Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-01-29
THE BOND ISSUE BILL
It is Debated to Some Extent in the Senate
:, Today.
The Committee Amendments Adopted
Mr.. PETER Wants to Add an
Election Amendment.

Il IT
According to his notice given yesterday.
Senator Harris tbs afternoon called up the
bond issue bill in the Senate and 1t was
under consideration for about twenty min
utes. No result was reached, as the debate
was cut off at 2 o'clock for the bank
ruptcy bill. but Mr.. Harris indicated that
he would continue to call the bill up every
morning hour after the disposal Of the
routine business until 1t should be finally
disposed of. In calling 1t from the calen-
dar he said that 1t was a measure of great
Importance to the people of the District,
upon which action should be had at once.
The bill had been read In full on previous
occasion, when Senator Cameron objected
to its consideration, and thus little time
was saved today.
Committee Amendments.
The committee amendments to the bill
were adopted, and 1t was then made to
conform to the provisions of the amend
ment submitted by Mr.. Proctor to the Dis
trict appropriation bill last week, by the
insertion of paragraph requiring the
schedule of streets to be improved to be
approved by Congress, and reducing the
term OF the bonds to ten years. AT the
suggestion of MIR. Allison, the provision
placing the selection Of the streets to be
improved in the hands of Congress was
word specifically" so that it now reads,
las may be hereafter specifically desig-
mated by Congress-"
Mr.. Proctor explained that the change in
the term of the bonds to ten years was
made at the request and suggestion OF
Senator Sherman.
Mr.. PETER Wants an Election.
This concluded the process of perfecting
the bill so far as the committee was con-
cerned, but Mr.. PETER was on hand with
an amendment providing for a general
election to be held within thirty days after
the passage of the bill. at which the people
of the District should express themselves
on the measure. Mr.. PETER said he was
not quite ready to pass upon the bill yet.
In the first place. he said he understood 1t
to be a proposition to bind the United
States to the amount Of over seven mliilons,
one-half to be paid by the District, without
any request having been made to that eff
feet on the part of the citizens.
The people of the United States, he ar
gued ought not to be required to support
any more of the city Of Washington than
such portions as the government business
| may require. 1t was not an appropriate
proceeding for. this bill to be rushed
through without it's having the consent OF
the people of the District. Few persons
own the property that would be enhanced
in value by this legislation There are now
nearly 100000 people living in Washington
| cause 1t Is the capital of the country.
Fully So per cent OF these people live In
rented houses, and the remaining II per
cent own not only their own homes. but
those of all the others. The United States
now proposes to Improve the city for the
benefit of these people who constitute the
owner class. or Ia per cent of the whole.
MIR. Kyle Give. His Views.
The expenses OF the District. Mr.. PETER
| went on, except those incurred in the
proper and legitimate transactions of the
government, ought to be borne by the peo-
pie who live here, instead of by the people
of the country at large. What interest, he
asked, had the people at large in the SAM
tary arrangements OF the city of Wash
| ington? What concern had they in the ex-
| tension of the highway system? The peo-
pie who live here should undertake the en-
| tire task of extending AID identifying the
city. -''
on two grounds, therefore, Mr.. PETER
said he was opposed to the bill IN ITS pres
ent shape The first of these was that it
was proposed to place a great burden OF
| debt upon the people of the District with
! out their consent. In the second place the
people of The United States are to be forced
| to pay one-half of the expense, which they
should not legitimately bear In order to
perfect the bill, according to his point of
view he offered an amendment to the effect
| that the provisions CT the bill cannot take
| effect till after they have been approved
| by the people who live in the District at
| general election to be held within thirty
| DAYS of the passage of the act under regu-
| lations provided by the District Commits
| sioners.
MIR. Call Opposes Sle Dill.
Senator Call arose and opposed the bill
mainly because of its bond features. fie
| thought that the enactment of this law
| would tend to commit Congress further
| to the policy Of issuing bonds and he went
! on at some length to argue that this Is
not a desirable condition. If it is wise, he
urged, Cor the government to do this with
respect to the District of Columbia, there
can be no question as to it's wisdom when
applied to the country at large. Then, too,
he was not altogether clear as to the
propriety of not making the people of the
| District pay for these improvements them
selves.
sary policy. He thought that the govern
ment should not impose burden upon
| the people of the District and their poster
fty In conclusion, he gave notice that he
would vote against the bill.
Mr.. Kyle Gives His Views.
Senator Kyle said that he had not ex
amined the bill carefully, but it struck
! him that it was the same bill that was
| under consideration in the Senate two
wears ago. 1t was ostensibly, he said,
| bill for the extension of the sewers of the
| city, but within it was contained an elabor-
ate scheme to extend the streets and ave-
| nues He was opposed to the issue of
bonds as a matter of principle. If the
streets and avenues Of the city are to be
| improved the work should be done by the
owners of the private property so affected.
Senator Harris interrupted to remind Mr..
KYLE that in March, 1893, Congress passed
| an act extending the streets of Washington
| throughout the District and providing for
the condemnation of private property for
| this purpose. 'That is a material and i'm
| nc rtant work." he said, land every year Of
| delay adds thousands of dollars to the final
And it puts thousands Of dollars" re-
Joined Mr.. Kyle into the pockets of the
| owners of this property
| Just then the Vice President announced
the hour of o'clock and laid the bank
| r11ntcx hill before the Senate. A moment