The San Francisco call., 1896-05-02
TALK ON THE MEASURE.
Involuntary Provisions Are OBJ
jected To by Stone of Penn.
sylvania.
MACHINERY FOR COLLECTIONS.
Pr actical Defeat of the Proposed Ad.
mission of a Delegation From
Alaska.

WASHINGTON, D. c., May 1.-Most OF
the session of the House to-day was occu-
pied in discussing under the five-minute
rule and in committee of the whole the
section of the bankruptcy bill reciting the
causes for which proceedings may be be-
gun against debtor. Two amendments
were proposed, one by w. A. Stone (R.) OF
Pennsylvania, abolishing altogether the
involuntary feature, and one by Broderick
(Pop.) of Kansas limiting TO three causes,
all criminal or fraudulent in their nature,
for proceeding against debtor.
The propositions were pending when
the House at O'Clock under the rules
took recess until clock, the evening
session to be for the consideration of pri-
vate pension bills.
By vote of 80 to 80 the committee re-
fused to take corporations out of the opera
ton of the bill.
The bill to give Alaska delegation in
Congress was discussed briefly, and by a
vote of 60 to A the House voted against
the engrossment of the measure-a prac-
teal defeat.
A bill was passed to admit free of duty
articles of foreign manufacture intended
for exhibition at the Nashville Exposition
in 1897 and to admit persons engaged to
care for the exhibits.
Elections Committee No. reported this
morning to the House that John L. McLau-
rim was entitled to his seat from the Sixth
District OF South Carolina and George W.
Murray tcolored) was entitled to his seat
from the First South Carolina District.
The first report was agreed to. In Murray s
case, the minority of the committee was
given leave 10 file their views and the case
went to the calendar.
Scranton (R.) of Pennsylvania called up
the bill authorizing the election OF dele.
gate to Congress from Alaska, reported
from the Committee on Territories. Scran-
ton said the Committee on Territories had
agreed that the admission of a delegate
was the best thing that could be done for
the people of the Territory and had recon-
mended the passage of the bill in report,
part of which he read.
Perkins (R.) of Iowa opposed the bill,
which was amended so as 10 provide for
the election of the first delegate to the
Fifty-ffth Congress, and then by a vote OF
a to 66 the House refused TO order it to a
third reading.
The House then went into committee oi
tue whole to consider the bankruptcy bill,
general debate having been closed the bill
was read for amendment under the five.
minute rule. An unsuccessful effort was
MADE to amend the first section, on mo,
ton by Miller Or Of Kansas, by striking
corporations" out of the bill. 1t was de.
Co H,v IL - 90
Most Of the remaining portion of the
time was given over to discussion of the
section reciting the causes for which the
bankruptcy proceedings may be insti-
tuted, the question at issue being the mo.
ton made by w. A. Stone (R. of Penn
sylvania to strike out the involuntary
feature of the bill. The generally ex.
pressed objection to it was that it created
a machinery for the collection of debt and
that, it was contended, was not good OF
wise thing to do.
Broderick tR.) of Kansas offered sub
stitute for the involuntary provisions O
the sections establishing three causes for
involuntary proceedings instead of The
nine named in the bill.
Closing the debate on the two PROPOSE
tions, Henderson, who reported the bill
deprecated the attitude taken by several O
the speakers who represented Western dis
trlcts asserting that the people of that sec
tion wanted no advantage over those O
| any other section. There was nothint
partisan nor sectional in the bill. and III
hoped it would be considered in that spiri
by all who discusse d it.
Referring to a telegram read by Woot
| (R.) of Illinois from several merchants il
Terre Haute, asking him to oppose tn
passage of the bill, Henderson said he hat
received this matter from q distinguished
citizen of that State. from which he rea,
this statement:
~ think the impression that some O
our Western boards Of trade had upon tn
bankruptcy question was that by reason
of the nearness of our merchants to thei
customers they had an adyantag,
with the failing debtor over the distan
creditor and that this would be SUI
rendered under a bankruptcy bill. i
seems to me to be short-sighted view O
! the question.
"That is from no less a distinguishe,
person than ex-President Harrison" con
tinued Henderson. 'who always an,
everywhere, whether as President o
private citizen, stands for the who'll
American people," [Applause.]
Without disposing of either proposition
the committee rose and at o'clock, unde
the rules OF the House, took a recess unit
o'clock.
Among the bills ordered to be favorabl,
reported to the House at the evening ses
sion was one increasing the pension of the
widow OF General w. II. Enochs, mem
ber of the Fifty-first Congress, to $50
month; one increasing to the same amour
the pension of the widow of Benjamin L
Beail, late colonel of United States cavalry
and one granting pension of SIT 1
month to Ada A. Schwatka. widow of tn,
late Lieutenant Frederick Schwatka, tht
famous Arctic traveller.