The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-06-08
LED BY MR.. HOAR.
Senators EuIOgiZe Leland
Stanford.
ALL CAUSED BY THE CLAIM.
Statesmen Fret Over the Central
PaCifiC's Debts.
is IT A QUESTION OF EQUITY? g?
Coils Huntington Pretends Not to
Care Whether the Rocd is
FOreClOsed.
5 IT A QUESTION OF EQUITY !?

WASHINGTON, June THE action Of
the Attorney General claiming S15. 100000
from the estate Of Leland Stanford occu-
pied the attention Of the Senate to-day
until the tariff bill came up. The qnes-
ton arose upon a resolution introduced
by Hoar instructing the Committee on Ju-
dietary to pass upon the equity claim, and
whether it ought not to be set at rest.
Hoar eulogized Stanford and praised the
objects to which he devoted his wealth.
Blackburn said the course pursued by
Hoar was unprecedented in the history of
Congress. The real question was whether
the estate which was devised by Stanford
TO educational purposes had not been
wrongly diverted from the United States.
Speaking on the Stanford resolution Sem
ator Hoar said the Government ought at
once to decide the question of extinguisn-
Ing and putting this claim a rest. He did
not suppose, he said, that any one seriously
imagined the Government had claim
against the Stanford estate. ard it was
proper the Judiciary Committee should
inquire whether this alleged claim was
founded on a technicality or upon law and
equity.
Hoar recited the benefactiOns under the
will of Stanford and added: eff the
Government had a claim of S15. coo, 900,
that was only 90 cents apiece for inhabit-
tants of the United States to whom Stan
ford bad consecrated his large estate, and
it ought not 10 embarass the waning years
Of his widow and cripple and perhaps de-
stroy the great gift he had made for the
benefit of the poor by seeking to press it,"
No one. Blackburn said in reply, felt
more deeply than he the public spirit
manifested by his late associate ID devo-
ton so much to educational purposes.
But the question was. did he own the es-
tate or had be sought to divert to this high
purpose an estate that belonged to the
United States
The 4 AttOrney-General had already taken
steps to determine this question, aud it
was the first time he had ever heard of
either House Of Congress attempting to
stayr hand of the law officers of the
GOVERNMENT. While in its expressed terms
the etesolution only applied to the Stanford
estats, if the claim against Mr.. StaHford's
estate was relinQuished and set at rest.
the claim against Hopkins, Crocker and
Huntington must be released also.
Hoar insisted this did not necessarily
follow. The resolution was one Of pure
inquiry.
Are we to understand" +" inquired Voor-
hees. that this proceeding on the part of
the United States is an attempt to hold the
STAFFORD estate for the mortgage the Gov
eminent holds against the Cent? Pacific ?'
NO" replied Hoar, "lt is a proceeding
under q California statute Oh the ground
- Of stockholders liability. After the first
and second mortgages fall due. unless
satisfied, the stockholders become indi-
: vIdually liable"
before taking my seat desire to say"
said Voorhees,, that Leland Stanford is
the only very rich man l have ever known
whose simplicity and su'blimity of charac-
Ter was not touched or debased by wealth
His was the same simple, kindly, devoted
nature that exists elsewhere without the
*coTrupting influence Of wealth.
This ended the debate, ana the Senators
then resumed the struggle with what is
left of the Wilson tariff bill.