Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-05-18
FORTY-NI1TH CONGRESS-.
First Session.
SENATE.
WASHINGTON, Ma,

SENATE.
After routine business Mr. Frye called nm
the House shipping bill This is the bill
passed bv the House of Representative
February last, establishing fees for meas.
uring tonnage, for issuing licenses, registry
oheertlhcates and great variety of other
ices. The bill having been read, Mr., Frye
moved to add TO it, as a new section. the pro-
visions of the bill recently reported by him
from The committee on commerce. authoriz-
ing the President to issue a proclamation
whenever he may deem proper. denying to
vessels of foreign countries such privileges as
are denied in such foreign countries TO yes
selS If the United States. The provisions
OF Mr.. Frye's bill is not confined to Canada.
but is made general SO AS to apply to all for
eign countries
After some inquiry by Messrs. Mcpherson
and Vest the amendments were agreed to
without debate
The bill as amended by the Senate was
then passed, and on motion of Mr. Frye a
committee of conference was ordered on dis
agreeing votes of the two Houses upon the
bill
Proceeding TO the calendar the Senate
passed several bills,
The chair then appointed as the confer
ence committee on the shipping bill Messrs
Miller. Dolph md Vest. (Mr. Frye had an
nounced that ne would be obliged to be ab-
sent from the Senate for an indefinite time. !
At 2 o'clock the pension bill was laid be.
fore the Senate
The pending amendment was that hereto
fore offered by Mr.. Van Wyck, providing
that no soldier under this act shall receive
less than SS per month.
Mr.. Blair moved TO amend the amendment
by substituting 81 for S.
Mr.. Blair's amendment and also one Of
fered by Mr.. Logan that all pensions hereto
fore granted under SS should be increased to
SS per month were rejected.
Mr.. Blair moved as Substitute for the
pending amendHit Mt a proviso that no pen
sion hereafter TO be paid under any law to
any soldier shall be rated at less than $4 per
month.
Mr.. Butler submitted an amendment 20 be
proposed by him at a proper time providing
for a pension of So month to each surviv-
ing member of the Mexican war.
Without further debate the Senate at 4. 40
went into executive session.
At $50 the doors were reopened and the
Senate adjourned.
HOUSE.
Under the call of States number of bills
were Introduced and referred. Among them
was one bv Mr.. Boutelle of Maine appopriat-
ing 800, 900 for the erection in Washington
of a bronze monument to the late Edwin NJ.
Stanton.
The House then went into committee of
the whole on the urgency deficiency bill.
The bill was considered briefly and having
been reported to the House it was passed.
The call of committees for motions to sus-
pend the rules resting with the committee on
Pacific railroads. Mr.. Richardson of Tennes-
see, on behalf of that committee, withdrew
the motion made by him a month ago re-
quiring the Northern Pacific to pay the cost
of conveying and surveying its land grant and
in lieu thereof moved to suspend the rules
and adopt a resolution setting apart the 9TH
and Sth OF June for the consideration af bus
mess reported by that committee.
Mr.. Richardson explained that the more
important measures that would be called up
were the joint resolution providing for the
investigation of the accounts of the Pacific
railroads and the bill providing for the fund
ind of the debt of those roads
Mr. Crisp of Georgia said that the action
of the committee in reporting the funding
bill had been greatly misrepresented in some
quarters for some purposes At the present
time the Pacific companies owed the govern
ment Sl02 SOC. 900, out the debt would not be
due until 1898. The jebt was ing at the
rate of 81 100000 and in 1898 would amount
to Sl28. SOC, 900. Before the government
could be paid the companies must pay an
outstanding debt which was a prior lien
which added to the government debt would
amount to Sl93, 100000. The property, from
the best information the committee could
get, could be built today for one-half the
money If there was default in the pay
ment of their first mortgage bonds what
would be the result? The franchise would
be sold and the government would get liter
ally nothing. Something must be done to
protect the government The committee had
thought that the first thing to do
was to try the benefit of gov rnment Sc
curitv, The committee had provided that
debt WI hich would be due in 1898 should be
divided into l40 parts, two of which should
be paid each year beginning Immediately.
This was II years before the government
would receive anything under the existing
law Under this plan, instead of waiting ~
wears before receiving dollar the govern
ment would begin at once, receiving So, 50O.-
900. Before 1898 the government would
have received SAL 100000. The bill provides
for the partial extension ana partlal aDtlclpa-
ton of the debt. If the companies refuse to
accept the provisions of the act the Thurman
act would be so amen nded as to increase from
25 per cent to 40 per cent the amount required
to be paid into the sinking fund
The motion TO suspend the rules and adopt
the resolution was agreed to without divis-
ion.
On motion of Mr.. O'Donnell of Michigan.
from the committee on education, the rules
were suspended and the House psssed--yeas,
%; nays, S-the Senate bill to provide for
the study of the nature of alcoholic drinks
and of their effects upon the human system
in connection with the several divisions OF
the subject of physiology and hygiene by the
pupils in the public schools of the Territories
and District of Columbia and in the military
and naval academies and Indian and colored
schools in the Territories OF the United
States.
The House at 25 adjourned
Canadian Vessels Fitting Out for the
Protection of Fisheries.