The Portland daily press., 1894-07-11

From the Senators of North and South
The Forfeiture of Land Granted West
ern Railways Considered in the House
and Action is Postponed-Over so Mil
lion Acres Involved-Other Washington
News
Washington, July 10.-In the Senate
today the Indian appropriation bill was
reported and placed on the calendar,
also the House joint resolution for ill.,
vestigation, relative to work, and the
wages of women and children. The
resolution offered yesterday by Mr.. Peff-
er, Populist, as to the governments
control of railroads and other kindred
matters was killed before the Senate
In speech advocating the resolution.
Mr.. PETER referred to the situation in
which the country now found itself,
and said it only seemed necessary to
ascertain the causes and apply reme-
dy. "A man named Debs, the official
head OF the great organization, made
the workmen's statement of the condi-
ion of business. From that statement
Mr.. PETER rehearsed some assertions as
to the ill-treatment of Pullman en-
ployes leading up to the great strike.
Now" he said, trouble is at hand and
the leader Of that great corporation is at
thu seashore or lakes or islands, or some
where, refusing to entertain even news
paper man, except to say he has nothing
to say. Heartless, soulless, conscience
less is this tyrany of tyrants.
MIR. PETER spoke of the attempts made
before the strike TO have arbitration
with the Pullman company, and said
when they failed, the strike came.
There was general leaving of employ
ment and letting railroad companies
go ahead without allowing the employees
to object was, he said, to have the
Pullman cars dropped and the men Of
the American Railroad Union would
not handle them, a boycott was de-
clared. IL was not his purpose, he said.
to argue whether the act was right or
wrong. The situation confronted the
Senate and it was its duty to deal with
it. The railroad companies stood by tine
Pullman Comp ny, let the results be
what they might. Mr.. Peffer spoke en-
Enthusiastically OF the grand spectacle
that would be presented when all the
workmen of the country stopped work
and when all theslife of the communities
when everything would be paralyzed
and inert That was, he SAID, what
this thing means to American people. The
time mad come for employers to learn
how to handle the situation by fair
treatment of their men. If they could
not do that it was time for the people in
their sovereign capacity to interfere
and say that the thing has gone far
enough. He spoke of the modern ten
dency to treat the use of arms in col
leges and public schools, even he
said in Sunday schools. he exclaimed
passionately: at is time this militia
ism should cease. If am assured what
we are going to do when dispute rises
between the employers and employees,
They will settle this thing themselves
without bloodshed, without using a
torch and without getting angry. They
will do it Justly, safely. wisely and
promptly. The instant you begin to
call out the military to protect one side,
and send the other to oppression, just
SO soon you arouse a spirit of animosity
which cannot be quelled by forcen
Mr.. PETER besought the Senators to
treat his resolution in a conservative,
statesman like way that would throw
out to the people some intimation that
the Senate would not turn its back up
on them.
Mr.. Davis, Repu ublican, of Minnesota
replied to Mr.. Peffer in terms of severe
patriotic Indignation. He said he sup
posed by the common consent the sub
jectswas to be avoided now at a time
when in the second city of the
United States, the fourth or
fifth city of the civilized world,
order was suspended, law pow
erless, violence supreme, life in danger,
property in the very arms of destruct-
ion. He was amazed to hear the trum-
pet of the situation blown III the Senate
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