Lewiston inter-state news. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1905-1906, 1905-12-29

Reported that Commission Will
6oeomnond oaaeh Action.


sion. which has been working on thu
Agricultural Departments system since
the cotton scandal several months ago
has finished it, business. Its report
Will 30 the president In . day or two
1t II rumouer that the commission
VIII recommend the abolition Of the
departments crop estimates and tina,
the statisticians win be ordered here
after to conf1ne themselves to state
ments OF crop conditions and not be
allowed to prophecy what the various
crops win amount to. This, however
IL mere guess work and has been Sc,
afioat. not by the commission, which
for . government commission has been
wonderfully reticent. but by some OF
the congressman who do not bear the
Agricultural department any good will
and would like to see it's power cur
tailed.
Congressman Livingston Of Georgia
II one Of those who has been interest,"
Ing himself lately in having the crop
work Of the department reorganized
and recently came out in a long inter-
view In which he recommended the APP
pointment Of paid crop-reporters after
the manner Of census enumerators to
gather statistics. When 1t was pointed
out by the secretary. however. that it
would cost about $4,000 month to
do this work which Is now paid for by
q few department publications and a
few packages Of seeds, the matter was
dropped. There was a serious question
whether the paid statisticians would
be more accurate than the volunteers,
anyhow.
After Postal Frauds Again.
The postoffice fraud cases have not
been proceeding very speedily lately.
but another Of them was tentatively
disposed Of this week. one may say
tentatively, as motion was entered
for . new trial and the defendant re-
leased on $4,000 bail. It was the case
Of william O.. Crawford. who was ac-
cused Of conspiring with August
Aachen and George Lorenz to defraud
the government. Crawford has been
convicted and II held will be liable to
: fine Of 500, 900 and seventeen years
imprisonment OF course he will not
get all Of that. Machen. who was the
most thorough going and artistic graft
" Of the whole lot. got OF with $4,000
fine (which he swore OF under the pau
per convict's OATH and two years in
the '.pen" which he is now working out.
Crawford Of course has chance Of
going free on his next trial, but the
government declares that it will be
able to secure final conviction.
May Change Inauguration Date.
The. proposal for change Of date in
the Inauguration ceremonies has come
Up again. Identical resolutions have
been introduced in both the house and
senate providing for the postponemert
of the inauguration to the last Thurs
day in April. These measures are on
the lire Of the late Senator Hoar's
resolution which twice passed the SEN
ake. The change has been urged by
the inaugural committee. backed by
letters from the governors of IS states.
The measure also has the approval of
tie judiciary committee Of both houses.
Metric System for the Government.
This No. hem . week Of regulation
bills and resolutions. Another Of the
old regulars has been introduced by
Representative Littauer providing for
thu use Of the metric system In all gov
ernment transActions- This Is a meas
ure that he been demanded for a long
time by al the scientific men Of the
country and were It once generally
enforced. the public would soon find ri
- convenient - the decimal system Of
currency. The system Is already In
use In the government bureau OF stand
ards and n several other Of the scien-
tic departments But Il Is highly
probable that the public will need al
generation more Of education before
they will realize the need Of it.
TO De RECEIVED IN ENGLAND