Morning journal and courier., 1889-02-02
Fiftieth Congressional Session
WASHINGTON. Feb.

SENATE.-The House amendments to the Senate bill for the admission of South Dako- ta as State were non-concurred in upon re- port of the committee on territories, and 8 conference asked. Senators Plstt, Cullom and Butler were appointed conferees on the part of the Senate.
 MT. Salisbury offered 8 resolution, which was agreed to, instructing the committee on foreign relations to inquire into the condi- tion of affairs in the Samoan Islands and re- port at an early day what measures are ne- cessary and proper to protect the interest Of American citizens therein. and to discharge any obligations of the United States to the people of those islands in the maintenance of their own local government from the inter ference of any foreign power, and to secure the just rights and interests of the United States in the future control and government of those islands.
 The resolution heretofore offered by MT. Chandler in regard to the claims of officers of the navy for arrears of pay as to longev- improper facilities have been allowed to att torneys and claim agents in prosecuting such claims Gnstructing the committee on appro priations to inquire into the matter), was taken up.
 Mr. Chandler explained his motives in of- feriDg the resolution and declares his belief, from information which he had received, that access had been allowed to such claims, and that the proceedings of some of the at torneys and claim agents had been based on information received from the office of the fourth auditor. He mentioned several large items already paid under these claims and said there estimate before the com mittee on appropriations for further large amount q 200, ,559 for both army and navy claims). In his judgment, those claims were devoid of real merit and the naval officers in whose favor they had accrued had no eqait- able right to payment. The great wrong which had grown up in the matter was that the statute of Limitations has not been applied by the accounting officers of the treasury and that these mileage and other claims went back to the beginning of time. He repeated that information obtained by attorneys through the fourth auditors office and he added that these attorneys were advertising all over the country for the heirs of naval officers who had died ten, twenty or thirty years ago to come forward and make con- tracts with them for the recovery of "sea pay,' for the time that these officers were serving on receiving ships at a navy yard dock. Such claims were being rushed into the fourth auditors office in great numbers and congress was to be confronted with claims to the amount of over Il million dollars which had no real, substantial, equitable merit whatever.
 MT. Hale, on behalf of the committee on appropriations, returned thanks to MT. Chandler for having called attention to the matter and for having contributed valuable aid to the committee. The committee on ap- propriations had stoutly resisted the flood of claims and had endeavored to see that proper scrutiny should be given to all of them, but it was impossible to guard against amend ments placed in appropriation bills in the House or Senate, in which some cunning lawyer or claim agent would find a ground for presenting new classes of claims. He gave some instances of this kind. Mir. Cock rell reminded Mir. Hale of other circumstan- ces bearing on the same subject.
 MT. Hale asserted to Mir. Cockrell's state ment with the remark that linen may come and men may go, but the Washington claim agent runs on forever"
 No action was taken on the resolution.
 Mir. Sherman presented letter from the concession of the harbor of Pago-Pago made to the United States by the Samoan govern government in accordance with the treaty and it was referred to the committee on for eign relations.
 On motion of Mir Riddleber, at 2:1O the Senate proceeded with closed doors to the consideration of executive business, presum- ably the British extradition treaty.
 When the Senate opened it's doors at 3 o clock it adjourned until Monday.
 The Senate further debated the Britfsh ex- tradition treaty nearly three hours to-day and it was finally rejected. An earnest effort was made by friends of the treaty to save it from rejection, but their labors were in vain and the final vote against it was greater than had been expected, 39 to 15.
 HoUsE-The Oklahoma bill was taken up The pending question was on the motion to to table the motion to reconsider the vote by which the House yesterday rejected the minority substitute. The motion to table was carried, yeas 132, nays IA The ques- tion then recurred on the passage of the bill, |, and after some flibusteIing by MT. Cheadle of Indiana, the. bill was passed, yeas 14S, nays 102.
 MT. Clardy of Missouri presented the con- ference report on the Nicaragua canal bill Ordered printed and laid over, Mir. Clardy giving notice that he would call it up to. morrow. The same course was followed with the conference report on the bill to amend inter State commerce act, which was present ed by MT. Crisp of Georgia.
 .aThe House then went into committee of the whole on the private calendar
 The greater part of the afternoon was con- stunned in the consideration of bill author iziDg the court of claims to sjudicate the claim of the legal representatives of Henry H. Sibley growing out of contract with the government for the use of patented inven- tion in the manufacture of the Sibley tent, but no decision was reached. The House then took a recess.
 Twenty-Five pension bills were passed this evening and the House at 10 o'clock adjourn ed until tomorrow.
 PIT. Barnum,s Residence Burned.
 BRIDGEPORT, Feb. 1.-The handsome new residence of P. T. Barnum at Seaside Parl was nearly destroyed by fire tonight, entail. ing loss of sa5, ,0Oo to $sO, 900. The fire wal discovered in closet on the second fioor ant is supposed to have been caused by the care, lessness of workmen or spontaneous com bus