The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-12-16
The Proceedings.

Washington. Dec. 15.-By unanimous
consent, the following bills We're con-
sidered:
House bill to amend an act of the
Fifty-third congress so as to reduce
from 30 to 40 feet the open space about
the government buildings. Passed.
Senate bill, subjecting vessels of Is
tons or more, propelled by gas, naptha
or electricity and carrying passengers
for hire, to the regulations governing
steam and sail craft as to INSPECTION
of hulls and boilers, and the EMPLOY
ment OF pilots. etc. Laid over on OBJ
lection.
The speaker announced Messrs.
Evans, (Rep), Kentucky, Russell,
(RepD, Connecticut, and McMillin
Dem.). Tennessee, as conferrees on
the part of the house on the joint reso-
luton extending the limit of the joint
congressional committee to investigate
the subject Of regulations for the free
use of alcohol in the arts and manu-
features. r o.
Under the agreement made last week,
Mr.. Powers (Rep.), Vermont, called up
of purchasers of the Atlantic & Pacific
railroad and franchises, under fore
closure of the mortgage authorized to
be placed on the property by the act
of 1877
Mr.. Powers explained the necessity
for the proposed legislation. He said
the bill gave the new corporation no
privileges not possessed by the old
company, and held it to a strict full
fillment of all it's obligations.
An amendment offered by Mr.. Moody
(Rep), Massachusetts, was agreed to.
limiting the issue of stock to the
amount of the unpaid mortgage debt
at the time of the sale, and providing
that additional stock may be issued
with the approval of the secretary of
the interior for cash paid in, and
limited to S10e. 100000.
PACIFIC ROADS.
A letter was read from Mr.. Joseph H.
Call, special United States attorney
in the litigation against the Pacific
railroad companies, urging the passage
of the bill. 1t sufficiently guarded the
interests of the government, and the
prompt reorganization of the company
was demanded in justice to the people
along the line of the road.
Mr.. McRae (Dem), Arkansas, pro-
posed a substitute for the senate bill,
going into minute details to enforce the
liabilities and obligations of the At
lantic & Pacific Railroad company
upon the successor company and re-
quring the sale of all lands within its
grants, whenever a reasonable price"
is offered.
Pending consideration of the bill, the
legislative, executive and judicial aip-
preparation bill for the year ending
June 80, 1898, was reported and placed
on the calendar.
Mr. McRae. supporting his substitute
for the pending bill. and in answer to
questions by members as to the ne
-.
forth, said that if the house wanted to
protect the creditors of the Atlantic &
Pacific railroad, it's workmen and
it would put it in the bond.
for" he said the history of the cor
poration for 40 years shows that it has
every pledge it ever undertook
to keep"
Mr.. McRae's substitute was rejected
yeas. 20; NAYS, 163.
An amendment to the committee bill
was agreed TO, requiring the new COM
pany TO become incorporated in the
several states through which its lines
run.
Mr.. Cooke (Rep), Illinois, moved an
amendment requiring the purchasers.
as a precedent, to organize within six
months from the passage of the bill,
and before it shall take effect to file
with the secretary of the interior a re-
-L4oiSA-AA-CiAN va Oil 'leiiiil ~ liAdl pal
Of the land grant adjoining the uncom-
pleted portion of the road.
Mr.. Powers said that a suit to en-
force the forfeiture of the unearned
land grant had been instituted. and
was today being argued in the supreme
court of the United States. He did not
think the company should be black
mailed before permission to INCORPORATE
was granted The amendment was
agreed to-7S to 43-and the bill then
passed.
MAIL MATTER BILL
Mr.. Loud (Rep.). California, moved |
hat the house go into committee of the |
whole upon his bill to exclude from the |
nails as second class matter sample |
,opies of newspapers, bills. periodicals, |
,tc
Mr. Quigg CRep). New York. moved |
o adjourn, but the house refused-1o2 /
% 134-to adjourn.
The house went into committee of |
he whole on the mail classification bill.
Mr.. Lund opened the debate in favor
If the bill by describing il as the most
important measure that would come
before the house. As early as 1887. the
officials of the postoffice department
Jaw the abuses likely to occur under
he law of 1885. which gave these pub
ications the right of admission to the
nails, and the report of the post-mas-
er-general for that year. and for every