Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-11-28
IOWA RAILROAD LAND CASE
State aud Railway Corporation Claim Title
to Twenty -Four Forty Acre Tracts,
TWO SPECIAL MESSAGES TO CONGRESS
President VIII Discuss Conditions
ARectIng Panama Canal aud
Recommend citizenship for
Porto Ricans.
CFrom q stan CorrespondentJ

WASHINGTON, Nov. 3i.-(Spccial Icie-
grau.)-Assstant Attorney General Camp
I bell for the Interior department today
granted an oral hearing 70 the attorneys
la the case OF tho Iowa Railroad Land COM
pany ct al. against the State of Iowa.
Messrs. Burdett, Thompson & Law, a iirm
OF Washington attorneys appeared on be-
halt Of the Iowa Railroad Land company
and Judge T. r. Dune Of Omaha and At
I torney Prentiss Of this city for the state OF
lows.
This case involves contest over twenty
/ four fortyacre tracts of land situated in
! Sac county. Iowa. The Iowa Railroad Land
company claims title under railroad grant
acts OF 1856 and 1864. while the state Of
Iowa asserts rights to the same lands un-
der the provisions Of the swamp land grant
! Of 1850. The case Is an Oh one and has
/ been awaiting decision in the Interior de-
partment for many years. Today's hear
( ing may rattle IN the dry bones al the
/ Interior department and bring about fnsl
ruling with the year.
President talks et Panama.
With but two exceptions. the president
/ today expressed his complete sstizfac-
! tou with the condition of affairs on the
isthmus OF Panama as disclosed during
! his three days inspection OF the work in
/ ~ FPeiNSH AiAVAts NJut VI the tAtGFAlbilS
the president told his callers. related TO
the sanitary feature of the quarters for
bachelor negro laborers. and this, he
pointed out, under ordinary circumstances
viii have been adjusted within a very
I short time. The president expressed him
self as impressed with the magnitude of
the undertaking al Panama and OF the
! way in which it is being carried out.
/ MIR. Roosevelt is not yet certain whether
he viii recommend any special legislation
in connection with the isthmiau work in
the special message which he is to send
20 congress on the subject This VIII de-
pend on fun consideration of the mat
ter between now and next week
The presidents special message on the
Panama canal II Is now expected, will be
sent TO congress probably about a week
after it convenes on Monday 1t will deal
with every phase of the question and give
a graphic and detailed description of con-
ditions on the isthmus a. the president
found them. There will be recommends
tious for the betterment of conditions which
suggested themselves during hts visit
For the first time in several months
there was full attendance at the cabi-
: net meeting today. A number of topics
were considered, the session being pro.
tracted for almost three hours One OF
these related TO some feature of the Cuban
situation. but no statement was ootain-
able on the subject.
Special Message ON Porto nice.
The president believes the people OF
Porto Rico are entitled to American citi-
zenship and will recommend that this be
granted TO them I'm a special message 70
congress. The president has expressed
the opinion that it is 'Iamentable that they
do not now enjoy this right.
In this connection he noted that al.
though Porto Rico had sent a delegate &c
the Pan-American congress at Rio d,
Janeiro, that delegate could not even say
he was an American citizen and this is
also the case II he visits Europe or any
other foreign country.
The president was very much please,
with his visit to Porto Rico, which he say
. is fine country, is prosperous and its gov
ernment an excellent one. The people, h
says, are prosperous.
secOnd-CIass Mail Rates.
The congressional postal commission con
cluded at the close of todays session no
10 hear any more witnesses except govern
y Inent witnesses as may be designated b,
r. the commission itself. The witnesses hear,
= today were Camel H. Tenbroeck OF The Mer
r NnuilS 4AuJuHluI OF 81 Louis, winner Al
Z lSinsop of the Foreign Journal OF Philadel
g phias ex-Mayor Men of Kansas City, repre-
s senting several stockyard papers; j. A
> Boyco OF Chicago and Third Assistant Post
master General Madden
Mr.. Madden did not recede from his M
sition in favor of an increase in the rate
- on second class matter. He contended thu
h all printed matter should be required to pa
s the same rates and said that he would pu
Z all on a purely physical basis. He sue
d gested cents a pound as the proper com
Il pensation for carrying the periodical mail.
Mr.. Neff complained bitterly of solne q
the rulings against stock yard papers II
said he felt he had been treated as thoug
% he had been a ''moonshiner' and he though
Is that there should be reform that woul
d give better recognition to such enterprise
is as those he represented AIr. Boyce al
T. pesred in behalf Of large number of pa
e pers in the west He presented figures
l. show that II run as a private enterprise n
postal service could be made profitable an
said he would agree to take a contract
do the business OF the department for II
= revenues derived from IT,
- Taft Reserves Decision.
n The hearings upon applications 10 th
secretary OF war for permission 10 tran,
nit to the United States power develops
on the Canadian side OF Nisgara rive
"A, were closed tonight Additional data wi
10 be nled, and Secretary TAFT announce
8 that lie would not be able 10 reach a d,
cision in regard 20 the applications unt
he had conferred with Secretary Roo
T This conference is necessary because
the effect the contracts may have upo
., an international treaty providing again,
any perceptibIe Interference with a
grandeur OF the Niagara Falls. lie sal
he would award privileges about JanusI
II possible. The hearings before Sc
l. retsry Taft were FOR the purpose Of ei
y. ahling him 10 ind a way equitably 20 di
of tribute i5I.5O6 horsepower, the estimate
he limitation on the amount of electric pow
BIS tO be admitted. among half dozen
"a. more corpdratiOns. each OF which thinl
Is It must have a third or more Of the who
ii. in order TO exist.
d. The arguments. by the three oompsnil
be holding franchises from the Dominic
OF government suggested . combinati,
IN against applicants dissimilarly situate
al though no representations 70 that ehe
e. were laid before Secretary Taft.
We MeteaIf Submits Report.
ha F1r-sfdenf Eloaaavflf had lone cont.