The midland journal., 1910-11-04
WASHINGTON LETTER,

in the Angel Island Immigration Station
following an investigation of the illegal
admission Of Chinese coolies, Hindus and
other Asiatics at San Francisco.
/ Orders were issued by Secretary Naget,
lof the Department of Commerce and
Labor, suspending from Office pending
further investigation Hart n. North, who
has been for the last eight years Com
missioner of Immigration at the San
Francisco station at Angel Island. His
removal is the result Of charges filed BY
Supervising Inspector F. H. Ainsworth,
who has been investigating conditions.
The charges against North were made
upon the recommendation of Commission
er General Of Immigration Keefe. Others
are involved in the charges and counter
charges made in the case. which will be
sifted to the bottom. That serious
scandals have been uncovered is evident
from the changes in personnel.
-
The fight for complete investigation
of the sales and leases of public lands in
the Philippine Islands will be resumed
early in the next session of Congress.
Though two members of the House
Committee on Insular Affairs, which was
4 directed by a resolution to make a
Thorough Investigation of the matter, an
nonnced on the floor that il was planned
to send subcommittee to the archipelago
to make an investigation there if neces-
sary, the only activity of the committee,
so far as is known here. has been an ex.
change of correspondence between its
members and the Insular Bureau of the
War Department.
| When the investigation demanded by
i Representative Martin, of Colorado, a
Democrat, was ordered within an hour of
the final adjournment Of the last. session
Iof Congress. the resolution authorized a
subcomittee to conduct the investigation
during the recess Of Congress. Members
! tof the committee. through an exchange
of letters, have decided to make, an in
Iquiry at the capital in December.
j Persons in the Philippines mentioned
in,the series of resolutions introduced in
Congress are said to be ready to come to
Washington, to answer such formal
charges as may be brought against them.
~
i Products of the manufactures of Mary
land during the year, 1909 amounted in
value to $3I7,57o, 900, as compared with
$242, ,376. 900, in 1904, are the figures
lgiven in a report issued today by the
Census Bureau, which supplies many
other details concerning the manufac-
lures of Maryland The increase in value
for the five-year period was 3oH per cent.
For the same period there was an increase
of more than rs per cent. in the number
of establishments; of more than "a per
lcent. in the capital employed. and of 81
per cent. in the cost of material used
~
i United States Senator Elihu Root de.
clares that if Mr.. Taft continues to make
as good President as he is making now
!. he will be the natural and inevitable
candidate of his party in 1912, unless one
J thing happens-that the people of the
| United States shall repudiate the ad-
ministration of Mr.. Taft b, such crush.
J ing and overwhelming defeat Of his party
J that it will be apparent that Mr.. Taft can
not be re elected.
~
The controversy which has ragged in
Kentucky for generations over the validi-
Ity of so-called blanket grants of land
by Virginia, the mother state and even
, Kentucky itself during its early years Of
Statehood, came before the United State.
Supreme Court on Friday for decision.
Titles to lands now said to be worth at
least $Io,ooo, 900 depend upon the deci-
sion of the court, Originally some of the
/ land was procured at two cents an acre.
The blanket grants cover an empire
larger than the entire State of Delaware
or the Island of Porto Rico. About z. 500
600 acres lie under doubtful title of these
blanket grants. OF this amount the
Eastern Kentucky Coal Lands Corpora
ton, of which c. Hillhouse is accredit.
ed with being the chief owner, claims
title to 500, 900 acres
On tAe other hand, 900. 600 citizens of
the State of Kentucky have entered these
lands Claimants under the blanket"
grants call them 'squatters." The Attor
ney- General of Kentucky has appeared
in the Supreme Court to assert in defense
of their claims of title that these, citizens
are the people whohave built up the State
and erected commonwealth, with its
courthouses and schoolhouses. its munich
palities and internal improvements. They