The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-05-06
CAPTURE OF THE COMPETITOR
CALL ASKS HUMANE TREATMENT
FOR THE PRISONERS.

WOIcOtt Objects TO Immediate Con-
stderatiOn of the Resolution on
the subject-The River and Harbor
BILL Taken Up and Committee
Amendments Considered Hill
Speaks on PETERS Bond RcSOIu-
ton.
Washington, May SIN the Senate to-
day, after the routine morning business
had been disposed Of Mr.. Call dem, Of
Florida, offered and asked immediate con-
sideratiOn for a resolution requesting the
President TO protest against the eXecu-
ton Of United States citizens captured
on board the schooner Competitor by a
Spanish cruiser, and 10 request and de-
mand Of the government Of spain that
they shall not be subjected TO cruel treat
ment, but be held only as prisoners or
war
The resolution was on the point of being
ing declared by the Vice President as
agreed TO by unanimous consent. when
Mr.. Wolcott, rep. OF Colorado. interposed
with the remark that If the facts were
as stated by Mr.. Gail. Chat the vessel
was simply carrying war materiaD II
was the manifest duty of the President
TO interfere, and IL was rather unusual
to request the President TO do his duty.
He would like TO see how it looked in
print He therefore objected, and the res
olution went over until Tomorrow
The river and harbor bill was then
taken up. The first opposition to commit
tee amendment was manifested on the
item for $4,000 for improving the har-
Dor at Sabine Pass, Tex. The committee
amendment was 10 increase the appro-
priation 10 $4,000, and to strike out the
continuing contract clause
Mr. Mills opposed the striking out and
OHefeu as a compromise to let $4,000 and
the continuing contract" clause stand as
in the original bill. After discussion both
committee amendments were rejected and
the item remains as agreed to by the
House-S50,O00 and continuing contracts.
In the course Of the discussion. Mr.
Frye, rep, of Maine, spoke of the great
pressure brought to bear i'm securing euor-
nous contracts and of the procession of
people bes.esing the committee room with
that object.
The item as to Savannah, Ga. involved
the same question, except that the COM
mittee recommended striking out the pa
preparation of 5000 and also the clause
for continuing contracts. The amend
ment was opposed by the two Georgia
senators, Messrs Gordon and Bacon; and
the House item was restored. except that
the aggregate cost was reduced from ST.
Oy3 $50 TO SyS7 250.
After dsposing Of thirty pages Of the
bill, the hour of O'Clock arrived and
Mr.. Frye said that he would not press
the consideration Of the bill further to-
day.
The PETER bond resolution was then ia
ken up, and Mr. Hill continued his ar
gument begun yesterday in opposition to
Mr.. Hill said that he had been asked
yesterday why he opposed the resolution
His answer was that he opposed ii be-
cause IL was wholly unnecessary and I'M
called for, and would establish a most
pernicious ana unwise precedent.
IL was foolish, contemplate, and alb
surd resolution. OF course, there was no
law against II. There was no law against
the Senate making fool Of itself # II had
mind to. He analysed the various points
OF the proposed inquiry, including the
authority for the Issue of the bonds. on
that point Mr.. Hill exclaimed: Read the
statutes ana you viii know. II you can
not understand them, resign your seats"
Mr.. Hill devoted the better part of an
hour to the discussion of the Graves case,
ana had read, in connection with II, the
afiidavit of Secretary Carlisle. He de-
nOunced the whole thing as persecution.
getting up scandal and throwing mud"
The afhdavit was a long one, and its read
ing by the clerk gave Mr. Hin a much
needed rest, for he had been speaking
very rapidly and energetically, ana seem
ed somewhat tired. Half an hour later,
CIR. Hill said he would again ask the
secretary to spell me awhile by reading
the. paper which I send TO the clerk 5
Mr.. PETER objected to it's being read by
the clerk and suggested the absence of a
quorum.
A quorum was present and the reading
was decided to be proper. The paper was
thereupOn read by the clerk-it being the
agreement between the Secretary of the
treasury, Lot Morrill, and the Rothschild
syndicate in 1876. 1t was followed by the
reading of several similar constructs in
1S77 and 1878.
Mr.. Hin's object in having these papers
read was to show that these financial
syndicates were not modern invention,
ana that although a government loan
might be called "a popular loan" it was
the capitalists who got the bonds. He
said that in the coming campaign he want
ed these republican syndicate contracts TO
stand side by side with the Carlisle syn
dictate contract.
Mr.. Pettigrew, rep. Of South Dakota,
asked Mr.. Hill If he would yield the floor
10 him to make some remarks on the
bond resolution, and, as Mr.. Hill politely
did so, Mr. Pettigrew read what he called
"A history of the bond sales of the pres
ent administration" the object being, he
said, to destroy the use of silver as
money and to allow certain persons to
realize enormous profits. Mr.. Pettigrew
laid much stress upon the defaulted
Graves bid for s4,500O00, and on the fact
that those bonds had been turned over
TO the syndicate a its bid of 10 7-l0, al
though The Investment Corporation of
New York had made an oner of ll4l2 for
all the bonds of defaulted bids. The ac-
tion on the part of the Secretary of the
Treasury, Mr.. Pettigrew said, had given
a profit of $4,000 to Morgan < Co. and
he intimated that that profit had been d.
Vided between the Secretary of the Treas
ury and that syndicate of bankers. That
seemed, he said, to be the sum and
substance and gist of the whole trans
action, which was rotten and dishon-
est and corrupt to the core" 1t was
therefore. quite proper for the Senate to
investigate it thoroughly.
M Pettgrew the6 criticised Mr.. Sher-
man for his Endorsement of the President
and the Secretary of the Treasury in the
bond transaction.
The matter went over, with Mr.. Hill
still occupying the floor
Twenty-seven private pension bills were
then passed. and the Senate adjourned
until tomorrow.
KILLED WITH FENCE FAILING.