Gilpin observer., 1905-02-02
WASHINGTON ITEMS


acres In the Uintah Indian reservation
come subject IT, irrigation under the
national reclamation act.
The State Department Is preparing
to administer the finances Of Santo
Domingo and supervise the customs de.
partment. That Quarrelsome and prod
igal republic will, for a time at least.
be chaperoned by Uncle Sam.
The Senate passed the army appro-
priation bill after modifying the pro-
vision concerning the assignment Of re-
tired army officers to active service
with militia organizations. The effect
of the change is to relieve General
Miles from its application.
The bill authorizing the use Of earth.
stone and timber on the public lands
and forest reserves OF the United
States in the construction of works
under the national irrigation law has
passed the Senate. 1t had passed the
House. and now goes to the President
for signature.
Largely at the instigation OF Dele
gate Rodey, an appropriation Of $4,000
will be made in the agricultural appro-
priation bill for conducting expert
ments in breeding Glands in Colorado
and New Mexico. Experiments con-
Quoted by private parties have. It Is
said. proven highly successful.
The House passed the agricultural
bill without material amendment. Dis
cussion Of the provision for free seed
distribution was indulged in, Mr.. Lilly
of Connecticut characterizing 1t as
petty larceny. The relative values Of
cotton statistics as supplied by the
Census Bureau and Agricultural De-
partment also furnished the theme for
lively debate.
The secretary of the interior has re-
jected all bids recently opened for
erecting frame building at Montrose,
Colorado, for use in connection with
the Gunnison irrigation project. The
lowest bid, that of II. A. Meredith Of
Denver. was $500, and was in excess
of the amount set aside for this work.
Other bids were submitted by Hansen
& Nissen, E. B. Johnson and M. A..
Masters of Denver and J. II. Antrobus
of Montrose. The plans will be revised
and new proposals invited.
The Notifications appropriation bill
amendment striking out the provision
for insular Notifications. In the de-
bate on the measure Mr.. Teller said he
had noticed in the morning papers that
we were about to take another island.
that we are guaranteeing the stabil-
ity OF the island of Santo Domingo"
He did not feel SO much like complain
ing as to the way we came into pos
session of the Philippines as he did
about the administration taking new
burden. 1T is a great job" he added; !;
lit means an army In Santa Domingo.
I deny" he continued. 1.-The authority
OF the Executive Department to make
any agreement or contract to bind the
people OF the United States In the way
indicated. II Is an assumption Of au-
thority on the part OF the executive.
l want some lawyer in this chamber to
tell me where the President gets that
kind Of authority"
At = very late day in our history.
Congress Is beginning to take little
interest in the greatest civic event OF
the country-the inauguration OF q
President OF the United States every
four years. Representative Sherman
of New York has introduced a bill that,
II passed. will make the Inauguration
a purely national affair. as II should be.
This would mean that the President Of
the United States would be inducted
into office by the national government
and entirely at its expense. Hereto
fore the President has been inaugu-
lated almost entirely at the expense Of
the citizens OF the District of Colum.
bia. The Sherman bill provides the
sum OF 100000 as an expense fund for
l.. 4 -
usual cost. Under this arrangement.
we would get away from such CONNER
ciai propositions as the attempt to
build an amphitheater on the White
House lot and send the inaugural pa
rade around that way.
At a hearing before the committee
on ways and means, Secretary Palmer
OF the American Sugar Beet Associa-
tion opposed the pending bill reducing
the duty on sugar and tobacco from the
Philippine islands. Mr.. Palmer said
that Just prior to the tariff agitation
regarding Cuban sugar in 1901, eighty
six new sugar factories had been pro-
jected In this country. Not one OF
these was built. Since that time Eu-
rope had curtailed her sugar crop I'M
der the terms Of the Bussels agree
ment. and the price had gone up to
the point where American capital was
on the point Of again enlarging the
sugar industry in this country. Now.
10 open the Philippine market in com
petition with the American beet sugar
industry, would again discourage this
movement. In replying to a question
by Mr.. Curtis. whose bill was under
consideration, Mr.. Palmer said that
the total sugar product Of the Philip
pines was 145,000 tons annually. and II
the United States took It all there
would still have to be imported 1,500..
900 tons to supply the demand.
In his address before the Senate pre-
senting the statue OF former Senator
Iohp I Jnpalls which hns heen nlaced