Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 258, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 October 1919 — WASHINGTON NEWS IN BRIEF. [ARTICLE]

WASHINGTON NEWS IN BRIEF.

Washington, D. C., Oct. 23. The senate railroad reorganization bill, the most important economic measure that has confronted congress in a decade, was reported to the upper branch today, together with an appeal from Director General Hines that action be taken as soon as possible, as the president wants to turn the roads back to their owners by January 1. Senator Cummins, explaining this measure, which is of vital consequence to the cost of living and readjustment of labor, industrial and financial conditions, says that it purposes nothing less than to organize together in one gigantic unity* under effective federal control, all the instrumentalities of river, canal, rail, and ocean transportation and to subject them to a single federal administrative authority. President Wilson, informed in his -sick room of the blowup in the industrial conference, urged the public group not to desert the wreckage and to try and formulate an industrial peace program. The public group, therefore, after Secretary Lane had declared the main conference adjourned, met and appointed a committee to prepare a program and to determine the scope of an inquiry which is to be made into industrial conditions and ameliorative measures. The committee will meet here tomorrow. —o — A system of registration of aliens under the direction of school boards and the payment of a small fee to go into a fund for educational and Americanization purposes was advacated by Raymond Crist, director of citizenship of the bureau of naturalization of the labor department, before the house immigration committee. ~ . —o — The. state department began to take real interest in the abduction of William O. Jenkins, American consular agent at Puebla, Mexico, who is being held for ransom by bandits. Strong representations were made to Carranza, who, Mexico City reports say, has sent instructions to do —everything possible to release Jenkins. The foreign relations committee of the senate has put more teeth into its protection program in the interest of American rights, having added four reservations to the peace treaty, making fourteen reservations in all. Senator Hitchcock said the treaty would be rejected by administratin' forces if these all-embracing reservattions are adopted. - of State Polk cabled the state ‘ department that the peace conferees at Paris have been very busy on the Adriatic dispute, and it was asserted in responsible quarters that great progress is being made toward st settlement of the Fiume issue, through a compromise which will be acceptable both to Italy and President Wilson.