Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-03-01
AT THE CAPITOL TO-DAY.
RUSHING THE BUSINESS.
Many Bills Pass Both Houses of Congress
OUR RELATIONS WITH CANADA
The House Favors Commercial Union
The Senate.


placed on file.
SUGAR FRAUDS.
A long communication from the Secretary of
the Treasury in response to Senate resolution
calling for reports to sugar frauds and
undervaluations of merchants at New York and
other ports was presented. read in part and
referred to the committee on the operation of
the civil service law.
CONFERENCE REPORTS AGREED TO.
The conference report on the bill to divide
portion of the Sioux reservation in Dakota into
separate reservations was presented and agreed
to. (The disagreement has been, Mr.. Dawes
said, principally as to boundaries.)
Also the conference report on the bill for the
relief of certain volunteer and regular soldiers
OF the late war and the war with Mexico (as to
removal of charges of desertion).
Also the conference report on
THE BILL To FORFEIT CERTAIN RAILROAD LANDS.
Mr.. Edmunds asked Mr.. Plumb (who made
the conference report to explain it.
Mr.. Plumb said that the bill Gas far as agreed
to in conference) was in almost the precise a
shape in which it passed the Senate-with this
qualifi cation, that the conference bill contains
provision for the entry of lands under
the homestead law only in favor of
persons now settled on the lands to be forfeited.
For the purpose of arrangement, the order of
the sections had been changed, and there was a
provision inserted requiring the Attorney-Gen-
eral to bring suit to determine the question
as to certain lands, which had been first held
by the land Office to be the property of the
Northern Pacific railroad company and had
been afterward held to be public land. and
which had been sold by the Northern Pacific
railroad company. With these exceptions, the
bill was in the precise shape, for all essential
purposes) as when it passed the Senate.
E6mnnds-Whaf ia hp n
provision to the point of time when the for
feiture is to take place?
THE QUESTION STILL AT ISSUE.
Mr.. Plumb-That question is still at issue be-
tween the two houses The Senate conferees
insisted on the position heretofore taken by
the Senate-that the forfeiture shall only take
effect as to lands lying opposite the uncom-
pleted portions of the road. All the other pro-
visions are mere matters of detail.
Mr.. Sherman-The matter is so important
that 1 think the report ought to be printed be-
fore the Senate is called upon to vote on it,
Mr. Morgan-I think SO, too.
Mr.. Dolph (another of the conferees) sug-
gested that the report could be explained
without the necessity of having it printed. The
bill passed by the Senate had been Che said0
thoroughly considered in the Senate. The
House had passed a substitute for
the Senate bIt After the conference
had come to partial agreement
tue house cOn1treeS rectde0 from all OF the
substitute except the first section and agreed
to all of tbs Senate bill except the first section
That first section was as to the extent of the
forfeiture, and that question was still open.
The question was as to whether the forfeiture
was to extend to all the lands granted for rail-
road purposes when the road was not COM
pleted within the time fixed by the charter (as
under the House substitute), or only to lands
adjacent to the uncompleted portions of the
roads Gas provided i'll the Senate bill).
In reply to remark by Mr.. Edmunds that
the bill seemed to give additional homestead
rights, Mr. Dolph said that there was nothing
iii the bill which gave additional homestead
or preemption rights.
After further discussion the report was laid
aside informally until it could be printed.
THE DISTRICT MILITIA BILL.
On motion of Mr.. Hawley the Senate receded
from its amendment to the House bill in regard
to the organization of the militia of the Dis
trict of Columbia, and the bill has now passed
both houses.
THE DEFICIENCY BILL
was reported back from the committee on ap-
preparations, and notice was given by Mr. Hale
that he would ask to have it taken up as soon
as printed.
PROTECTION OF ALASKAN FISHERIES.
Mr.. Sherman, from the committee on foreign
relations, reported back the Senate bill for the
protection of the salmon fisheries in Alaska,
with recommendation that the House amend
ment extending the provisions of the bill to
Behring's sea- be disagreed to.
Mr. Morgan a member of the committee,
said that the question involved in the amend
ment was of such serious and important char
acter that the committee on foreign relations
wouldn't undertake to pronounce that kind OF
judgment upon 1t which was due to its magni-
tude.
Mr Sbarp,an adaaa that &ha ooro,.;.4o.o
on foreign relations was of opinion that,
while there was no objection to the
Senate bill, as passed (it being for plain and
clear purpose), the House amendment had 10
relation to the subject matter of the bill and
involved serious matters of international law
(perhapsl and of public policy, and ought to
be considered by itself. The merits of the
House amendment had not been considered by
the committee on foreign relations, and that
committee WAS not at all committed either for
or against it: but the House amendment had
simply no connection with the bill itself, and
ought to be disagreed to.
THE AMENDMENT DISAGREED TO.
The amendment was disagreed to and a con-
ference asked.
PACIFIC RAILROAD MATTERS.
Mr.. Jones (Nev.), from the committee on
contingent expenses, reported a substitute for
Mr.. Stewards resolution heretofore offered.
ne substitute continues the select committee
Oh Pacific railroad matters until the debt is ad-
justed, and instructs the committee to
examine personally the roads of the
several companies and the counties through
which they pass or which is Immediately con-
trio1tory to them, for the purpose of ascer-
tanning how the indebtedness can DE so ad-
justed and paid as to advance the devel-
opment of the country and af-
ford the inhabitants thereof reasonable
freight and passenger rates.
mir. Edmunds objected TO the consideration
of the resolution. remarking that there were
eight or ten other committees which had been
providing for their enjoyment during the re-
cess.
The resolution went over till tomorrow
THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR FINLEY
MIR. Jones, OF Nevada, also reported back the
resolution (Which was agreed to- for the pay
ment OF S1.054 to Mr.. Finley, who held the
Office of Senator from Florida under appoint
ment from the governor from 4th March, 1887,
to 18TH May, 1S67, when Senator was
elected
TIE FREREr INVESTIGATION.
MIR. Jones New also repoyted back the res
olution, which was agreed to- authorizing the
committee on public buildings and grounds to
continue the investigation of the office of su-
pervising architect of the Treasury
MIR. Spooner (who had offered it originally
said that the testimony already taken showed
a state of things in that Office which was not
far from scandalous although there was moth
ing in it that reflected on the person integrity
OF the supervising architect. He believed that
the present system for the select committee
and purchase of sites for public buildings