The Springfield herald., 1909-02-26
NEWS FROM WASHINGTON.

The bill granting statehood to Arl-
zona and New Mexico passed the
House February 18th by unanimous
vote.
Tie Senate adopted the conference
report on the Mondell-Smoot bill per-
mitting the entry of 32o-acre home
steads.
The Treasury Department has called
for bids for construction of the pro
posed public building at Boulder, Colo,
bids to be opened March 25th.
The house has passed the Mondell
bill granting the Montana. Wyoming
G Southern railway right of way
across the Fort Keogh military reser-
walton.
The Senate passed the bill which
previously had passed the House eX-
tending the provisions OF the Carey
desert land law to Arizona and New
Mexico.
The Indian appropriation bill, which
was passed by the house Wednesday
as amended, transferred to the state
of Colorado, for educational purposes,
the real estate. buildings and fixtures
of the Grand Junction and Fort Lewis
Indian schools in that state.
(Chief Forester Pinchot says he can
not possibly get to Colorado to appear
before the Legislature before March
18th. Senator Guggenheim notified
him of the wish of the Legislature to
have him before them within twenty
days.
The Colorado-Portland Cement Com
pany of Denver has been awarded part
of large contract for supplying ce-
ment for the reclamation projects. The
contract calls for 10000 barrels for the
Uncompahgre project at $1.1S per bar
rel and 1G,600 barrels for two projects
in Idaho at 81 cents per barrel.
In special message to Congress on
the 18th inst, President Roosevelt
transmitted the report of the engineers
who recently visited the Panama canal
in company with President-elect Taft
The report fully indorses the present
plans and the President adds that an
attack on these plans "is in reality
merely an attack on the policy of build
ing any canal at all"
President Roosevelt, as his term of
office wanes, is remembering mem
bers of his cabinet officers of the gov
ernment in favor and even his person
al bodyguard with souvenirs in the
form of walking canes. The sticks are
all of historic value, having been made
from material gathered from historic
and famous places.
An amendment to the naval bill was
agreed to in the Senate. providing that
in the discretion of the President one
half of the navy shall be kept in Paci
fic waters. SO far as practicable. The
President already has the authority to
SO divide the fleet, but the amendment
amounts to an expression of Congress
in favor of such action.
In a special message to Congress on
the 18th inst President Roosevelt
called attention to the findings of the
conference on the care of dependent
children. He declares that poverty
should not be allowed TO disrupt the
home.
The house passed the Mondell bill
protecting surface rights of entrymen
under any of the non-mineral land laws
when lands subsequent to entry are
found to contain coal deposits. Un-
der the provision of the bill the entry
man may secure a patent to the sur
face Of his entry, coal subsequently to
be disposed of by the secretary of the
interior. under the coal land law, or II
he chooses. the entryman may get pa-
tent to the surface and bring contest IN
the local land office to show that his
entry is more valuable for agricultural
purposes than for the coal with which
it is underlaid.