The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1888-01-07
Current Events.

Speaker Carlisle announced his com
mittees on Thursday last. or the 81 com
mittees the South gets 20 chairmanships
New England, I; Middle States, 10; the
West, II. Mills OF Texas Is chairman OF
Ways and Means, and, therefore, leader OF
the house; Randall gets the charge Of the
appropriations; Blanchard of La, rivers
and harbOrs; Holman of Indiana, public
lands; Springer Of Illinois, territories; o..
NELL OF Missouri, labor. On this com.
mittee our own Plumb seems to have Us
urped the place Of Chicagos own Lawler
who has disappeared from It, No doubt
Plumb's great speech In the last session has
come TO the notice of the Speaker. Mr.
Plumb has also place on Committee on
railroads and canals.
On Wednesday Senator Sherman made
his great speech In the Senate attacking
the Presidents message. The report last
week that the Senator had given up the
race for the nomination as against Blaine,
WAS, therefore, quite clearly premature,
the object of the Wednesday speech being
to show the country and especially the re.
publican party, the greater ranging powers
of the Senator than those Of the knight"
who confined his criticism Of the message
10 II one subject. the tariff. Sherman 8
speech not only enters plea for the pro-
tective tariff, but also criticises the Presi.
dent for sins Of omission--failure to men
ton other topics than a reduction OF the
surplus and the tariff The speech was
certainly we'll constructed. but Is go full Of
vital errors that as document" II Ii
worthless a., for instance, that republicans
have safely handled a"large surplus" than
al al La, Ia nS S-,,a
he criticlses the treasury for not paying of
bonds, when the fact Is that Sherman while
Secretary OF the treasury was father Of the
law by which a period Of six years was
made during which time no bonds could
be Called-he Is the author OF the present
difficulty the treasury encounters OF being
unable u pay of the debt; and 30 on, his
errors In statement OF facts touching tho
tariff being even more uncertain. 1t was
great speech, but In type on the day after
looks amt reads considerably less great.
Senator Voorhees, undertook the task OF q
reply; and pointed out many Of the mis-
statements.
The Pacific Railroad commissions' re-
report Of findings In their investigation
that gigantic swindle published on Satur.
day last, there being minority IS well as
majority repost, the former from the pen
Of ex. Gov Pattison Of Penn. They agree
substantially as to the facts: that the mana
gers OF the roads have featheIed their own
nest most handsomely, robbing right and
left without regard to law, and have en-.
riched themselves; AZ the same time they
have ruined the roads. The six aided roads
cost $96 600, 600 but they have been covered
with stocks and bonds to the amount of
$26S 100000, on which basis they have
fixed their charges and forced the public
to pay interest and dividends! They have
paid interest on bonds, $l40,OO0,000; dlvi
dends, $63, 600; to pools aud rebates,
S25 ,00OO00; legal expenses, $4,000, 900
The managers have contracted with them
selves to carry express to sell coal and
supplies; have sold their telegraph lines In
defiance OF law, and, In fact, skinned the
roads to the hone, and impaired the gov.
ernments security by wasting $4,000.
900 of property In unknown ways. And
now the astounding statement Ia made that
TO the commission the six roads offered to
pay $36,000000 In total settlement of their
debt 20 the government Of $122, 000,0 900.
Of this sum Of $36,000,000 II seems the
Union Pacific offered $50O0000, and the
Central Pacific people coolly reported that
their road Is worth no more than the first
mortgage, thus leaving the government
nothing! And Ia recent pamphlet, pub.
Ilshed in soticlpation OF these reports, the
managers attorneys, Roscoe Copklin being
one, have the temerity to stand up and
defend their .scandalously villainous con-
ducti
The majority report suggests thst the
roads be allowed 70 Issue more bonds to pay