LEX1N6T0N WHEATFIELD
& A. THOMAS, Publisher
LEXINGTON. . . OREGON
NEWS OFTHE WEEK
In a Condensed Form for Our
Bnsy Headers.
A Resume of the Less Important but
Not Less Interesting Events
of the Past Week.
New York proposes to establish a
municipal seaside resort.
The president will not appoint a su
preme judge for biz months.
Susan B. Anthony's sister will stump
Oregon in the suffrage campaign.
The Japanese parliament has voted
to buy all railroads in that country.
The house will take up the amended
Btatehood bill Wednesday, March 21.
Official figures show the population
of Germany to ba 60,605,183, against
66,367,178 in 1900.
The Ohio legislature is considering
a bill which will give the courts power
to punish witnesses who refuse to talk.
King Charles, of Roumania, is near
death. The crown prince is unpopular
and a movement has been started to
crown his 13-year old eon.
The District of Columbia court has
overruled Binger Hermann's demurrer
to indictments for destroying public
records. He will ask for an appeal to
the Circuit Court of Appeals.
Western railroads are facing a labor
famine. Twentv-flve thousand men are
needed in the Northwestern and South
western states to build the roads that
are already under way, and it is esti
mated that before June twice that
number will be needed.
Denmark may put a tariff law into
effect.
Russia suspects Japan of hostile de
signs in Siberia.
All railrcds throuirh Colorado are
blocked by snow.
Senator Depew is too ill to attend to
his duties in the senate.
The first severe blizzard of the win
ter has just swept New York.
The house will reject the senate
amendmneta to the statehood bill.
The czar has ordered extreme meas
ures to be taken to protect Jews from
massacre.
Secretary Taft has consulted with
three of his brothers regarding the
place on the supreme bench.
A Chicago man has aeked a divorce
from his second wife that . she may
marry his son. The husband is 56,
the wife 22.
Chicago is now about to bust the
Western Union and Postal "Telegraph
companies or make them pay a good
price for the use of streets.
. The anthracite coal miners will ar
range another schedule for presentation
to the mine operators in the hope it
' may be accepted and thus prevent a
strike.
Colonel Knight, Major General
Wood's chief of statff, has returned
from a reconnaissance of of the. situa
tion in China. He reports that there
is absolutely no danger of trouble and
that tranquility abounds.
A new French cabinet has been
formed. i
Mrs. Dowie denies the rumor that
she has deserted her husband.
Taft's retirment from the presiden
tial race revives the hopes of Fair
banks. The Standard Oil company will only
give evidence at the trust investigation
under compulsion.
The Iowa legislature has passed a law
preventing the employment of children
under 18 years of age in any occupation
injurious to health.
Vice President Fairbanks honored
Senator Fulton by calling the senator
to his chair and turning over his gavel
to him for the greater part of an atfer
noon. Chairman Burton holds out hope of
the jetty appropriation bill passing the
house.
A prominent French mining engineer
sayB some of the Courrieres miners are
etill alive. The company's latest fig
ures show there were 1,212 victims of
the epxlosion.
The steamer Sierra, which has ar
rived at Honolulu from Australia, re
ports that there has been no communi
cation with Tahiti since the recent dis
astrous hurricane.
The great gas well near Caney, Kan
sas, which was capped and the flow of
gas stopped, has again broken out, the
hood being perforated by the tremen
dous force of sand and flames beneath.
The president of the Argentine re
public is dead.
ACT ON JETTY BILL.
House Rivers and Harbors Commit
tee Will Soon Meet.
Washington, March 16. Chairman
Burton, of the house riverB and har
bors committee, said he would call a
meeting of his committee at an early
day to consider Senator Fulton's will
appropriating $400,000 for work on the
jetty at the mouth of the Columbia
river. The committee is due to arrive
here from its southern trip by Saturday
or Sunday and it is probable the meet
ing will be held some time next week.
If it shall be the opinion of the com
mittee that this separate bill should be
presented to the houso and pressed on
its merits, the bill will be reported
without amendment. There is every
reason to believe that the committee
will favor the appropriation of $400,000
inasmuch as the chief of engineers and
secretary of War have both stated that
this amount is absolutely necessary to
preserve the jetty work from destruc
tion and have specifically stated that
any less amount will not answer.
There is a report that the members
of the house committee may favor en
larging the Fulton bill by adding pro
vision for three or four other emergency
projects, so as to make it virtually an
emergency river and harbor bill, such
as was suggested earlier in the session.
This is not certain, however, as the
committee has had no meeting this
session, and its sentiments cannot be
accurately ascertained. If the bill can
be so amended without making it a
general river and harbor bill, its
chances of passing the house will be
brighter than would the bill making
an appropriation for the Columbia river
alone.
CONSTITUTION FOR CHINA.
Commissioners Predict This as Result
of Study of America.
New York, March 16.-- Prince Tsai
Tse, High Commissioners Shang Chi
Heng and Li Cheng To, envoys of the
emperor of China, their secretaries and
attaches, sailed on the White Star
liner Baltic today to continue their
investigations in England, France and
Belgium. The prince said last night:
"I have greatlv enjoyed my visit to
this country, and the uniform courtesy
that has been accorded me, including
the reception by President Roosevelt,
has deeply impressed me with the
friendly attitude of the American peo
ple. I believe that such contact makes
for a better understanding and must
bring benefit to both of our peoples."
That China will soon hnve a contsi
tutional government is the opinion of
some of the commissioners. Announce
ment of tMs belief was made by one of
the secretaries of the commission just
before the Baltic sailed. It followed
a brief conference between all members
of the party.
"We have been making a compre
hensive study of the political situation
in this country," he said, "and have
seen the application of your laws and
tbe workings of the governing bodies.
I believe that China will Boon have a
constitutional government. It will
probably be modeled much on the lines
of th6 British constitution, but will
contain some of the good features of
your own constitution."
WRECK KILLS 150 PEOPLE.
Head-On Collision of Fast Passenger
Trains in Colorado.
Pueblo, Colo., March 16. No. 1,
southbound, and No. 3, northbound,
passenger trains on the Denver & Rio
Urande railroad collided head on near
Portland, Colo., shortly after midnight,
and it is reported at least 50 persons
are killed and a large number injured.
Relief trains have been ordered from
Pueblo and Florence. At this hour de
tails are unobtainable.
Meager but authentic information
from several sources states that the
number killed in the collision will
reach 150. The ccaches caught fire and
most of the victims were roasted to
death.
Money for Guns and Powder.
Washington, March 16. The senate
committee on appropriations today
completed the fortifications bill, and it
was reported by Senator Perkins. It
carries appropriations aggregating $5,
618,993, an increase of $780,000 over
the amount appropriated by the house
bill. The increases are: For mountain,
field and siege cannon and equipment
and machinery for their manufacture
at arsenals, $290,000; for the erection
and equipment of a powder factory and
or seacoast cannon, equipment and ma
chinery for their manfacture, $365,000.
Will Nationalize Railroads.
Tokio, March 16. JThe parliamen
tary majority in favor of nationaliza
tion of railways is reported to be in
creasing and there seems to be little
doubt the project will be carried
through. Work on the elevated rail
road in Tokio, suspended during the
war, has been resumed. Japan and
Russia are planning 'to exchange im
perial envoys to signify the restoration
of peace.
IN THE NATIONAL HALLS OF CONGRESS
Friday, March 16.
Washington, March 16. For an in
stant in the house today there was a
lapse in the vigilant of those who
have been on guard to prevent legis
lation which would take away the
rank of lieutenant general in the army,
and the chances of Generals Corbin and
MacArthur for promotion; Prince, of
Illinois whose bill abolishing the grade
in question is the regular order of bus
iness under call of committees, slipped
into the legislative breach. There was
an immediate call to arms on both
sides, and for three hours the friends
of the generals filibustered against the
bill.
The net result was that the previous
question is odered on the bill and an
amendment is pending, having been
offered by Grosvenor, of Ohio, which
extends the time of the operation of
the bill so as to allow the promotion
of the two officers named. Oil this
amendment the house was voting, but
without a quorum, when adjournment
was had until Mon;lay, when the vote
will be completed. At present it
stands 78 ayes and 83 noes on the
amendment. i
Previous to thib, the first real fili
buster of the session, there had been
four hours of debate on the legislative
bill. Shacklefordopened the program
with a severe criticism of Speaker Can
non, which he was not allowed to fin
ish. Then followed a somewhat lively
debate on the appropriation bill.
Thursday, March 15.
Washington, March 15. WilliamB
occupied the last few minutes of today's
session of the house, which was short
ened on account of the Republican
statehood caucus, in a sarcastic speech
on the division among his opponents
on the Btatehood bill. He declared that
a reference of the bill to a committee
before the house had had an opportu
nity to vote on the senate amendments
"would be the most high-handed ty
ranny that ever took place from the
speaker's chair."
The Towneend resolution, conferring
additional power on the Interstate
Commerce commission to make the
special investigation authorized in the
Tillman-Gillespie resolution, regaiding
the relation between certain railroads
and the ccal and oil industries, was
passed.
Washington, March 15. The senate
today ctuitinemi: consideration . ot the
railroad rate question by listening to
the readipg of a report on that measure
by Tillman. HiB report was read at the
request of Aldrich, who said he was
curious to hear the opinion of the
South Carolina senator. Brief attention
was called to the message of the presi
dent transmitting the letter of the sec
retary of War relative to the recent
Moro battle. Bacon spoke of the kill
ing of the Moroa as "slaughter," and
Lodge deprecated criticism until- the
facts should be. known. The houee
resolu ion giving the Interstate Com
merce commission authority to admin
ister oaths in connection with its in
vestigation of charges of diRcrimination
made against railroads ' was1 adopted
without resorting to the formality of
requiring its reference to committee.
Wednesday, March 14.
Washington, March 14. The rail
road rate bill today reached the contro
versial stage in the senate. The ques
tion came up in the regular order of
business shortly before 2 o'clock and
held the floor until the doors were
closed for a brief executive session
shortly after 5 o'clock. Rayner was
the chief speaker of the day. Among
the senators who were aroused by him
were Foraker, Lodge and Doliver. Both
tbe Ohio and the Massachusetts sena
tors took exception to Rayner's conten
tion that the railroads have interfered
with the framing of the bill and For
aker also expressed himself as dissatis
fied with the intimation that the rail
roads are represented on the floor of
the senate.
Warren addressed the senate on the
bill extending from 28 to 36 hours the
mt luring which livestock in transit
on railroad trains may be confined
without change, saying that the meas
ure was in the interest of huirmnitar
ianism and should be passed. He said
that the extension of time was to be
made only upon the request of ship
pers, and that it would not work a
hardship on either owners or their
stock.
Washington, March 14. The second
Smoot Case Next Month.
Washington, March 13. The Smoot
case is apt to be brought before the
senate early in April, and will continue
to be the foremost topic of discussion
in that body for the better part of a
month, of leaders of the anti-Smoot
campaign are to be relied upon. Before
the present congress assembled, it was
understood that the case would be re
ported eary in January, but the anti
Smoot people had some additional wit
nesses to produce, and then Senator
Smoot wanted some of his friei.di to
appear.
day of general debate on the legislative
bill developed limited discussion of the
retirement of aged clerks intersperced
with a speech on statehood by Babcock,
of Wisconsin, 6ne on the restriction of
immigration by Gardner, of Massachu
setts, and a presentation of reasons why
the jurisdiction of Federal courts Bhould
be restricted in certain cases where it
was acquired because of the citizenship
of the litigants being indifferent states.
Babcock said the house bill was one
of the greatest legislative outrages ever
enacted ; that the senate had properly
amended the bill, and he favored the
senate amendments. Babcock dwelt at
length on the reasons why Arizona and
New Mexico should not be united as
one state.
Tuesday, March 13.
Washington, March 13. Before tak
ing up the railroad question today, the
senate passed a number of bills, some
of which were of considerable import
ance. One of them provides for the
punishment of government officials for
the premature divulgence of secret in
formation of government bureaus in
Buch matters as crop reports ; another
grants executive authority in the mat
ter of construction of bridges over navi
gable streams, and still another gives
congressional sanction to the effort on
the part of Delaware and New Jersey to
adjust their long pending boundary
dispute.
Washington, March 13. The house
devoted itself to general debate on the
legislative appropriation bill. Litlauer,
of New York, and Livingston, of Geor
gia, representing the Republican and
Democratic views, concurred on the
question that something must be done
in the way of reorganizing the govern
ment service. Marshall, of North Da
kota, gave his voice to the proposition
ot free alcohol; Hayes, of California,
spoke in behalf of restricti g Japanese
and Corean immigration and Bennett,
of New York, defended his city in rela
tion to the class of foreigners who make
New York city their home.
The bill carrieB a total appropriation
of $29,134,181.
Monday, March 12. ' :
Washington, March 12. There waB
a sharp division of opinion in the sen
ate today over the question whether the
Tillman-Gillespie resolution instruct
ing tbe Interstate ' Commerce, commis
sion to inquire into the railroad hold
ings of coal and oil lands justified the
president's message regarding it. Till
man complained that the president had
charged congress with insincerity,' pre
tense and ignorance. Lodge and
Spooner took' the position that the
charge of ignorance was warranted.
The debate was interrupted at 2
o'clock, when Culberson was recognized
to Bpeak on the railroad rate bill. He
read a section of his bill to create emer
gency powers for the Interstate Com
merce commission, which he will offer
as a substitute for the pending meas
ure. Foraker took issue with Culberson
when - he declared congress itself had
construed the commerce clause of the
constitution as giving it power to fix
rates, by granting a Federal charter to
the Union Pacific railway. In that act
it reserved this power, and it acted un
der the commerce clause in that legis
lation. This Foraker contended should
not be so held.
Washington, Marh 12. Carrying out
the recommendation of the commission
that investigated the wreck of the Va
lencia, Senator Piles and Representa
tive Humphrey today introduced a bill
authorizing the construction of an
ocean-going tug for use on the North
Pacific coast from the entrance of Puget
sound southward along the coast of
Oregon. This tug is to be designed
primarily for use in times of emergen
cy, such as shipwreck, and intended to
be otherwise UBeful in caring for life
and property along the north coast.
No specific appropriation is made by
the bill, the size of the appropriation
to be determined by a eommittee, but
it, is stipulated that the vessel shall be
built under the direction of the secre
tary of the treasury, and shall be con
trolled by the revenue cutter service.
Her crew shall include skilled men de
tailed from the life-saving service.
Senator Piles also introduced a bill
authorizing thn establishment of three
life-saving stations on the Washington
coast between Gray's Harbor and Cape
Flatery.
Report on Employers' Liability Bill.
Washington, March 12. The house
committee on judiciary decided today
to make a favorable report on the Bates
Employers' Liability bill, in amended
form. Representative Sterling, of Illi
nois, will draw the report. Under the
bill a railroad is made liable to an em
ploye, his wife, children or dependent
relatives,, "for all damages which may
result from the negligence of any of its
Office, agents or employes or by reas
on of any defect or insufficiency due to
its negligence in its cars, engines, ap
pliances, track, roadbed or works."
MAY FORCE FIGHT.
Senate Committee Will Report B l
Repealing Timber Law.
Washington, March 14. The senate
committee on public lands is putting
the finishing touches on a bill to repeal
the timber and atone act and substitute
therefore a new law authorizing the
sale of mature timber on the public do
main at no less than its appraised val
ue, provision also being made for the
Bale of stone valuable for building pur
poses on an equitable basis. For six
weeks the committee has been consid
ering this bill, and has now agreed to
its various provisions, merely waiting
for the adjustment of minor features
before reporting to the senate. Prac
tically every member of the committee
!s favorable to the bill in its present
form, believing it will cure most, if not
all, of the evils that have been perpe
trated under the provisions of the tim
ber and stone act.
The future of this bill is somewhat
in doubt. It seems quite likely that
it will pass tbe senate, for there is a
general sentiment in its favor. With
few exceptions, the entire senate is con
vinced that the timber and stone act ia
iniquitous in many respects; in its en
forcement, if not in its prescribed stip
ulation. But what will th house com
mittee do to the senate bill?
It will be recalled that only a couple
of weeks ago the house committee
tabled a similar bill. By a vote of
eight to five the house committee re
fused to even permit the house to con
sider the subject of repealing the tim
ber and stone act. It was a wise move
from the standpoint of the men opposed
to reform in the land laws, for it is a
sure thing that once the house has an
opportunity to vote to repeal the tim
ber and stone act, that law will go off
the statute books with the sanction of
a large majority of the house members.
WIN BY SUBTERFUGE.
Germany Wants a Neutral Power to
Name Inspector General.
Algeciras, March 14. Success or
failure of the Moroccan conference still
dependB upon Germany. When Ger
many in consequence of the almost
universal disapproval which her posi
tion excited, appeared to concede the
principle of the Franco-SpaniBh police,
the delegates supposed an agreement was
at hand and all menace of war vanished.-
Closer scrutiny of the Austro-Ger-man
proposal for an inspector' general,
particlarly in the light of Ilerr von
Radowi'z's private description of this
functionary, showed that Germany con
tinued to demand the internationaliza
tion of Morocco.
- It is expected that France's opposi
tion to Buch a Fcheme will finally lead
Germany to abandon it, but in the
meantime the state of tension and un
certainty has been resumed. If Ger
many insists that tbe inspector general
possess the right to control the police,
no settlement can be amicably effected.
The French wilt not permit a stalking,
horse in the form of a supreme execu
tive officer to enter Morocco with Ger
many behind him disguised as Sweden,
Holland or Switzerland. To allow this;
would be to allow the kaiser to accom
plish by a trick what he has been pow
erless to achieve openly.
The neutral delegates are anxious
that France shall not be unyielding as
to nonessentials, but realize that Ger
many's latest move looks like a subtle
attempt to attenuate the French posi
tion until the world will be unable to
see it, while leaving it in substance as
large as originally. It is doubtful if
the kaiser's negotiations will gain any
thing from this effort. The delegates,
do not relish the assumption the con
ference is lacking in discernment.
Sea Rushes Over Land.
Brussels, March 14. Terrible havoc
has resulted in North Belgium from the
overflowing of the Scheldt river. Many
farmhouses were completely demolished,
by the rush of waters and at Melsole
ten children were drowned before the
eyes of their parents, who , were help
less to aid them. People have taken
refuge on the roofB of houses, from,
which points they are now being res
cued by soldiers in boats. Manufac
turing establishments were destroyed
and the Iobs is estimated at 2,500,000
francs. .
Watch for Fitzgerald.
New York, March 14. The New
York American this morning says that
General Louis Fitzgerald, ex-chairman:
of the Equitable Life Assurance soci
ety, who was desired as a witness by
the Armstrong investigating committee,
has returned to New York. He was in
his home in Lexington avenue last
night and a process server held vigil ir
the street near by.
High License Passes Ohio House.
Columbus, O., March 14. The
house tonight by a vote of 66 to 46,
passed the Aiken bill increasing the
Dow tax imposed upon Baloons from
$350 to $1,000. The passage of the bil.
is attributed largely to the recent riota
in Springfield.