Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1912-09-11
WASHINGTON LETTER
Weekly Letter From Our Special
Correspondent.
NEWS FROM THE CAPITAL.
Brief Items of Interest to Iowa PeO-
pie, Written by an Iowa ~
Man.

business increased three thousand
per cent during the decade 19O1-19fC
according to report just issued by
the bureau of foreign and domestic
commerce.
Preparations for the establishment
OF the newly authorized parcels post
system are under way by the post
office department. Under the law the
new system will go into effect Janu-
ary 1.
Under authority conferred by the
postofIice appropriation bill the sa'ar-
les of about thirty thousand mail
carriers will be increased on Septem-
Der 80, 1912, from one thousand dol
sars to $1,10O per annum.
The last big opening of agricultur-
al land by the federal government
will take place next spring when the
Fort Peck Indian Reservation in
Montana will be thrown open to set
tlement. OF the total of 2,06S,690
acres, 762,600 are allotted to the In
dians.
The Interstate Commerce Commis-
sion has suspended an increase Of 5
. per cent per net ton on bituminous
coal shipped from southern Illinois
points to Davenport, Iowa, which was
announced as effective September 8
by the Wabash.
Gossip has it that Miss Flora Will
son. daughter of the secretary of ag-
riculture, and one of the most wide
ly known concert singers in the
country, will soon marry Congressman
Jefferson NJ. Levy, of New York and
Virginia, who is the owner OF Month
cello, Thomas Jefferson's old home.
The newly created special joint
congressional committee on good
roads is in correspondence with
American diplomatic officers and
state government officials in an en-
: deavor to gather data regarding road
problems in their respective jurisdic-
tions This work is preliminary to
the organization and sessions of the
committee which will begin in No
vember.
The postmaster general has APP
proved and authorized the free dis
tribution of the handbook of postal
information, containing matter Of
general interest and instructions re-
garding the postal system for use by
the general public. Copies are sup
piled to postmasters upon requisition
and by them may be distributed to
patrons of the Office upon request.
These books, which are Of convenient
pocket size, are said to be valuable
for reference by all who use the mails
and they have also proved of great
assistance to teachers in instructing
pupils in the working of the postal
system in all of its details as affect
ing the ordinary citizen, such as
proper addressing rates, registry, and
money orders.
Under the provisions of clause
contained in the new agricultural ap-
preparation bill, Secretary Wilson has
arranged to hold a number of hear
ings on the white pine blister rust,
the Mediterranean fruit fly and the
potato wart, preliminary to proposed
sweeping quarantine regulations
against these agricultural pests. The
department experts believe that there
is imminent danger of the introduc-
tion into this country of the pine
rust, a fungous disease now causing
great damage to pine trees in all
parts OF Europe. The potato wart is
now ravaging the crops OF nearby
Islands and Europe, and the Mediter-
ranean fly menaoes the fruit crops of
the Paciac Coast The hearings will
be little more than matters of
courtesy and will be followed by
quarantine proclamations against the
countries now harboring the diseases
and pests.
An ancient cottonwood tree which
has for seventy years cast it's shade
oveh, the White House lawns has
been cut down and removed. Ac-
cording to tradition, the sapling from
which grew this forest giant was
brought to Washington in the spring
of 1892 by Chief Alpacha, a Creek
chief, who visited the great white
father just previous to the signing OF
the treaty by which the Creek nation
was removed from Florida. The
trees were said to have been from an
Indian council mound. 1t was pre-
sented to President Jackson with the
prophesy that as long as 1t grew and
spread its branches over the young