The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-12-20
CONTROL OF THE RAILWAYS.
Both Houses of Congress Discuss the
Question Of Interstate Commerce.
Mr. George Makes an Attack on the Pooling
System in the Senate, and Mr.. Hewitt
Defends It in the House.
TIE sENArE.
"A New Holiday for the District-Discussion
OF Interstate Commerce.

IA New Holiday for the District-Discussion
OF Interstate
WAsmNGToN, Dec. 1Q.-The Chair laid before
tho Senate a memorial from the Produce Ex-
change of New York city, urging Immediate and
definite action in regard to the Spanish treaty.
Referred.
The Senate passed a bill making the 4th of
March, in presidential Inauguration years, a le-
gal holiday in the District.
Bills we're introduced and referred as follows:
By Mr.. Gibson: To transfer the United States
barracks at New Orleans to the Louisiana State
Agricultural College for educational purposes;
also, to authorize the building of a she'll road
from Baton Rouge, La, to the National Gene
tory.
e By Mr. Sabin; To provide for the erection of
a public building at Saltwater, MINI, at an ex-
penditure of 800, 900.
Tho Senate passed a bill to accept and ratify
a treaty made in 1880 with the Shoshone,
lBannock and Sheepeater tribes of Indians, on
the Fort Hall and Lemhi reservations, Idaho,
for the sale of a portion of their lands.
a bill repoI vs3 by Mr.. Dolph, from the com
mittee on public lands, was passed, granting the
the lost Land and Mount Hood Improvement
Company the right Of way for a public road over
the public lands Of Oregon.
Ihe interstate commerce DILL was Unen taken
up, and Mr.. George addressed the Senate. he
severely criticised the railroad custom of charg-
ing all the traffic would bear. The people OF
the South had especially suffered from the dis
terminating rates Of railroad companies. These
companies made themselves, in effect, partners
of all the farmers Of the country, retaining to
themselves, however, the right to say what pro
portion of the partnership profits each partner
should receive. Mr.. George was particularly CON
,demnatory of the pooling system, by which,
he said, the railroad companies were
enabled to extort outrageous charges from the
people all over the country in order to make up
for the company's fratricidal struggles at a few
competitive points. A great railroad man has
been credited, Mr.. George said, with using the
expression, On the public" The public, on
the other hand, were continually dealing out
indefinite damnation to the railroad companies,
but that did not affect the companies. They
could only be affected by positive legal enact
ments and proper governmental supervision.
Mr.. Allison, from the committee on appro-
p~riatiOns, reported favorably the House resolu-
ton providing that when the two houses adj
journ on Saturday, it be to Monday, Jan. 5.
On Mr. Hale's suggestion it was laid on the
table for the present.
Mr.. Hale, from the conference COMMITTEES on
the naval appropriation bill, reported that the
committee was unable to agree. He explained
that the House c~onferees insist that the Senate
must take the House bill as it had been presented
to the Senate-that being a lump appropriation
for tho coming half year; the Senate conferees,
he said, thought that an Objectionable method of
passing appropriation bills, and had held to that
ground.
Nj. Beck said that, as a member of the com
mittee, he had been surprised that the commit
tee had not been able even to begin its work of
conference. This was owing to the ground
taken by the House conferees in declining to
take as a basis of conference the regular appro-
priation bill, passed by the House at the last
session, and which the Senate had amended.
He agreed in regarding the lump appropriation
-Sy5bcm wrong. ANY system that did not fully
show the items of QXOQudifTrp in auV 1pUapt-
ment should not be permitted to grow into
precedent to trouble Congress hereafter.
Mr. Hale moved that the Senate insist on its
amendment
Mr.. Bayard said that, although appropriation
Bills must originate in the House, the RESPONSE
bility for their passage rested equally on the
Senate and House, and for the Senate to pursue
tho course suggested by the House c~OnfereeS
would be an abdication of IT'S responsibility. He
moved that the vote Of insistance be taken by
yeas and nays, and hoped there would be an I'M
broken expression Of the Senates voice on the
question.
In reply to a suggestion by Mr.. Mcpherson,
Mr.. Hale explained that senators were not, by
a vote of insistance, necessarily committed to
approval of all items of the amendment, while if
his (Mr. HaleS) motion was not agreed to, the
parliamentary status of the bill would be such
as to require the work to be done over again.
The vote was taken by yeas and nays on Mr.,
Hales motion, and it was unanimously agreed
to-yeas, 90; nays, none.
Mr.. Vest submitted a modification Of a reso-
luton before offered by him, relating to the pro
posed Nicaragua canal surveying expedition.
The modification declares it to be mot ex-
pedient' to send such an expedition; the resolu-
zion had declared it illegal" to send it without
the authority of Congress. Mr.. Vest said he
would call the matter up tomorrow at the con-
clusion of the morning business.
Mr.. Vest introduced a bill, which was referred
to the committee on repeating sec
ton 4419 of the Revised Statutes which has per
united government inspectors in certain cases to
take steam registers from vessels.
After an executive session the Senate adj
journed.