PROTECTION OF AMERICAN CITIZENS SOJOURNING IN

RUSSIA.

FEBRUARY 15, 1909.-Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be printed.

Mr. CAPRON, from the Committee on Foreign Affairs, submitted the following

REPORT.

[To accompany H. J. Res. 235.]

The Committee on Foreign Affairs, to which was referred House joint resolution 235, concerning and relating to the treaty between the United States and Russia, which requests the President to renew negotiations with the Government of Russia to secure uniformity of treatment and protection to American citizens sojourning in Russia, having carefully considered the same, respectfully reports it back to the House with amendments, and recommends that as amended the joint resolution be passed.

The amendments recommended by the committee are as follows: Strike out all of the preamble down to the last "Whereas," which is amended by inserting after the word "Whereas" the words "it is alleged that" and by striking out the word "persistently."

On page 3, line 1, strike out the word "directed" and insert the word "requested," and in line 7 strike out the words "and to demand and insist" and insert the words "including a provision," and, beginning with line 12, strike out all of section 2.

H R-60-2-Vol 1-60

60TH CONGRESS, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. J Report 2d Session.

No. 2213.

AMENDING ACT RELATING TO ALSEA AND OTHER INDIANS, SILETZ INDIAN RESERVATION.

FEBRUARY 15, 1909.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed.

Mr. CAMPBELL, from the Committee on Indian Affairs, submitted the

following

REPORT.

[To accompany H. R. 27369.]

Your committee, having had under consideration House bill 27369, report the same back to the House favorably, with recommendation that it be passed with an amendment. This bill simply seeks to correct a technicality which prevents one of the religious institutions which has been operating a school and church upon the Siletz Reservation in Oregon for years to take advantage of the law which permitted like societies to purchase land on the said reservation. In explanation of this statement, your committee appends herewith a statement of Representative Hawley, as follows:

At the first session of the Sixtieth Congress there was included in one of the measures reported by the Committee on Indian Affairs of the House, and which became a law, a provision permitting religious or missionary societies who had been engaged in missionary work among the Siletz Indians in Oregon for a long period of years the right to buy lands so used by them, not exceeding 10 acres, at a price of $2.50 per acre. This was in accord with the terms of the treaty with said Indians.

The provision above referred to gave the societies no new rights, but only extended the time in which they might make purchase. Under it one society has purchased, but the other, the Catholic society, because of a technicality not then known to exist, can not buy under the phraseology used in the law. This latter society is fully entitled to buy, and the present bill (H. R. 27369) has such phraseology as avoids the difficulty and allows the society to purchase under the terms originally contemplated. I know the circumstances, and believe the Catholic society fully entitled to the privilege of buying the 10 acres or less at $2.50 per acre, as it has done excellent and effective work during all the period contemplated, or rather stated, in the original act. I respectfully request a favorable report on this bill, or that the material portion be incorporated in one of the committee's general bills.

Your committee recommends an amendment to the bill as follows: Page 2, line 6, after the word "purchase," strike out the words "the lands." Line 7, strike out the words "so occupied, not exceeding ten acres in area:" and after the word "acre" in line 8 insert “ten acres of land on said reservation or a less quantity, at the option of the purchaser."

о

WIDENING BENNING ROAD.

FEBRUARY 15, 1909.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed.

Mr. SIMS, from the Committee on the District of Columbia, submitted the following

REPORT.

[To accompany H. R. 28103.]

The Committee on the District of Columbia, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 28103) to amend an act entitled "An act for the widening of Benning road, and for other purposes," approved May 16, 1908, report the same back to the House with the recommendation that it do pass.

The bill herewith reported is the amended form of H. R. 27481, recommended by the Commissioners of the District of Columbia. Their communication gives the reasons for the proposed legislation, and is as follows:

OFFICE COMMISSIONERS OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA,

Washington, February 13, 1909.

SIR: The Commissioners of the District of Columbia have the honor to submit the following report on House bill 27481, Sixtieth Congress, second session, "To amend an act entitled An act for the widening of Benning road, and for other purposes,' approved May 16, 1908," which you referred to them for examination and report.

By the act of Congress of May 16, 1908, the commissioners were authorized and directed to institute condemnation proceedings for the widening of Benning road from Fifteenth street east to Oklahoma avenue within ninety days after the dedication to the District of Columbia of 50 per cent of the land necessary for such widening, exclusive of the strip of land, 30 feet wide, acquired by the Columbia Railway Company under authority of Congress and occupied by its tracks. The law authorizing the railway company to acquire this strip directed that it should be dedicated to the District of Columbia when Benning road was widened to 110 feet.

The object of the amendment to which this report relates is to eliminate the requirement that 50 per cent of the land should be dedicated before condemnation proceedings are instituted. The necessity for this legislation, as stated to the commissioners, is that it has been found impossible by those interested in the widening of the road to secure the dedication of 50 per cent of the land necessary therefor, as called for in the act of May 16, 1908.

The commissioners believe that the widening of Benning road is desirable, and they recommended favorable action upon the original bill for this purpose.

The amendment proposed by the accompanying bill will enable condemnation proceedings to be undertaken without further delay because of lack of dedication, and its passage in the altered form accompanying is recommended.

Respectfully,

Hon. S. W. SMITH,

HENRY B. F. MACFARLAND,

President Board of Commissioners District of Columbia.

Chairman Committee on the District of Columbia, House of Representatives.

2d Session.

No. 2215

HALL OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

FEBRUARY 15, 1909.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed.

Mr. MCCALL, from the Committee on the Library, submitted the

following

REPORT.

[To accompany H. J. Res. 260.]

The Committee on the Library, to whom was referred the report of the Superintendent of the Capitol Building and Grounds on the proposed remodeling of the Hall of the House of Representatives, have considered the same and report the accompanying joint resolution and recommend its passage.

On the 12th of May, 1908, the House passed a resolution directing the Superintendent of the Capitol to consult with architects of repute and experts upon ventilation and acoustics with a view to a rearrangement and reconstruction of the Hall of the House of Representatives, to place it in direct contact with the outer wall or walls of the building, to improve its ventilation and acoustical properties, and to reduce its size, and to report with plans to the Speaker on the first Monday of December, 1908.

Under the said resolution the superintendent has reported with plans to the Speaker, which report and plans have been referred to the Committee on the Library. A copy of said report is hereto appended.

The superintendent presents three schemes, marked "A," "B," and "C." The last scheme need not be considered, as its adoption. was not recommended by the superintendent, but was made to show that the subject had been "exhaustedly studied and all possible arrangements for the new hall considered."

Scheme A presents a plan hemicycle in form, after the style of the old Hall of the House of Representatives, now Statuary Hall, and of substantially the same size. While this scheme is preferable architecturally, the superintendent stated to the committee that for all practical purposes scheme B would be as good as scheme A. The acoustic properties of a hemicycle can not be accurately determined in advance of the construction. The acoustics of the old Hall re