexander Akerman of Atlanta, and
the opinion of Judge Speer delivered in
a peonage case on trial before the feder-
al court recently.
Senator Hale's proposition, as en-
bodied in an amendment to the Canal
bill, providing that all stores, supplies
and materials when sent by sea either by
the United States or by any of it's con
tractors to be used in the buildings of
the Panama canal, should be carried in
American vessels is received with much
favor around the capitol and will un.
doubtedly become law 1t should prove
great aid to the Maine ship owners, as
they have many vessels available for
such work. AS soon as the construction
of the Panama canal is we'll under way,
and even before that time there will be a
necessity for enormous shipments from
the United States to the isthmus, which
will furnish many cargoes for vessels
Congressman Burleigh of Maine has
been appointed on the executive COM
mittee of the Republican Congressional
committee of which Congressman Bah
cock is chairman.
The President ON Friday, sent to the
Senate the following nomination: Post
master, Maine, George l.. Herrick, Madi-
son.
Bids were opened at the war depart
ment Friday for the So, 600, 900 of Phil
pine certificates of indebtedness. The
bids mostly were for small lots. The
! Nat onal Bank of Kansas City for the
whole issue at 10l ISL.
Senator Frye on Friday introduced a
bill providing for the appointment of a
commission to be called 1.-THE merchant
marine commission" to be composed of
| five members of the Senate and five
members of the House of Representa-
ives, whose duty it shall be TO investi-
gate and report to the next Congress
what legislation is desirable for the de-
development of the American merchant
marine and commerce.
The House Committee on Military AT
fairs has authorized a favorable report
on bill appropriating $4,000 to pur
chase temporary home in the District
of Columbia for disabled volunteer SOL
diers
| A bill of especial interest to the farm
ers of the United States and those living
in ont of-the way places is the one be-
fore Congress, which provides for the is
suingof all United states notes of the
| three smaller denomnati )ns, 81, 81 and
IS bills in such form that they may be
endorsed from one person to another
when desired to be sent through the
mails. 1t is proposed to have the new
issue much the same in appearance as
at present, with the addition of two
lines in which may be written the
names of the payee and the sender when
it is desired to be used as a check.
The Russian government has given no.
tice to Washington officials that news
paper correspondents using wireless tel
egraphy will be treated as spies and
shot
The navy department has announced
the members of court of inquiriug into
the Missouri battleship desaster. They
are Rear Admiral Chadwick. president
of the court; Capt Joseph N. Hemphill,
commanding the Kearsarge, and Com
mander William II II. Southel land,
commanding the Cleveland, with Lieut..
Mark Bristol as judge advocate.
Attorney General Knox has handed to
the President his opinion regarding the
validity of the Chinese exclusion law.
While the opinion has not been made
public, it is known that the attorney
general holds in effect that the denunci.
alton of the treaty by thina does not
operate to nullify the existing laws and
! that the exclusion can be enforced as
rigidly hereafter as under the treaty.
senator Frye has introduced bill to
remove the charge of desertion from the
military record of Samuel A Crawford,
which was referred to the Senate com
mittee on military affairs.
Senator Frye has taken stand against
the admission to registry of foreign built
vessels which have been wrecked in A
merican waters and repaired in our
yards In this he and Representative
Littlefeld are in full accord but both
are in the minority of their committees
on that question.
The House on Monday, passed the
last of the supply bills of the govern
ment, the general deficiency appropri
alton measure, after a stormy session
| Ii al
The contest was a party one over the
deficiency appropriation for pensions,
which the Democrats tried ineffectiyely
to amend by Incorporating as a law the
recent executive age disability pension
order
A conference between Senate and
| House was reached today which disposes
of all matters in dispute on the appro-
priaton bill.
/ When the question of adjournment
was preached, Monday, II was the unan-
imOus opinion that next week would see
the close of Congress and Thursday
seemed to be the day most favored If
all business on the legislative slate can
| be put through in that time The i'm
portant measures outside of appropri
alton bills which remain on the slate are
few.
The thirteenth annual Continental
{ ongress Of The National society of the
Daughters of the American revolution
convened Monday with over 1000 dele
gates, alternates and visitors in at
tendance. The sessions will continue
throughout the week.
After a debate extending through the
entire session, the House on Tuesday