The Newport miner. [volume] (Newport, Wash.) 1899-current, 1912-12-12
NEWS FROM our
NATIONAL CAPITAL
CIapp Bill Aims to Limit Use of
Presidential and Congress
sionaI Campaign Funds.

WaSh1ngtOn.-AS direct result OF
the senate campaign contribution COM
mittee's investigation, Senator Moses
e. Clapp of Minnesota, chairman of
the committee, introduced in the SEN
ate a drastic bill limiting the use Of
campaign funds in presidential and
congressional elections. 1t forbids any
person, firm, corporation, association
committee or any officer thereof to
send moneys from one state to an
other for the purpose of influencing
elections Such general prohibition,
however, is not provided against poll
teal committees, the bill specifying:
"The national committees of politi-
cal parties may make payments for eX-
penses of campaign speakers, trans
portation, hotel bills, expenses for the
dissemination of campaign literature
and advertising"
Violations of the proposed measure
are made punishable by Imprisonment
of from six months to one year.
Governors Act on Rural Credit Plan.
The conference of governors here
took official action to further the ex-
tension of rural credits, after listening
to an address on the subject by Presi-
dent Taft.
A committee of nine executives was
named to draw up tentative farm
credit plan, from the reports of for
eign credit systems, submitted to them
by Myron T. Herrick, American am
bassador to France.
Ambassador Herrick outlined brief
ly the bond issue plan which he re-
commended for adoption by this coun-
try. The system, he explained, con-
sisted of an association of small state
or land banks, whose sole business
was the issuance and guarantee of
bonds secured by farm lands. These
bonds have no fixed date for retire
ment, but their average is 80 to rs
years. The interest on the bonds av-
erages three per cent a year, exclus-
i've of the cost of the bond issuance.
Assay Offices to Close.
The house voted to close assay Of
fees at Boise, Helena and Carson on
June 80 next. The legislative appro-
priation bill omitted these offices and
when Representative French offered
an amendment restoring regular ap-
preparations for all three of them, the
solid Democratic side voted mo" and
the amendment was defeated.
The house granted new lease on
life to the Seattle assay office, which
gets the usual appropriation of $4,000.
To Authorize Complete Railway Probe
Amended to authorize also a COM
plete investigation into the question
of stock and bond issues of interstate
carrier corporations, the bill by Repre-
sentative Adamson, empowering the
interstate commerce commission to
make a physical valuation of the prop
erty of railroads and other common
carriers was passed by the house with
out a dissenting vote.
The measure asked for by the inter
state commerce commission would
provide for a far reaching inquiry,
with the view of having railroad rates
fixed on the basis of income on actual
investment
Democrats to Block Appointments.
Preparations for the proposed move
ment by Democratic leaders in the
senate to block the confirmation of
the majority of President Taft's ap-
pointments to office to be made dur
ing the last few months of his admin
istration, are under way here.
All the postoffice appointments will
be "pocketed" by senators from the
interested districts, it is understood,
at such places where change might
be made.