The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-09-17
SESSION. OF THE SENATE.
THE DAY OPENED WITH THE PAS
SAGE OF THREE BILLS.

One of Them Provides for the Pur-
chase of the Townsend Library-An-
other is to Repair the Road at Pensa-
cola Land Grant Forfeiture Dis
cussed.
WASHINGTON, Sept 16.-In the Senate
to-day the House bill to provide for the
holding Of regular terms of the circuit aud
district courts OF the Western district OF
Virginia was taken from the calendar and
passed with amendments
The Senate then devoted one hour TO bills
on the calendar unobjected to. The first bill
on the calendar was the Senate bill author
izing the librarian of congress to purchase,
at not exceeding $4,000. the Townsend
library of national, state and individual
records concerning the origin, progress and
consequences of the late civil war The bill
occupied the entire hour. and was then
passed by vote of 81 yeas to II nays.
The Senate bill appropriating $40, 900 for
the improvement of the road to the national
cemetery near Pensacola, Fla, was also
passed.
LAND GRANT FORFEITURE.
The conference report on the railroad land
forfeiture bill was resumed aud Mr. Morgan
would forfeit lands of one little line from
Gadsden, up toward Chattanooga, COM
pany for the construction of which had
never been even organized and for
which a claim had never been made. No
body had ever disputed that those
lands belong to the government. What else
did the government get under the pending
bllli Nothing whatever, except lands for 225
miles on the line between Walla Walla and
Portland. and yet the bill was called land
grant forfeiture bill. 1t was a mere sham
and pretense, nothing but mere political
performance invented to get up the idea
that congress was FORGETTING rairo I'D land
grants, while the whole of the provisions of
the bill were to confirm the title of the
great railroad companies to their lands
HOW ROAD WAS PASSED.
Mr.. Morgan related an incident connected
with a railroad grant in Alabama wherin
land Office official in that state came to
Washington, aud finding that patents for
the grant had been signed at the land Office
went to the railroad company and offered
to get their land patented for a commission
of 10 per cent. Tue offer had been accepted
and this man had received &c, 900 acres The
pending bill would confirm that fraud.
That was why he opposed it. Any senator
who wanted to sustain that fraud might
vote for the bill. That was all that be
wanted to say, and with that he closed his
speech.
The conference report was agreed TO by
vote OF 30 yeas to Is nays--a strict party
vote.
THE ANT1-LoTTERY BILL PASSED.
The House anti-lottery bill was then taken
up from the calendar, and passed without
a word of discussion. and the Senate took
up the House bill to repeal the timber Gull
ture laws. Mr.. Plumb, who reported the
bill back from the committee on public
lands. moved an amendment In the nature
of a substitute. This substitute was itself
amended at the suggestion Of several sena-
tors, and was then passed, aud a conference
asked with the House on the disagreeing
votes. MeSsrs. Plumb, Pettigrew and Wal
thall were appointed conferees on the part
Of the Senate
The Senate then took up from the calendar
the Senate bill TO establish United States
land court and TO provide for a settlement of
private land claims in certain states and
territories The bill, having been read, was
laid aside until tomorrow, and the Senate
| at :4S O'Clock adjourned.