Democratic Sentinel, Volume 12, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 February 1888 — THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. [ARTICLE]

THE NATIONAL CAPITAL.

The Senate Committee on Territories has reported a bill for the division of Dakota and the admission of the lower half to the union of States, says a Washington special. That portion of Dakota not included in the proposed State is provided by the bill with a Territorial organization, and is to be known as Lincoln This is substantially the proposition adopted by the Senate during the last session of Congress, and which the House committee would not agree to. There is no prospect that the House will consent to a division of Dakota. The committee of that body has a bill for the admission of the entire Territory as a State, and that measure is likely to receive an affirmative vote in the House. Mr. Springer, Chairman of the House Committee on Territories, says his committee will report bills for the admission of Dakota, Washington, and New Mexico during the present session. A number of Democratic members of the House of Representatives from Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, Texas, Missouri, and other tobacco-growing States held a meeting at Washington the other day and decided to unite in a request for the removal of Mr. J. R Dodge, Statistician of the Department of Agriculture, on account of the alleged de-

j fecta in hi* estimate of the tobacco crop last summer. Mr. Spoonkb, of Wisconsin, has introduced in the United States Senate a bill “to regulate commerce carried on by telegraph,” a synopsis of which is telegraphed from Washington. The bill applies to persons or corporations engaged in interstate telegraphy or in telegraphy between a foreign country and the United States. It declares that all rates shall be reasonable and just, and forbids discrimination of any sort against persons or places, or against other telegraph companies. It forbids the formation of pools and i the allowance of rebates or special rates. I Telegraph companies are also required to publish their rates and file a copy with the ; Interstate Commerce Commission, and also to give the commission ten days’ notice of proposed changes. Telegraph companies violating the provisions of the bin shall be liable to the persons injured thereby for damages, which may be recovered either by suit before the commission or the courts. In suits for damages the telegraph company is required to produce its books, and its officers are required to answer any questions propounded to them, no matter whether of a criminating nature or not, but their testimony shall not be used against them in any criminal case. The remaining sections of the bill give the Interstate Commerce Commission jurisdiction over interstate telegraph business, fix penalties for violation of the act, authorize tne commission to inquire into the business of telegraph companies, and to investigate complaints under substantial!}' the same provision that complaints alleging inductions of the interstate commerce law are now examined into by the commission. After some discussion, says a Washington special, the House Committee on Banking and Currency on Thursday referred to a sub-com-mittee Mr. Weaver’s bill providing for the issue of $75,C00,000 in fractional currency to meet the public demand for currency that can be readily mailed in small amounts. The discussion tended generally to develop a sentiment in favor of emitting about $20,000,000 in currency of this description.