The National tribune., 1907-01-10


Francisco for liquor confiscated and
destroyed by United States soldiers
during the period when martial law
prevailed there after the earthquake
last April. This liquor was seized and
destroyed in obedience to direct orders
from Washington. 1t was considered a
military necessity at the time for the
preservation of peace and order in the
stricken city. Secretary Taft, however.
believes that the liquor dealers of San
Francisco whose property was thus
forcikly taken and destroyed should be
reimbursed for their loss, to some ex-
tent, at least. Some members of the
House Appropriations Committee do not
believe that there will bs any undue
haste in acting on the big Secretary s
recommendation. They believe that the
temperance organizations Will be Heard
from in a mighty protest the moment
it becomes generally known that the
Government is considering the payment
Of damages to saloonkeepers for whisky
destroyed even by its own agents.
Secretary of the Interior Hitchcock
is now after Harry J. Bone, United
States Attorney for the District of Kan
sas. He has filed complaintqwith Presi-
dent Roosevelt, in which it is alleged
that Bone was derelict in his prosecu-
ton Of land grafters in Kansas. Mr..
Hitchcock thinks Mr.. Bone should be
dismissed from Office. The President
has turned the communication over to
the Department of Justice.
Secretary Hitchcock claims that no
strong efforts were made by District
Attorney Bone to prosecute men who
had been indicted for illegally fencing
public lands in Kansas. embracing more
than 100000 acres. 1t was discovered
in this connection that much of the
land thus inclosed as pasture has been
taken up for homestead entry thru
fraud.
The Inspectors in charge of the case
went before the Federal Grand. Jury,
and had indictments returned against
about 40 cattIemen on charges includ-
ing illegal fencing of public land. con-
spiracy to defraud the Government and
perjury.
Secretary Hitchcock declares that his
Inspectors spent several weeks working
up the cases, and after indictments were
returned by the Grand Jury, the testi-
mony was put in shape for the final
prosecution of the defendants. The in
dictments were returned under ]. S.
Dean as District Attorney, but Dean
The charge is made that Bone was
entirely too lenent in the matter, and
that as a result about all of the in
dictments were quashed and only one
or two in the whole party We're con-
victed. They were given light punish
ment. The Secretary says the prosecu-
ton was little better than a farce.
Representative Cocks, of Long Island,
W Gictri Ia
district of President Roosevelt, has in
troduced a bill providing that the Flag
shall fly over every building in which a
post Office is located from sunrise TO
sunset of every day that it is open for
business.
In order to carry out the provisions
of his bill, Mr.. Cocks directs that in
the Postmaster-General shall cause to
be inserted a provision requiring the
landlord to attend to this.
Thru the War Department report
by Brig.-Gen. Alexander Mackenzie on
the survey for a six-foot channel in the
Mississippi River, between the mouth
of the Missouri River and st. Paul,
Mimi, has been submitted to Congress.
The expense for completing such a
channel is placed at $20,000.000.
By actual count there were but 65
Members facing the Speaker when he
rapt his-nO, not his gavel, but his
knuckles to call the House to order
after the holiday recess. The rapping
business was one of those) funny Incl
dents that sometimes occur. Speaker
Cannon was late, and the hour was on
the IL stroke when he slept nimbly up
the marble rOstrum to his seat. He
reached for his marble .gavel. and 1t
wasn't In the right place. :, The mace
had been rammed home, the blind
Chaplain was standing I'M a reverent
attitude. with his head tp, waiting for
the gavel to fall to begin his prayer,
and moved uneasily when there was
only a snpprest rustling thru the House
and some things being said Just behind
him in not so suppres{ a fashion and
much more strenuously put. and was
finally somewhat amazedcto hear a soft
heshlike rap on the gavel board and a
whispered, Go aheadr He went ahead,
the blind Chaplain did, and meantime
the Speaker was rubbing the knuckles
he had used for gavel. and one Of the
messengers, after rushing back to the
Speakers room, came breathlessly into
the House bearing the gavel which was
on hand to rap the Members down after
the prayer. Somebody had forgotten
to bring the gavel along with the rest
Of the Speakers paraphernaila; that
was all.
Secretary Root will appear before the
House Committee on Foreign Affairs
his week to second the demand Of some
of the United States Ministers that their
salaries be raised from $500 to $10,-
600. in order that they may meet the
higher cost Of living. of which they
complain.
The Ministers now receiving $500
are stationed in Denmark. Morocco,
Norway. Paraguay and Uruguay. Por-