Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-02-17
FROM THE CAPITOL.
PACIFIC RAILROAD DEBTS.
The Funding Bill Reported in The
Senate.
SUSPENSION DAY IN THE HOUSE,
The Oklahoma Bill and Other Measures
Reported From Committees.
THE SENATE.

forty petitions from Massachusetts,, stating that
| more than 100000 gallons of intoxicating
liquors are annually exported from the United
| States to Africa, demoralizing ''the good peo-
| pie Che changed that phase into 'the peo-
ple'O of Africa and detrimental to all
legitimate commerce with that people; and
| praying that under that section of the Consti-
| tuition which authorizes Congress to regulate
commerce with foreign nations that sort Of
| thing shall be stopped. He asked that the pc
| tition be referred to the committee on educa-
| tion and labor, and he invoked the careful con-
! sideraton Of that committee to the subject. So
referred.
MISSISSIPPI ELECTIONS METHODS COMPLAINED OF.
MIR. Chandler presented several petitions
| from Mississippi complaining Of the suppress
| sion Of the republican vote in that state and
| representing that the ''so-called legislature of
Mississippi" had recently enacted law for es-
tabllshing new constitution for the state on
| the 18th Of August 1S90-the same not to be
submitted to the people for ratification, and
that it was the avowed purpose of the demo-
Gratis to employ fraudulent methods to deprive
many Intelligent citizens OF their franchise.
| Referred to the committee on privileges and
elections.
OTHER PETITIONS.
Mr.. Blair presented petitions signed by
| $4,000 members of the GAR in favor of PEN
sions to army nurses and petitions signed by
over 4,00O.0 600 persons in favor of the educa-
tional bill.
Among other petitions presented were several
| for per diem pension bill, for the removal of
the limitation on pension arrears and for a
| bounty to soldiers of the regular army who
| served in the war of the rebellion.
THE PACIFIC RAILROADS FUNDING BILL.
Mr.. Frye, from the select committee on the
Pacific railroads, reported back adversely the
two Pacific railroad funding bills referred toit,
and in lieu Of them reported an original bill on
! the subject with two reports, one of these re-
ports touching the Union Pacific Indebtedness
and the other the Central Pacific Indebtedness.
The latter Che said) had been drafted by the
Senator from Minnesota (Mr. Dayis). He
explained that the reason why the two
bills were reported back adversely was that the
committee had finally succeeded (to its own
satisfaction in consolidating these bills into
| one. This bill (now presented) contained the
| terms OF an adjustment with both companies
the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific. The
report had been unanimously adopted by the
committee. The bill, SO far as Union Pacific was
concerned, had also been unanimously reported
He might almost say the same Of it in relation
| to the Central Pacific; he ought perhaps to say
that the Senator from Indiana (Mr Tur-
pie) thought that the Central Pacific
company could pay the same rate
Of interest g per cent? as the Union Pacific
was to pay. That was the only difference of
touching the bill. By the bill the Union
Pacific company was required to pay 3 per cent
| interest and pay its debt in fifty years.
1t was required to give mortgage on all its
property Of every name and description. The
committee found that that additional prop
erty which the United States re-
ceived us additional security amounted
to q great deal more than the debt due to the
United States making the ultimate payment of
the debt as certain as anything human could
ho Do
bill required the payment of its debt
in seventy five years, with interest at the rate
Of per cent. But the committee. recog-
niZing the present serious condition of
the Central Pacific company and the abb
solute necessity for its building several
very important bridges in California, as
well as building some additional lines of rail-
| road there, had determined that / per cent
Of the 2 per cent should be capitalized for
the first ten years; that being done the Central
years about i65O000 a year (and there
was no doubt that it could do
that and about S1.4O0,OOO year
at the end Of ten years. 1t was quite a
leap from the 3650,OOO to S1,40O,OOO, but be-
tween now and ten years hence it was expected
that the Central Pacific (having set
tied with the United States) could fund at
least twenty millions of its other indebtedness
which now paid 6 per cent interest at from
saving INTEREST ssa aons and voaS hi eDsh shnt
the company to meet that additional
requirement. At the end of twenty years the
amount to be paid by the Central Pacific would
be II, 900 annually until the final payment
was made, which would be within seventy five
years. MIR. Frye added that the two companies
had not yet signifed their acquiescence in the
bill.
THE UNION PACIFIC
had done 80, at the last session, in relation to
bill which made the same require
ments; but he was informed now that
the Union Pacific company did not think
that it could pay over 219 per cent
interest. The committee, however, which
had spent good deal of time
and patience and care on the subiect-having
but one purpose in view (to protect the inter-
ests Of the United States government without
doing harm to the railroad companies) be
lieved that the Union Pacific company could
pay the per cent and pay the debt in fifty
years. AS to the Central Pacific company. its
officials had stated that they could not pay more
than Il per cent interest and could not pay
the whole debt in less than 125
years, and one distinguished and i'm
portant official Of the company had
an entirely different proposition not made by
any Of the bills. The committee recognized
the difference in condition between the
Pacific company, and the difficulties which the
Central Pacific would encounter and the Union
Pacific would not.
MIR. BLAIR HAS THE FLOOR.
After the presentation of miscellaneous busi-
ness the Senate at o'clock took up the educa-
tional aid bill, Senator Blair resuming his
speech.
NOMINATIONS TODAY.
The President today sent to the Senate the
following nominations: