Daily Kennebec journal., 1911-01-16
CAPITAL JOTTlNGS.

The Senate Saturday voted for two
claims in behalf of the families of men
killed in an explosion at Boston few
years ago. The Senate awards $4,000 to
the family Of Charles +. Atwood. d
brother Of former Congressman At
wood. and $40 to Zeba II. Nickerson
uf Lynn. The amounts equal in each
case years salary. As government
employees the two men were inspecting
the explosives and lost their lives.
An effort to provide pensions for men
Of the life saving service was defeat
ed by large vote Friday in the House
interstate commerce committee. Rep
resentative Greene of Massachusetts
has been much interested in the meas
ure. Opponents assert that when the
pay of these employees was raised in
the 5Sth Congress there was virtual
understanding that it should be III lieu
OF any claim for pensions.
Phosphate beds which are believed
10 be of great commercial value, have
been discovered in western Montana
according to a bulletin Of the United
States Geological Survey, The depos-
its are on public lands near Butte
which have been withdrawn from en-
try pending legislation by Congress
as to their control and disposition. The
Geological Survey believes the area in
phosphate is large, that the bed may
be five or six feet thick. The possible
tonnage, therefore, may be large. as a
square mile underlain with 3-foot
bed of phosphate would contain about
$3.50. 900 tons.
attorneys for some of the indicted
members of the so-called "Bathtub
Trust" have practically abandoned
their efforts to get the department OF
justice to corsent to fines. and it was
reported in Washington Saturday that
some OF the counsel had advised up
on the courts fer icnency. The gov
,rnments prosecutors expect to get
tho case to trial in the United States
circuit court at Detroit early in March.
The indicted ones have until Feb. | to
plead further or demur to the indict-
mentS. They have pleaded not guilty.
\ general order reprimanding Com
mander William S. Sims for his last
drop of blood" speech in London has
been issued by Secretary of tie Navy
, Meyer The first copy of the order
was sent to Admiral Schroeder, COM
mander- in chief of the Atlantic fleet,
to be given Commander Sims. This
action was based upon desire Oh the
navy department that Commander
Sims should receive the order before
il is gene rally published in the navy
Commander Sims is now at Guanta-
namo. cuba in command of the United
States battleship Minnesota, which ar
rived at the Cuban nort Friday.
Congress is going to protect the coun-
try from the operations of foreign
spies The House judiciary committee
has unanimously decided to report the
Hobson bill, providing severe penalties.
The measure will pass both House ana
Senate without opposition. The bill as
originally drawn by Mr.. Hobson, is
based on the British spy act. Inc OH
divides the offence into two classes
those where there is Il simple disclo-
sure of military Information, plans OF
fortiticatons, or military secrets of any
kind and those where the information
is given to a foreign government. In
the first the penalty may be fine not
exceeding $1,000, or Imprisonment not
exceeding one year, or both hne ana
imprisonment. In the second class the
penalty is not exceeding 10 years i'm
Continued on Page Ten.)