Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1885-03-21
Van WICK Does n at Considerable
Length in the Senate.
NE ABUSES THE COMMISSION
To South America and Says They are
Worse Than House. a
Breakers.
OTHER SENATORS DEFEND THEM.


American commission in vigorous style. BE
said the first thing they did was to 60 to San
Francisco, then to New Mexico, then to see
the New Orleans Exposition. Each mem
Der was provided with from SIS to 500 for
his expenses.
The commission consisted of two men
and boy, for its chairman remained in Al
bapy. The fret thing these two men and
boy did was to hire a palace car at $35 a
day, for which the total payment was
81 All before they got to New Orleans.
Then they furnished themselves with sup
plies. The Utah commission boldly charged
for lager beer and wine. This commission
charged only for supplies which, doubtless,
included liquids and solids. He would
ask his friends on the Republican side Of the
chamber if it was not time to stop. This,
the Senate, was all the Republicans had
left. The Democrats had possession Of the
other end of the Capitol and Of the Admin
istration. About the sfrst OF January
Commission got ready TO start from New
Orleans. From the first of October to the
thousand dollars. Men who robbed safes
were comparatively honorable, This money
was taken from the pockets of taxpayers,
who are hardly able to pay two dollars
night for lodging on Pullman cars when
they travelled.
In addition to this the expense they paid
for their supplies and their cook and were
allowed from seventy-fve to one hundred
dollars year each, besides the chairman's
commission who never left New York re-
signed on the 25th Of January and drew out
of the treasury forty-six hundred and seven
ty.nine dollars. 1t cost the Government
about forty thousand dollars for this com.
mission before the two men and boy got
ready 10 leave New Orleans. This reckless
waste of money was a great wrong upon
the people who paid the taxes.
What made it worse were the
Outrageous Bills
of that Commission had been approved and
paid. He denounced this as worse than
highway robbery He says a man who en-
ters house at night and robs is honorable in
CON parison with those who robbed the
treasury by such expenditures as he had de-
Scribed. 1t is worse, he said, than stealing
public lands, and here he referred to the
backbone Patents as Robbery
of seven million acres at one lick.
Manderson referred to the resolution Of
VanWyck providing for a committee to pre-
pare q detailed statement of expenses and
improvements on the Mississippi river un-
der which Manderson SAID his colleague
might be able to make a iunketing eXcur-
sion from the headwaters to the mouth Of
the river
Harrison Charged Van Wyck
with having offered the resolution merely
for the purpose of Obtaining pay for his
clerk during recess. and with a view to saw
ing the Government the fifteen or eighteen
hundred dollars salary of clerk, he offered
the resolution that Van Wyck's resolution
be rescinded and asked that it be referred
to the Committee on the Improvement Of
the Mississippi River. Laid over.
Vest said it was not his purpose to be
come q participant in the very interesting
domestic discussion on the Republican side
of the chamber. Van Wyck was like the
boy who participated in the murder of his
own father. He saw the old man was about
to be beaten to death, and as he could not
help it, he thought he would give him lick
70 help him out of his misery,
For tweS!s.h,s years he Vest had been
an intimate personal friend Of one Of the
members of the South America Commission,
and his record, public and private, Was as
stainless and without reproach as that o.
any public man could possibly be. The
man who charged in bis Vests presence
that Thomas c. Reynolds had ever by ex
traVagsnce or otherwise, wrongfully taken
one cent Of the peoples money, made
statement which he (Ves)
Contradirtsd Absolutely and Unqualifedly
He was now in Costa Rico and perform
ing his functions in manner so satisfac
tory that the new Secretary OF State had
said be regarded him as one OF the best
officers in the service Of the Government
Two men and boy, the Senator from Ne
braska had said. The boy was nearly fifty
years old, bad been editor OF one Of the
leading papers in Chicago and had rendered
va iuable political services. Governor Reyn-
olGs would be compelled soon to return to
this country by reason Of the Illness Of a
near relative and he (Vest)
Challenged the Senator From Nebraska
to go into these questions after his return.
Van Wyck disclsimed any personal re-
fsttiops be had made his remarks with re-
speCt to the commission and not respecting
its members. He interpreted Vests chal-
lenge as threat and said substantially he
would be ready to repeat his statements.
Hswley inquired whether Senator Van
Wyek knew enough about the details of
these transactions 20 justify him in attack
ing the honor Of gentlemen who had always
stood as high ss he Van Wyck) could ever
hope 10 stand.
Van Wyck replied 5Y reitersting some Of
hiB previous statements.
The Alaska resolution was referred to the
Committee on Territories.
Notes and Resolutions.
Mr.. German offered resolution directing
the Secretary OF the Interior to furnish the
Senate with copies of the contract entered
into between the Union Pacific railroad
company and other railroad companies
affected BY the act approved July lst, 1862,
and the Western Union telegraph company,
together with all statements now on 6le IN
the Interior Department touching the same.
Adopted.
Mr.. Sherman offered the following
Resolved, That 50 ruch Of the several
resolutions as the Senate passed since the
first day Of March as provide for a clerk for
any standing committee of the Senate dor.
ing the recess of Congress be recinded"
Laid over until to-morroE.
The Senate in executive session ratified
=
extending until May 20. 1886. the time for
the approval Of laws necessary IN the opera
ton Of the commercislcorventiou between
the two governments concluded at Wash
ington, January 18th, 1888.
The Secretary Of the Treasury has sp.
pointed Assistant Secretaries Fairchild aud
Coon and Assistant Treasurer Graves as
commission with instructions to. make eK-
animation of the Treasury Department with
special reference to the sinpli6cstioa aud