The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1913-01-24
WASHINGTON.
Legislative and Gem
eral Topics from
the Capital.
Washington, January 20, 1912.

Lines were laid for the precipitation oil
a fight al the beginning of the next Con
gress between the advocates of good
roads and the advocates of waterways
over a division Of public improvement
money to be appropriated.
4 Steering Committee has been named
by the friends of the public highways to
! take up and digest all of the pending
( road bills and then to inaurate a deter
mined campaign on behalf of the meas
ure that promises to gain the widest sup
/ port.
This campaign will be made at the ex-
/ pense Of those interests which have for
/ half a century turned successfully to
, the United States Treasury for river and
harbor appropriations. Unless the water
! ways people propose a compromise
whereby highways as well as harbors
! will receive appropriations, the next
waterways bill may have rough shedding.
This fight has been brewing for a long
time. Years ago individuals in both
( branches of Congress pleaded in vain
for fairer distribution OF public improve
ment money, contending that roadways
should be given as much consideration
as the waterways by Congress.
Within an hour after the newspapers
had appeared announcing that the Navy
Department had an available Maine
relic in the shape of a bath tub, the city
OF Saint Joseph, Mo, wired a preem
tory claim to the department.
Standing by his pledge of first come,
first served, Captain Leigh, in charge
of the relics allotted the bath tub to the
Missouri town.
Plans for the best equipped and the
largest army horse breeding farm in the
world are provided for in the Military
Appropriation Bill, which the Honse OF
Representatives took up few DAYS ago.
This farm which is known as a remount
station. is located at Front Royal, in the
heart OF the Valley of Virginia
! Approximately $4,000 is recon-
mended in the bill, for the erection OF
stables, barracks for soldiers, quarters
and Offices for officers, quarters for vet
erinarians and other equipment needed
in the development OF type of splendid
army horse
Mrs. Grover Cleveland concluded her
| week S visit to Washington, when she
returned TO Princeton, leaving her daugh-
! ter, Miss Esther Cleveland, TO be the
guest of Mrs, John Hays Hammond Tor
several weeks
Governor Wilson recently took action
which will give great pain to the citizens
of Washington who look to the inaugural
TO reCouD the expenses of inauguration
dav He wrote to William CorCorau
| Eustis, chairman of the committee in
charge of the matter. requesting him II
drop the ball altogether this year on two
grounds: First that 1t would cost the
| government too much, and secoud, that
it was not worth having anyhow.
The long fight for the fixing of an ed
uCational test for immigrants coming
into The United States was won in the
House of Representatives recently bl
the adoption of the conference report on
the Barnett Dillingham; Bill for the
amendment of the immigration laws,
after the longest and most exciting H.
ibuSter Of the session
Chairman Puio of the Money Trust
Committee, told the Federal Grand Iur,
that George G.. Henry, of Solomon &
Company, New York brokers, had
placed himself in wllful contempt of The
House of Representatives when he re-
! fused to answer the questions before the
committee. He asked the jury to bring
in presentment against Henry, so that
he may b. tired in the Federal Courts oil
the District of Columbia The statutes
provide that the refusal to answer a per.
tinent question before committee 81
Congress, is mlSdemeanor, and pun.
ishable by fine of from 500 TO 81 600
and Imprisonment Of from one to II
months
! Henry refused to tell the committee
what bankers participated in the hota,
ton of the California Petroleum Com.
panv, of which his firm was one OF the
syndicate managers.
What is said to be propably the first
case on record OF providing an artificial
winter for fruit trees was practiced or
the orchard Of w. F. Thomas, between
Hagerstown and Hancock. Md
Mr. Thomas, a resident of Washington
City, owns an orchard Of 5000 apple
trees that are four wears old They are
not yet old enough 20 bear fruit, but the
unreasonable weather has coaxed out
the buds so that there is danger of the
whole lot blossoming.
If they did this and later frost should
catch them the wood would be largely
killed, so that Nh Thomas consulted
with the Department of Agriculture as to
the best way Of discouraging the trees
from blaoming.
Following their advice he shipped Goc
tons of ice to the orchard. This was
broken up and applied to the roots o.
the trees in the hope of chilling them
and preventIeg the sap rising and thereby
keep them from blooming.
Rumors are current that an effort
would be made to defeat the appropria.
ton in Congress for the transportation
OF the West Point Cadets and the mid
shIpmen of the Naval Academy to the
! inauguration ceremonies.