Morning journal and courier., 1889-03-01
Fiftieth Congressional Session
WAsHINeroN. Feb. 2S.

f l rings seal was referred to the committee ol 1 foreign relations.
 1 The senate soon after went into executiv session which lasted ten minutes, and wa devoted to the reception of messages iron the president and their reference to appro 1 priate committees. After passing mum bel of bridge bills the senate resumed eonsidera tion of the two house amendments to the bill to amend the interstate commerce act, the pending question being MT. Sherman's mo- tion to agree to the amendment in relati on to the transportation of petroleum. MT. Sherman defended and advocated the house amendment and spoke of Mir. Platt ae having discovered a mares nest and as hay ing put on the amendment construction which no mortal man had ever put upon it before. There was not word or line in it to prevent the railroad companies from al- lowing any shipper compensation for the use of his car. It was mere fancied trouble. The amendment was not special legislation. It was general legislation, the principle was that oil carried in tanks of iron should not be charged less freight than the same quan- tity of oil carried in barrels.
 Speaking of equipment companies MT. Sherman remarked that such attachments to railroad companies were among the most dangerous sapping and mining operations of railroad companies. Nearly every railroad had more or less of such equipment com psnies or side shows. He declared that the House amendment did not effect the right of railroad companies to hire tank cara and to pay a reasonable sum for their use. All that was asked was a legislative declaration that would make the same rate for oil carried in barrels as for oil carried in tank cars. That was all. The principle, he believed, would have to be extended to the pipe lines and he expected to see next session the senator from Illinois (Mr., cullom), arguing that franannrtiro oil hv v,ino that pipe line companies are common carriers and must take the oil from any oil we'll without discrimination or favor. He expected to see any attempt to set up an ex- elusive use for pipe lines resisted by the sen- ator from Illinois as eagerly as it was now resisted by himself
 Mr. Cullom replied to MT. Sherman. He desired that in legislating on this question congress should do exact justice by all the people of the country whether monopolists or poor or rich. He asserted without fear of con- tradiction that the result of the amendment would be inevitably to increase Gnstead of reducing) the price of oil to the people.
 MT. Call opposed the amendment as one which disregarded the public safety, the pub lic convenience and economy.
 The discussion having closed, MT. Harris moved to lay on the table Mr. Sherman's motion that the Senate recede from its dis agreement to the House amendment and the AuOtlOH was as3Iocu GO, yeas nays u. OQ motion of Mir. Cullom the Senate insisted on its disagreement to the two House amend ments and further conference was ordered. The Senate then, on motion of MT. Riddle berger. proceeded to the consideration of ex- ecutive business.
 When the doors were reopened at 6 o'clock, new conference was ordered on the District of Columbia. Conference reports on the army appropriation bill, on the fortifcation bill and on the bill to withdraw certain pub lie lands from private enterprise, were pre- sented and agreed te.
 The Senate at 6:30 took a recess till 6:3o
 On the reassembling of the Senate in even- ing session two messages from the President were presented and read to committees-one as to representation of the United States at the Barcelona exposition, and the other as to the expenses of the Brussels. Mr. Harris called attention to the absence of a quorum, and there was call of the Senate and the sergeant-at arms was ordered to request the attendance of absentees. Mir. Vest moved an adjournment, but that motion was defeated
 Mr. Harris said that as soon as the ser geant-at-arms made his report as to the ab- sentees who had been requested to attend he should move that the sergeant at-arms be directed to compel absent senators to attend There were but three days remaining of the hftieth congress, and it was hardly e1cusable for senators to be absent from the session when there was large amount of public business to be attended to. If he were re- quired to sit here all night, and if a majority of the senators in attendance would vote with him, he would have the absent senators brought in. (Applause in the galleries which were crowded with spectators).
 Without transacting any business the Sen- ate adjourned at $50 till tomorrow.
 HoUsE.-The Speaker having laid before the House the Senate bill for the protection of the salmon fisheries in Alaska, MT. Dunn offered an amendment directing the Presi- dent to cause one or more United States yes sels to cruise in Behring's Sea and other Alas kan waters, and seize all vessels found to be unlawfully engaged in seal hunting. The amendment was adopted and the bill passed.
 MT. Bland sent to tae clerks desb and had read some extracts from the evidence in the election case, but MT. Oates cut the reading short by a point of order.
 The Senate bill for the erection of public building at Kalamazoo was then passed. It appropriates $75, 900.
 aOn motion of MT. Ermentrout the Speaker was authorized to appoint a committee or three members to cooperate with 8 similar committee on the part of the Senate to take charge of the arrangements for the inaugural proceedings at the Capitol.
 A further conference of the bill providing for @ "Zoo" in the District of Columbia was ordered.
 
 on the agricultural appropriation bill and ex- plained how the differences between the two houses (mainly relating to sugar experimenta- tion) had been adjusted. The report was agreed to.
 MT. Herbert of Alabama, from the com. mittee on naval affairs, reported the naval appropriation bill, with Senate amendments thereto, recommending concurrence in some and non-ooncurrence in others of those amendments.
 MT. Boutelle of Maine said it was not true that the administration that was now about coming to an end had succeeded in placing the navy of the United States on an equal- ity with those of other nations, enthusiastic statements to the contrary notwithstanding. It was not true that the administration had manifested and developed such an excep- tionsl degree of ability in regard to the con- struction of the navy as to humiliate, by contrast, the administration of the Republi- can party in the past. He charged the Dem- ocratic party in the House with refusal to appropriate money to enable Republican ad- ministration to proceed with the construction of the navy. The republican administration had been given but s2 221 ,000 for the pur- poses of the work The Republican party had pursued a generous policy throughout the present administration until up to the present tips the Democratic executive had been provided with $2S, 431 ,OO0 (exclusivs of the pending hill) to enable him to 1ehabilitate the navy. He claimed for the Republican administration greater promptness and efhci- ency than had been shown by a Democratic administration; and as an instance of it said that the four Roach ships had been launched one year and nine months after the date of the appropriations while the four ships built under the present administration had not been launched for three years and two months after the date of the appropriations.
 After further remarks by MT. Boutelle the Senate amendments to the bill were then considered.
 Mr. Herbert moved to concur in the Senate amendment appropriating $100,O00 for the construction of building for use by the na- val torpedo station and war college on Goat Island. MT. Boutelle opposed the amend ment and pictured the advantages which coasters Harbor Island had over Goat Island. The amendment was concurred in. The other recommendations of the committee on naval affairs were agreed to and the bill was sent to conference.
 MT. Holmes, of Iowa, called up as privi- legged question the Des Moines river land bill vetoed by the President, and MT. Crisp raised the question of consideration, pending which the House at 5:30 took 8 recess until 7:30, the evening session to be devoted to the oo,o;daraf;oy, of resolutions relative to the