Middletown transcript., 1907-02-23
WASHINGTON LETTER

WASIANu1Vlt kEk LIN
WAsnINGToS, D. c., Feb. 10th, 1907,
i AS the session OF Congress draws to al
- end there is more and more epecula
ton over what bill if any stand show o.
passing and what legislation the President
is going to recommend In the railroad line
and whether there will be an extra ses-
sion called. 1t may be said in the first
| place that nothing in the way of legisla-
tion has any chance Of passing now il
there is any opposition to it. The Penal
4 Code Bill is still the unfinished business
before the House and there is no chance
of getting through with that measure in
the next Elk monthe, 90 business has to
be done by unanimous consent and OF
course it ia only measures to which every
one is agreed that this can be obtained.
That 10 what il holding up the Immigra-
ton bill just. now. There is opposition
10 the measure by certain interests from
the South and while the Administration
realizes the importance of this measure
from an international viewpoint, there ls
only one way out OF the difficulty. The
| President is keeping the threat OF an ex-
ira session in the background and it may
be used effectively in getting the immi-
grafton bill through. An extra session
is the last thing that members OF congress
want, and the President has threatened
that if the Immigration bill does not 60
through with the japanese provision in
the shape lie wants it, he will call the
extra session and take advantage of the
/ opportunity to get through number off
other pieces OF legislative work that he
thinks need doing.
~
A matter that is OF general interest to
most people that may be crowded through
in the-last days Of the session is the Copy
right Bill There is a measure about the
justice Of which there is little discussion
in the general features Authors, drama
fists AMI the like are provided With pro-
lection and both the House ana Senate
are agreed on the main features OF the
bill. But there is a lively fight on be-
tween the musical composers and the me-
chanieal musical people as to the rights
of musical compositions. This is where
the humble but popular phonoRraph, the
mechanical piano player and number OF
similar devices come in. As the case
stands the makers of phonograph records
and mechanical piano rolls have been
able to buy any sort OF musical compe-
sition for fifteen cents or so and repro
duce it without paying the composer any
royalty. The man who printed it as
sheet music however, has had to pay q
royaIty.on every copy sold. The fight in
the bill is to make the mechanical music
people pay royalty also and this they
do not want to do. It would seem TO the
outsider rather hard lines that musical
composition should be copyrightabe
production if man wanted to print it
but should be free to all manufacturers if
they wanted TO reproduce it on some me-
chanicaI musical instrument. But the
composers and the mechanical people
have not been able to get together so the
musical end to the copyright bill is likely
TO block the whels measure and get it
hung up till the end Of the session.
-
Sheep raisers and WOODEN mill men Of
all persuasions are uniting in opposition
to the Presidents grazing land measure.
This is one phase Of the public land pro-
lection policy that 10 being urged by the
administration. There is q strong lobby
at the Capitol to prevent action on the
measure and in the meantime the grazing
lands of the west are being killed out as
fast as the sheep men can killthem. The
acheme is the simple one Of leasing all the
grazing lands still under control Of the
government and saying to the leases that
euch an area will support go many sheep
or cattle and not allowing any more TO be
grazed on il. Most Of the cattle rsissrs,
both big and little, are in favor Of snch
legislation, and the Department OF Agri-
culture which has made study Of the
subject, has recommended it without he. i
tation. But the wool men are heartily
against it, The sheep interests of the
4 west are very largely in the hands OF for
eigners who came over the border from
Canada and Mexico, principally Canada,
with immense bands Of sheep, Craze them
across the country and back by some
other route, taking the most of the season
in the process, and leave the land behind
them an absolute desert. Cattle may
Craze on tract OF land and actually i'm
| prove it. So may sheep in moderation.
But sheep will eat out grass roots and all
when they are in immense bands and
what they do not eat they tramp ont
with their sharp hoofa, so that they can
sweep over stretch of country and leave
it an absolute desert for a generation.
TIE sheep men claim that the government
leasing plan for the grazing lands is in the
Il interests OF the cattle monopoly. But
they cannot and do not deny that their
bands Of sheep roaming unchecked over
the west are rapidly ruiniug all that 10 left
Of the public grassland.
>.
Il Strong efforts are being made 10 secure
an appropriation for an addition to tile
Patent Office or ex ira storage room out.
side the present building where the rec.
ords and extra copies Of patents may be
kept. The present situation is fast be-
! coming intolerable. The old section oI
She Interior Department where the Pat.
| ens Ofice is housed, has about reached
the limit Of lie capacity for storing the
records and the extra copies of patents
for which inventors are constantly ilins
1 from all over the country. An appropris