Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-02-28
FOR A RAGING CANAWL.
PASSAGE BY THE SENATE OF THE
NICARAGUA CANAL. BILL.

Synopsis of It's ProvisIons-'rryf1g to Con
struct "A Pension Eili That WIN Dodge a
Yeto--Funsral of MIR. Corcoran-Bene-
diets Criticisms on His Predecessor
Making a Short Appropriation DO.
WASHINGTON CITY, Feb 2S The senate
began the week with an apparent disposition
TO do something, aud as an earnest of that
inclination put the Nicaragua canal bill
through in short order. and then went to
work on the dependent pension bill There
| were several amendments proposed to the
canal measure, but only one was agreed
to, aud that declared that nothing in the act
should impair or restrict the rights Of the
United States under auy treaty now in force.
Three OF the rejected amendments were Of
fered by Vest and were: Declaring that
nothing in the act should be held or con-
strued to involve, in any manner, the United
| States in any pecuniary obligation, except
as to the pay ment Of tolls; declaring that
no part of the capital stock paid in shall be
at any time withdrawn or returned to the
| stock holders, or he in any manner diverted
| from the proper uses of the corporation; and
| that if stock to tue amount of SlU, OJ0,O 900 be
not subscribed and 10 per cent thereon be- not
actually paid within two years, or if the
work of construction shall not be actually
commenced and be in progress at the expira-
ton of four years, the corporation shall be
deemed to have expired
| An amendment offered by Vance, requiring
that all laborers employed in the work should
be either native or naturalized citizens of the
United States, went the way of Vests pro-
posas,
The nay vote on the canal bill was as fol-
| lows: Nays-Bate, Berry Blackburn, Coke
Faulkner, George, Gibson, Hampton, kenna,
Pasco, Reagan, Riddeberger, Vest, Walt
hall, Wilson OF Maryland-l5.
The bill recognizes Frederick Billings,
Charles p. DAILY, Daniel AmmOn, Francis
A. Stout, ii. l.. Hotchk ss, aud such other per-
sons as are or may be associated with them,
and their successors, as body corporate and
polite in deed and in law by the title of "rhe
Maritime Canal company Of Nicaragua for
the construction and operation of slip
canal flom the Atlantic to tho Pacific ocean,
either entirely through the territory of the
republic of Nicaragua, or through Mic
aragua and in part through the territory of
the republic Of Costa Rica
The principal office of the company is to
be in New York city. The capital stock of
the company is to consist of not less than
1000 000 shares OF 500 each, with the right
to increase the capital stock to ?, 900, 900
thirds of the stock of the company at any
time outstanding. The affairs of the COM
pany are to be managed by board of di-
rectors fifteen in number, who shall hold
their offices for three yaars, a majority of
the board to be citizens and residents of the
United States.
Then the bill granting pensions to ex-sol-
diers and sailors who are totally incapaci-
tated for the performances of manual labor,
and providing, also, pensions fer the depend
ent parents of deceased veterans, was taken
up for consideration. A short debate took
place upon an amendment to add the words,
"and who are without other adequate means
of support" Berry objected to the word lad
equate," and Blair said the committee on
tensions had tried to do, in the bill, as nearly
as possible what the G.. A. L. desired so as |
to get around or under or outside, of the |
presidential veto. 1t was undoubtedly a |
service pension; but the amendment offered |
by the senator from Arkansas would bring |
the bill directly within the purview of the |
presidents veto last congress.
The end of this matter was that adequate" |
was left in the amendment which was |
adopted after adding the word self" before |
Support" Then Plumb moved to strike ont |
the word "totally" before the word "iucap-
acitated" and gave notes that il his motion
prevailed he would move to amend fur Their
by providing that the pension should be from
81 to So month"; according to the degree
of incapaci ty.
Berry argued that the striking out of the
word totally" would make the bill simply
service pension bill, and would practically
open the doors to all who had served in the
union army, and who were not now on the
pension rolls.
Davis opposed the amendment. He said
hiatt ba NJ ha lio had
discussed the whole question last summer in
st. Louis, and had formulated the bill intro
duced by Manderson, not because it was all
they thought they were entitled to, but be-
cause they supposed that in the present tenn
per of public feeling, at least in one political
party, it was the best that they could obtain.
For that reason the committee on pensions
felt exceedingly 10th to disturb the bill in its
principles or in its phraseology.
Frye confessed that he did not like the bill.
He did not regard it as liberal enough. He
preferred bill such as the senate had passed
four or five years ago. providing that all SOL
diers of the Union army who were then dis
abled mo matter how, no matter where, no
matter when), should receive a pension.
He did not believe in giving to any pensoner
less than SIP month under any circum-
stances, and he believed that the pension for
total disability should be very much more.
He would vote for the pending bill, but it
was not in response TO his own feelings of
Justice to the soldier or to the dependent
parent A good deal of talk had been heard
for the last four or five years as to congress :
going too fast and too far with pension bills.
He had no sympathy with any such talk, ,
and was confident that the time was not far
distant when every soldier who had served
IN the army would be pensioned.
The result of the debate was that Pumbs
motion was agreed to and the word totally"
was stricken out, and the bill went over.