The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1912-06-06
DOWN AT WASHINGTON
Interesting Notes from the National
Capital by G. A. Wood, Special
Reporter Correspondent.
Washington, D. c., Juno /, 1912.


pulled on that Chicago judge who
says that q wife is necessity, not a
luxury.
Let us Aope that the fc, eign noble
man who wants to start hotel for
the use of suicides may be the first
patron of lis hostelry.
1t cost Senator Gamble, of South
Dakota S4,017.SS to conduct his
campaign for Endorsement in the
primaries according to his state
ment of expenses filed with the Sec
rotary of the Senate.
The senate has passed unanimo usly
the bill appropriating $4,000 for
the governments participation in
the peace jubilee at Gettysburg in
1913 on the occasion of the fiftieth
anniversary Of the battle.
Senator Owen of Oklahoma, has
introduced a bill calling upon the
Postmaster General for a report on
the practicabilty and cost of estab-
fishing a telegraph and telephone
system as a part of the postal SER
vice.
The senate has passed the annual
pension appropriation bill carrying
$165, 900, 200, or an Increase OF
$13, 100000 over the amount Of
the house bill. The eighteen pen
sions agencies are retained and the
payment of pensions by checks, in
stead of vouchers, is provided.
The pure food board of the De-
partment of Agriculture has issued
a ruling that the amount of water
added to canned goods to increase
I,,1l ir1, rot h~
duced. This ruling is explained as
being the first decision of cam
paign looking toward the establish
ment of standard for foods.
In some respects it would be pleas
ant to be an inhabitant of the Seal
Islands. Alaska Early this month
they will receive their first mail
since last October, having remained
So far in blissful ignorance Of the
suffrage movement, Congress, and
our political throes. But they don't
know the score.
Moving pictures will make their
debut as lobbyists next week when
their aid will be invoked to influence
a favorable report by the house mer-
chant marine and fisheries commit
tee on the bill of Representative
Gardner of Massachusetts to pre-
vent beam traWling,' by which
millions of fish are caught in sin
gle net.
| Agreement has been reached be-
tween the senate and house on the
Agricultural appropriation bill. The
$25O,OOO item for farm manage
ment instruction work was reduced
| to $4,000 in conference, and 10
per cent of the money received from
national forests is hereafter to be de-
voted to road construction and main
the proceeds are derived.
The house has passed the naval
appropriation bill without a pro
vision for the construction OF new
battleships The vote in the com
mittee on the whole on the amend
ment providing for the construction
of two new batleships was 1875 nays
to so ayes. Seven democrats voted
for the new vessels and fourteen re-
publicans voted against the battle
ship program.
Henry w. A. Page, of New York
has been found guilty of criminally
libeling members of the house judic
larry committee and sentenced tc
serve five years in the penitentiary
and pay fine of 900. After sen
fencing Page the court placed him or
probation, with the admonition that
hereafter he conduct his own bust
ness and not undertake to run the
world as he had evidently tried tC
do.
A boundary dispute between the
states of West Virginia and Mary
| land extending over a period of zoe
years has been settled by adecision Of
the Supreme Court of the United
States approving the majority report
of the commissioners appointed tt
run the disputed line. The territory
in controversy is strip about "A
miles wide by about SO miles long
along the western border of Mary
land and containing about As square
miles. .
The democrats and enough regu
lar republicans united against the
Cummins substitute for the house
steel bill to defeat it, the vote for re-
jecion being so, for acceptance IL
Previous to the vote Senator Cum
Minis appealed to the democrats and
regular republicans to support his
substitute, saying to the former
that his bill was more likely to be
signed by the president than was
their own measure; and to the repub-
lican regulars that his bill was pro.
tective, while the democratic meas
ure was not.
Representative Randall of Louis
lana, has introduced a bill appro-
priating s11, 100000 for levee work
and improvement of the Mississippi
with continuing appropriations for
three succeeding years, beginning
July 1, 1913. Of the $11, 100000
the bill provides that $S,000,00O
shall be devoted to levee construction
and repair and the balance to river
Improvement work.
! Representative Humphrey Of Mis-
sissippi, has introduced similar bill
which stipulates that $1O,0OO,0OC
shall be carried in the next rivers
and harbors bill and in 1914 and
1915. Army engineers have esti'
mated that it will require $4,000.
600 to complete the proposed 1,4OC
miles Of levees necessary to protect