The San Francisco call., 1904-03-08


time limit for this sitting of Congress.
The appropriation bills are largely in
the hands Of the enrolling clerk. The
canal zone must be provided with a
BILE machinery of government,
looking to its good conduct This is
about all the legislation of manda
tory nature that remains to employ
Congress. The disposition seems to be
TO get through. Although this disposi-
ton is manifested about this time of
the year every session, there seems to
be little doubt that the adjournment
will be early. Kittredge has sub
mitted bill for the temporary govern
ment Of the Panama canal territory,
and it is in the hands of the Committee
on Interoceanic Canals. 1t is not
complex scheme that it proposes, and
Congress need not delay its adjourn
ment long on it's account, giving it,
nevertheless, the careful attention that
is its due and that it will receive.
In view of this situation, bills of less
general but of equal Importance and
to have a fair fighting chance Among
these are California's 5 per cent and
the Sequoia grove.
MANY ALASKAN BILLS.
The great flood Of Alaskan bills, daily
being augmented, also stand some
slight show. Beveridge, from the Sen
ate Committee on Territories, stamps
with favor Nelson's bill for a delegate
to Congress from the far northern dis
trict. That is a considerable step, and
inasmuch as it provides for an elective
and not an appointive delegate, and in
a Senate bill, the indications are all in
favor of its passage. If 1T gets through
the Senate it is not likely to fail in
the House. The bill provides for an
election this summer-the first Tues
day in August. The door is thrown
wide open to candidates. The delegate
must have been a citizen of the United
States seven years, be not less than
25 years Of age and a qualified elector
Of Alaska. A qualified elector Of Alaska
is one who is of age, who has lived
a year in the district and sixty days
in his precinct. Each town is made
an election district. The first delegate
elected will, under the bill, serve un-
til March 3, 1905. An election will be
held in August every year when there
is a general election for Representa-
tives to Congress. The delegate, in
lieu of mileage, receives his actual
travelling expenses from his home to
Seattle and return, and from Seattle TO
Washington and return mileage.
AS showing how the interest in
A
important bill amending the mining
laws as affecting the district has been
introduced by Senator Foster of Wash
ington, who was not a member of the
Senate commission that visited the dis
trict, and members of which have been
responsible for most of the bills re-
lating thereto. Senator Fosters bill en-
larges the surface area of quartz
claims to 1900 feet square and does not
allow the owner of the claim to follow
the dip of the vein beyond the vertical
planes of his boundary line. A five
foot shaft must be sunk on the claim
within ninety days after recording. On
placer claims 500 worth of work must
be done within 80 days after recording
and as much more every twelve months
as assessment work" OF this work
affidavits must be made. Claim jump
ing is made a criminal offense. No
man may stake more than one claim
on a creek either for himself or others
in any one year. This bill is before the
Committee on Territories.
Senator Ankeny of Washington has
a bill directed at the oil interest Of
Alaska and provides that where oil
lands are located in the district of
Alaska as placer mining claims the an
nual assessment of labor upon such
claims may be done upon any one of
a group lying contiguous and owned by
the same person or corporation, pro-
viding said labor will tend to the de-
velopment of such contiguous claims or
the determination of the oil bearing
character thereof.
PREPARE MILITARY TRAIL.