The morning call., 1892-02-05
lMPOUNDING DEBRIS.
Favorable Report on The Slick
ems Resolution.
The Alliance Members Of Congress TO Stand
Firmly Together.
Investigation Of the Worlds Fair-YIeWS
Of EI-Speaker Reed on the House
Code Of Rules.
EICCial 10 THE MORNING CALL..

provisions of the act of Congress of October
l, 1888, under which a commission COM
posed Of members of the engineer corps Of
the United States Army, was appointed to
Investigate the mining debris question in
California, and submitted report thereon;
ana the fact that Notwithstanding that said
report absolutely shows the existence Of
vast deposits of mineral lyingin the canyons
and plains below the foothills, portions of
which Will be carried down during the
floods and eventually lodge in the streams
no estimate was made by the chief of the
engineer corps of the amount necessary to
commence a system of Improvement required
to restrain the mining debris where it is now
lodged. The resolution says: 1T seems
from said report TO be necessary to do so
without delay in order to prevent its final
aOdgment III naVigabe streams, causing in
calcutable damage; ana also in order to
make effective the expenditure OF money in
improving the Sacramento and Feather
rivers. The Secretary of War is requested
to submit for the consideration OF Congress
such further estimate of the amounts re-
quired, and which can be spent proftably
during the coming year in making the i'm
prOvements recommended by the commits
sion to restrain the mining debris and pre-
vent It's lodgment in the navigabe rivers"
ARRANGING FOR AN APPROPRIATION.
Caminetti's idea is to get the matter be-
fore the Secretary of War again and have a
new report made by Major Heuer, If posi-
BILE, recommending that $780, 900 or 100000
could be probably expended during next
year. Congress might then appropriate 90
per cent or 70 per cent Of this amount.
Bills and resolutions concerning the i'm
proyement Of rivers and harbors usually, if
not invariably, are referred 10 the Commit
tee on Rivers and HarbOrs in the House,
but In this instance Caminett so worded his
resolution that it would appear to be prop
0sition affecting mines more than rivers,
ana consequently 1t was referred to the
Committee on Mines and Mining, OF which
Canlnettl Is member. The resolution Will
be reported TO the House tomorrow and
will probably be adopted unless some sharp
member should object to il and point out to
the HOuse that 1t is matter that should
properly be reported by the Rivers and
HarbOrs Committee
Representative Camiuetti today intro
duced bill granting Mariposa County,
Cal, a right Of way through the osemite
Reservation for a wagon read.
IT," ALLIAs -E COMPACT.
The Peoples party in tile House of Rep
res antatlyes Is intact as a political organiZa-
ton and united as TO the party measures it
is 10 press. In the caucus which met before
the organization OF the House nine indepen-
dent Representatives decided TO preserve
their political autonomy on all questions to
the end of the session. Within the past few
days various reports Of alleged dissensiOus
in the ranks Of the nine Representatives
have been current, and they complained to-
night that these TumOrS were Inspired by
the politicians of the other parties and tee-
graphed throughout the country for poIit-
cal effect. They have therefore determined
to Issue an address to the country in which
they say that at no meeting was any motion
or suggestion made that the Alliance should
join the Democratic party or cast their lot
with II. A disagreement occurred because
certain Alliance COngreSsmen thought the
contest should be made through the old par
ties, and others that independent action
WAS necessary,
INDEPENDENT ACTION NECESSARY.
There has been no split and each member
still believes that independent political ac-
tiOn is necessary. The only disSension that
has, come came when they had conferences
with Congressman who adhere to old party
lines. In an interview Watson of Ge OTgia
said, when Livingston and those who fol-
low him say they are for tine Ocala de-
mands, but viii hold them in subordination
to the Democratic caucus or Democratic
party machinery, they certainly take a
very different view of the necessity for
those measures than is taken by us when
we say that independent political action IS
absolutely necessary TO bring success TO our
platform. 1t is not necessary to say that
we are as honest IN our opinion as Living
stOn is in his. Therefore, while the laws
we seek to have passed are essentially the
same, yet the method Of obtaining them is
so radically different that con hhlctS, mutual
distrust and TTecOncilable differences ma
turally arise. Upon that ground we have
ceased to meet the Livingston element
EX-SPEAKER REEDS VIEWS.
Talking this afternoon to an Associated
Press reporter, eX-Spedker Reed said: THE
withdrawal by the Louisiana lottery of its
demand for new charter Is one Of the
triumphs OF the Flfty-trst Congress. Now
that the Supreme Court has sustained the
cOnstltutlonality of the Anti-Lottery Postal
Act, even the lottery company recognizes
the futlity OF future existence. The acts of
the Fifty-drst Congress will stand well the
test of time"
EFFECT OF TIE NEW RULES,
With regard TO the new rules adopted to-
day, eX-Speaker Reed said that "the prnCi-
pie Of responsible government in the House
had been more Tuthlessly recognized in that
part OF the new regulations relating TO the
power oil the Committee on RuleS than had
ever been dreamed of in the Fifty-hrst Con-
gtess. The power to enforce the will of the
House was lodged in important measures to
that committee so party legislation could
have full swing, while the bill of an indi-
yldual member, even IL approved by the
House, was left TO the mercy of the fillbus-
ters. The right Of a present quorum had
been denied and the farce of q member
present Tor the purpose OF being counted as
absent had been revived All this, however,
time and the Supreme Court will take care
~ ma F1zxl In mill la 9 ~
TO the country that more liberal measures
for the promotion OF innocent, 1seful, nom
partisan and necessary legislation were
not adopted. The debate has shown that
the good example of the last two years had
not been entirely lost What used to be
called tyranny and is now on the road to
be called good sense, has been established
in the great and uneXampled power con-
ferred on the Committee on Rules. The
folly OF wasting the time of the House in
the reference of bills had been forever done
away with. Thanks to the example set by
the last Congress, the country knows the
House can do all it wants TO. That it don't
do 1t now, 1t is responsible. The ostrich
has left off concealing himself by putting
his head in the sand
THE "SILVER-BRICK CASE.
The Supreme Court of the District of CO.
lumbia to-day, sitting in bank heard the
argument Of counsel in the ''silyer- brick"
case Jere Wilson appeared for the petit
TONERS and Assistant Attorney General
Maury for the Government. wilson as
serted that the act of 1873 which demOne-
tized silver was unconstitutional if that
part Of the act still remains in force. He
insisted, however that it does not remain,
but that this feature was repealed by the
act OF 1873 Assistant Attorney General
MauTy READ an abstract from the decision
of the United States Supreme Court in the
case of the United States eX rel. Dunlap vs.
NffAI AI.h tod Anf In
court would interfere by mandamus with
the executive officers of the Government in
the exercise of their ordinary duties, even
where those duties require the interpreta-
tOu Of the law. the court having no appel
| late power Tor that purpose Resting on
| the law as settled by tho case cilel. ManrY