The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1912-01-18
DOWN AT WASHINGTON
Interesting Notes from the National
Capital by 6. A. Wood, Special
Reporter Correspondent.

|
Washington, D. c., Jan. 13. 1912.
| Senator Burton, of Ohio, has in
troduced bill for penny postage to
begin July /, next.
President Taft has signed the
proclamation admitting the Territory
of New Mexico to statehood.
| Candidates for fourth-class post
masters are growing scarce because
of the low salaries paid.
| 1t cost Ollie James just $2,072.66
to move his trunk from the House to
the Senate end Of the Capitol. And
it's worth it.!
Representative Levy of New York
has introduced a bill authorizing
the president to appoint three vice
admirals of the navy, to receive
$1,000 a year on the active list
and $6,5O0 year on retired pay.
A bill requiring that after Janu-
ary I, 1914, railroads shall use only
vestibuled steel cars in interstate
passenger servfee has been intro
ducd by Representative Donohoe of
Pennsylvania.
In the execution of an equestrian
statute of Gen. John Morgan, the
confederate raider. to be placed at
Lexington, KY, the sculptor has
made the grievious blunder of as
signing the wrong gender to the
horse. 1t was the intention to show
the general astride his famous mare
"Black Bess." but the equine sup
piled isn't that kind of cat.
Representative Humphrey, Of
Washington, has introduced a bill to
allow all American ships, except
those belonging to or controlled by
railroads, engaged in coastwise trade
to pass through the Panama Canal
free of toll charges.
1t is now practicable for boats
! drawing four feet or less to sail
through inland waters from Maine
to Florida, with the exception OF a
break about 100 miles between
Beaufort, N. c., and Georgetown, s..
c., according to an announcement
of the Coast and Geodetic Survey.
A resolution has been passed by the
house appropriating $4,000 to per-
NIT the Stanley steel committee to
continue it's investigation OF United
States Steel Corporation. The com
mittee has already spent $25,0OO,
half of which went to an expert ac-
countant employed to examine the
books of the trust.
Notwithstanding the bitter op-
position cropping out at various
points in the country, Presid lent Taft
has pretty definitely decided, to name
Judge William C. Shook, circuit
Judge of the eighth circuit, as asso-
ciate Justice of the United States
Supreme Court, to succeed the late
Jusice Harlan.
The constitutionality of the Hep
burn law for the regulation Of inter-
state commerce has been affirmed
by the Supreme Court of the United
States in a decision in the cases of
the Union Pacific, Great Northern,
and Northern Pacific railroads. The
court also held that the order of the
Interstate Commerce Commission re-
ducing rates on lumber from points
in the northwest to eastern points
was valid.
The small number of complaints
of political activity on the part of
government employees during the
past fiscal year is noteworthy in view
of the years political campaigns,
says the annual report of the United
States civil service commission, sub
mited to President Taft this week.
Observance of the rules and the
resolute stand of the President in
support of the law are given as the
reason.
For the first time in the history of
the government labor strike is
holding up the machinery of con-
gressional legislation. The House
committee stenographers have re-
fused to accept a cut in their COM
pensation from 25 cents to Is cents
a folio and have walked out, leaving
the committees to report themselves
or go unreported. The stenograph-
ers out are extra men employed to
assist the regular salaried reporters.
An international commission, COM
posed of representatives of five or
more leading nations, to investigate
the cost of living, the purchasing
power of incomes, and the extent to
which transportation charges, trusts,
tariffs, and modern modes and stand
ards of life have increased the cost
of living, will be proposed by Presi-
dent Taft, if bill introduced by
Senator Crawford becomes law.
The proposal of such an inquiry is an
outcome of the recent meeting here
of the Association for the Advance
ment of Science, and was presented
to the president by Prof. Fisher.
An aggregate of $4,000 has been
awarded by the Secretary of the
Treasury to two informers in Gus
toms house fraud cases. Joseph L.
Payne will receive $4,000 for the
evidence he gave in the Duveen art
cases, and Peter Redling will receive
$4,000 for his services in the Brad
ford lining cases. In the former
case the government recovered ST.
100000 by civil process and $4,000
in fines by criminal prosecutions.
In the Bradford lining cases the |
recovered was about $780,
600.
The Department of Agriculture |
has received advices of extensive |
frost damage throughout the orange |
belt of southern California. It is |
yet too early to determine fully the |
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