Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-02-13
Railroads and Teiesrauhs.
HEARING BEFORE TIE SENATE CoMMITrEE on
RAILROADS.

Tie Senate committee On railroads met this
morning for the purpose OF hearing evidence
with resi- ect to Senator Jones' bill authorizing
raiirt ad conn ahieS TO construct and maintain
telegraph nGes for commercial purposes and to
secuie to the govern ment the use of the sarna
for postal. military and other purposes the
Senators pres ent were Me SSrs Mitchell lin the
cnalr; Teller, Barnum, Stanley Matthews
Shields and Dorsey. The chairrutn annomScaJ
that this meeting had been called on an annIt'
callon mace by DR.. Green on behalf of me
vteSed Mef,efn q a, onion Telegraph Company, who
Ni,heu 10 make statement in regard TO the
Dill. letter Lad also been received from Mr.
he'll, president Of the Automatic Tele rranh
Somi any, wing for permission to a1pear
De1aie lie con mittee.
postd the qrestton was to be generally dis
cussed, or should have made similar apDli
callon II anything is said by the Western
Ieople antaS ohiStic to us, shall be glad il YOU
VIII hear US afterwards.
After short discussion the committee de-
clded TO hear Mr. Green. who stated that his
counsel was present and would present the
subject In more general and analytical aspect
than he was able to do. He would. however, be
pleased TO address few remarks to the com
mittee. He was led to do so by the misrepre-
sehtatlon OF facts, and the very limited knowl-
edge or the subject under which Congress an
peared to be acting. He desired to say that. In
his judgment, there was no need for this legiS-
iation. and that it accomplished nothing in the
direction OF what 1T aimed at. II the aim was
10 establish a competition TO the Western Union
Telegraph Company. such competition was in
bad direction. 1t went no farther than present
legislation, for it merely gave the right to do
what those railroads which had telegraph lines
and these which had not had been doing for
twenty years past. There were few railroads
That had any lines of telegraphS, and fewer still
has had any lines CT poles. The Baltimore aud
cnio. lie supposed. controlled more miles OF
Wne than any other railroad company; the
New York Central had not foot of
Whe, and. he could mention half
dCZen lines that had no wire. Nineteen out of
every twenty OF the railroads used the wires of
tie Western Union. Whether Using their own
telegraph lines orr he Western Unions. they GOT
proportion OF the tolls received. il they had a
contract with tie Western Union. Now the e
contracts had been sustained by the courts as
Beng both legal and i'll coEsOnance with pub
IlcrtqUlrtllentS. so that even III the case of the
RaIimGFe and Ohio road, which he had before
given al some length. the Western Union were
able successfully 10 restrain them from opening
up Ines that were in direct competition As
he set ou1 to say, the proposed bill accomplished
Eolning, because any telegraph company, and
a1e!eelaph company could be organized In a
day, might under the statutes Of New York and
most OF the states, under the act of $780, and re-
lelled TO Id the proposed Bill, get all the bene-
ITS which this bill gave and which the Western
| mon company had. That statute was In some
degree contract with his company.
Br. Green went on to argue that mis- company
was not monopoly and at the request OF tile
chairman OF the committee, explained the reia-
uons OF the W. I. company with the NY
hSSuctiittu press.
TIE NOMINATIONS OF number of postmasters
Weie sent to the Senate by the President to-
day.
INVESTIGATING THE WORKINGMEN's CLAIMS
Judge Porter First Controller Of the Treasury,
Is conducting an examination of workingmen
who have filed claims for work done under the
old Doaid q Of public works, and who have not been
paid for their services at all or only in part.
These claims were filed under the act Of June
10th, ISIS. apprOpriating sl5,00o for their pay
ment. The claims tiled amount to about S13l. $50
ABOUT S64 OF this amount has been diSalOwed
as not coming under the provisions OF the act
mentioned The object OF the pending invesrI-
cation is TO determine if the claims entered by
the men who appear before the Controller are
bona t6e and within the approprlating act
Judge Porter examines each II lie men Sepa-
Tately. About fifteen were examineu to-day.
Most OF the claimants are cOlOred. and the y,,-
eral average of their claims is about $50.
LOUISIANA DELEGATIoE. - state Senator
Harper, ex-Lieut. Governor Antoine. eX-SIpe--
intendent Of Education Brown and Mr. Rayfogd
Blunt, all OF Louisiana. called on the P.esideni
to-day They appeared in tie interest OF Col
lector Smith, of New Orleans. for whose MA -
General A. s.. Badger has been nominated
They said that Mr. Smith had been good OIL
Ger, and il there was any thing against hirn per-
s0nally they would like to be Informed OF It,
that theH might answer. The President replied
that While no charge was made against the per-
mismaIagement In the custom house. and that
he deemed this sufficient ground for making a
change If the representations made by the
delegation had been communicated to him be-
lore the nomination OF General Badger, he
might have been Influenced to retain Mr.
Smith AS 1t was, he did not think it would be
He referred TO the New York case where Col
lector Arthur had been removed, and then offer
ed place in the diplomatic service, and init
mated that some other position might be ten
too loft
ly satisfied" as one OF them told a STAR re-
porter.
ORDER OF BUSINESS IN TIE SENArE.-The re
publican members of the Senate in caucus this
am. adopted report presented by the commit
tee appointed to arrange the order OF business
for the remainder of the session. 1t was agreed
,hat the post oihce appropriation Dill Shall be
taken up as soon as the pending, measure in re-
gard TO Chinese immigration is disposed of, and
that preference shall be given to the other reg
ular appropriation bills, Including the river and
naIocr aa pil over all other business thereafter.
The following measures are to be given consid-
Grafton. Cnot to interfere with the appropra-
tlOD bills when ready,) in the order named:
The proposed constitutional amendment on the
subject Ct war claims; the bill for the further
distribution OF Geneva aaward; Mr. WINDOWS
propC s,tion authorizing inquiry and report to
oe mt de ON the advisability OF extending gov
eminent aid for colonization OF colOred people:
ara various measures concerning the District
OF Columbia, for which one day is to be set
apart a. was also agreed that from and after
DeXt Monday the sessions of the Senate shall
Geg1n at II am, and that a portion of each
nornlng hour shall be devoted to ssunobjected
business on the calendar under what is known
as the Anthony rule
The democratic Senators also held Caucus
this morning The subjects of discussion were
tbe same that occupied the attention OF the
Joint caucus on Monday night. Diametrcally
opposite views were expressed as to the adyisa
0ll'ty In party point of view OF enGeaVoring
10 repeal the federal election law, &C., by
means OF amendments TO an appropriation bill.
and the probability OF forcing an extra session
OF congress. After an earnest discussion. in
which senators Thurman and Bayard were the
principal speakers On opposite sides. the caucuS
adjourned Without action to meet again TO-
morrow morning.
JUDGE BLoDGKTT, in the federal court at Chi
cago; YESTERDAY, decided the long pending suit
or John j. Blair, of New York, and Others. who
hold Chicago and Pacific railroad bonds, for the
foreclosure OF mortgage given by the railroad
company. The mortgage was given to the New
YORK Loan and Trust Company to secure the
payment OF 1900 bonds OF $1,000 each. Judge