Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1908-03-13
Washington Letter.
Washington, March 3, 1909.

should be protected by the govern
ment against such discrimination as
is contemplated ty the LittleHeld
bill, forbidding interstate traffic in
alcoholic beverages. While this
bill would prevent the shipment of
wine from California vineyards into
other states, it, would permit the
entrance of foreign wines into the
state and territories. Congressman
Kahn and Hayes appeared before the
judiciary committee to enter protest
against this feature of the bill, and
we're promised n hearing March 6.
1t is not many years ago that Cali
fornians who were struggling with
the irrigation problem found it
necessary to devote much of their
time to educating the rest of the
country to its advantages. Now the
government is spending many millions
of dollars, which the public will
eventually repay, in putting water on
lands that can not be tarmed other
wise. Even the Indians are to be
affected, for the secretary of the
interior has recommended that con
gress pass a law amending the act of
February 8. 1881, known as the
General Allotment Act" giving
81 acres of agricultural or 100 acres
of grazing land to each Indian who
may be allotted land under that act,
on the ground that if irrigated land
be given the quantity is far too much,
and if grazing it is too little. Secre
taIy Garfield advocates that the area
given to each Indian shall be from
to 40 acres OF irrigable land, accord
ing to its quality, and not over 80
acres of non-irrigable land or GAO
acres of grazing lands.
Even before the session opened it
was evident to every one that the cur
rency question was to be enc of the
main things to occupy tie attention
oflcongress. Two bills were intro
duced which, it quickly became ap-
| parent, took precedence in import
ance over all the Others aimed at
correction of the monetary system of
the country. One of these, the
AldIich bill, was intI reduced in the
senate; the other, the Fowler bill,
was introduced in the house. These
have been and still are subjects OF
vigorous debate. In the senate,
Flint, OF California, has made a
special study of finance to know what
course ought to be taken on the sub
ject, and he has watched matters
very closely, although he has not
Hayes of California, burned the mid
night gas porting over authorities on
banking. He is a member of the
committee on banking and currency,
and he felt deep interest in the sub
ject, which was enhanced by his legal
and business training. Finally Hayes
got an opportunity to speak on the
/ floor of the house, and when he was
through number of members came
to him and complimented him on the
| light he had been able to throw Oh
what is commonly lconsider an abb
struse subject. Mr. Hayes condemned
the bond-secured currency plan of
the Aldrich bill, and said:
! cit is safe to assume that the
national banks of the West and South
at least would not buy these bonds,
and therefore when a panic came the
people of the West and South would
be no better off than they would be
without this proposed law. Speak
ing for myself, will never vote for
any measure that can not afford relief
direct to the people of California,
but will make them even more de-
pendent upon Wall street and the
New York banks than now. | want a
measure that will enable our Cali
fornia banks to issue their notes or
in some way to help themselves and
the community they serve promptly,
cheaply, and Independently of Wall
| street or the New York banks.
"Our present bond secured currency
was brought into being primarily to
make market for bonds of the
United States at fictitious price. 1t
has done just what its creators
thought it would do. Because they
are accepted for circulation the
United States per cent bonds always
are at premium, selling last Deem
Der as high as Ill. IT the government
! should change It's policy and refuse to
accept these bonds tor circulation,
| they would not sell above 50, and