The Grenada sentinel., 1908-02-01
CONGRESSIONAL

senate a bill from the committee on
mines and mining, validating the To-
cation of mineral claims heretofore
made by deputy mineral surveyors.
The interior department has held tnat
deputy mineral surveyors. although
not officers of the government. are
prohibited from locating claims on the
public lands; rule which applies to
employees of the general land office.
The completed text of the Aldrich
financial bill, which will be submitted
to the full committee after meeting
has been held to go over tae data
from the treasury department, will
contain the amendments that has been
tentatively agreed TO at the various
meetings of the committee on finance.
There will also be series OF small
provisions added to the bill, which
nave been devised to make it work
smoothly as an emergency measure.
1t will be made mandatory upon the
secretary of the treasury to make and
keep on hand supply of notes which
can be quickly issued upon cal. The
secretary of the treasury will be re-
quired to proceed Immediately upon
the law taking effect to gather data
concerning the new class OF securities
provided in the measure. The bonds
of every city in the country will be
inspected and their worth stated in
treasury department reports, as will
be done with any securities that are
at any time liable to come within the
working of any emergency currency
law. 1t has been settled that the dis
tribution of the currency will be by
states, instead of districts, as former
ly proposed.
Greatly to the surprise CT every one,
the subject of slavery was introduced
In the senate Monday. Secretary TAFT
was directly charged with having q
knowledge OF slavery in the islands.
The debate was made potent by the
sections of the bill revising the GRIM
inal code of the United States, which
provide penalties for dealing in slaves.
Sir. Hale asserted that such provisions
should be stricken out, as he regarded
slavery as obsolete. in the United
States and he could see no reason Tor
referring to it. Senator Hepburn, In
charge of the bill, declared that not
inly is there immoral traffic in white
slaves, but that coolie labor in the
form of practical slavery does exist
and added that actual human slavery
is still maintained in the Philippine
Islands. Mr.. Lodge made a statement
to disprove the charges of slavery in
the Philippines.
The street railway systems OF the
District of Columbia and the financial
question occupied the tire of the
house of representatives Monday The
latter subject was discussed by Mr..
Fowler, chairman of the committee
on banking and currency, IN an ex-
haustiye speech, in which he opposed
bond secured currency and the prop
osition looking to the establishment
of central bank. Mr.. Fowler used
for his text the bill introduced by
him early in the present month. pro-
viding among other things for Sank
redemption districts which he argued
would meet national emergencies.
Representative James Mckinney Of
Illinois introduced in the house of rep
resentatives Monday the currency bill
indorsed by the currency commission
of the American BanlVrs' Association,
which met in Chicago 10 days ago.
The bill follows the general lines OF
the Fowler asset currency measure of
last year. The second section of that
bill provided for tax of " per cent
semi-annually on national bank guar
anteed notes The Mckinney bill
makes this tax IA per cent. 1t Is un-
derstood that the Bankers Association
will make an active campaign on be-
half of the bill. Mckinney is vice
president of the Illinois Bankers AS
sOciation and is a member of the COM
mittee on banking and currency OF
the house.