Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1906-03-01
NOTES FROM WASHINGTON
Washington, February 90

III discussing the ACT OF the COM
mittee on interstate commerce in
reporting the bill. Senator Dolliver
said:
The action Of the senate committee
is entirely satisfactory to me. The
one thing about it which is import
ant, is the fact that 1t places the
bill, which the house of representa-
tives has passed with only seven
dissenting votes, on the calendar of
the senate, where nothing can hap
pen to it which does not happen In
broad daylight, after full public dis
cussion.
THE senators who favor this legis-
lation care nothing who reports it.
Their interest is to get 1t reported
and acted upon in an open and
straightforward way. All they ask is
that this bill be put to vote. They
have today taken an important step
In that direction"
Senators Aldrich and Crane author.
lied the statement that four of the
five republicans who cast their votes
against the bill would have voted for
1t If 1t had contained the additional
provision for review by the courts of
the findings of the commission. They
are Messrs. Elkins, Aldrich, Kean and
Crane.
Senator Foraker is opposed to the
principle involved in the bill and
would have voted against 1t even
with the court provision added, but
with that addition, his would have
been the only negative vote.
President Roosevelt has taken per.
sonal interest in the charges of fraud
and corruption which are said to have
occurred in connection with the laws
Of the five civilized tribes in the In
dian territory. But for his interior
ence indictments against several par
ties alleged to have been engaged in
Illegal practices would have beer
quashed. Now, however, under his
orders, the interior department is
pushing its investigations with in
creased vigor and it Is reliably stated
that in the near future number OF
new indictments will be reported
against not only several men already
indicted, but they will also include
number Of persons whose names have
not heretofore been brought into the
cases, including a high government
officials in Washington.
1t is known that Secretary Hitch.
cock has submitted to the president
and to Attorney General Moody a
special report dealing with the whole
subject. For obvious reason the re.
port, for the present at least, Will not
be made public.
Representative Hull will shortly
introduce in the house bill, making
an appropriation to purchase 600
acres more land for an addition to
the reservation at Fort Des Moines.
This will be the first step in the d.
rection of enlarging Fort Des Moines
to brigade post, instead of regi-
mental one. Captain Watrous of
Des Moines, who has Deen looking
into the question of what land could
be bought for adjoining the present
reservation, wrote Captain Hull some
days ago that the property owners
south of the post were asking 5000
per acre. In a letter received by
Captain Hull Captain Watrous says
that the land can be obtained, he be-
lieves, through condemnation by the
state of Iowa, at from 1925 to $1oC
per acre. Steps have already been
begun to get the legislature to pass
special act allowing the condem-
nation of property for the use of the
general government and under the
circumstances Captain Hull will lose
no time in seeking to get congress
to appropriate to buy the additional
ground needed. He says that he be-
lieves that congress will make the
necessary appropriation for more
land at this session. In case the
land can bo obtained for $3.50 per
acre an appropriation of 100000
would suffice. Probably Captain Hull
will ask for not to exceed 100000.
He desires to confer with Secretary
Taft, who Is in the west to remain
about week, before introducing the
bill
The senate committee on pensions
has reported favorably on the pas
sage OF bill granting $40 per month
to Mrs. Lena Sherman, widow of eX-
Governor Sherman. Senator Allison
introduced the bill to allow $50, but
the senate committee cut the sum to
500.
The Congress on Uniform Divorce
| avs for the several states. adopted
the following resolution, which makes
even more stringent the laws pertain
ing to the migratory" character OF
divorces:
Each state should adopt a statute
embodying the principles contained
in the Massachusetts act, which Is as
follows: eff an inhabitant of this
commonwealth goes into another
state or country to obtain divorce
for cause which occurred here while
the parties resided here, or for
cause which would not authorize a
! divorce by the laws Of this common
wealth, divorce so obtained shall
be of no force or effect In this com
monwealth."
A resolution was also adopted pro
yiding that fraud or collision in OBJ
tanning or attempting to obtain di
yorces should be made statutory
crimes by the criminal CODE"