Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-12-23
54th CONGRESS.
Vests Expected Speech on
Cuba Does Not MateraIize.
Pacific Railroad Financial Troubles
Occupies Senate's Time.
While Alleged Civil Service Reform is De-.
nounced in the House.

disappointed. The anticipation was
that Senator Vest would resume his
attack on the administrations Cuban
policy. Early" in the day the statement
was passed around that Senator Hale,
who is opposed to Cuban recognition
under the existing circumstances.
would demand a quorum if the debate
was resumed. and doubling his ability
to command a quorum. so many SEN
ators having left the city, Mr.. Vest de-
tormined to postpone his effort till
after the recess.
Hale. from the committee on appro-
priations. reported back the urgent
deficiency bill and asked for its imme-
diate consideration. There was no oh
lection. so the bill was read. with the
amendments reported by the commit
tee. The amendments We're agreed to.
the bill was passed and was returned
Immediately to the House for concur
renee in the amendments.
The joint resolution introduced, yes
terday. by Pettgrew, Rep. of South
Dakota. directing the secretary of the
treasury to pay the amount due Of
6 per cent. notes of the Union Pacific
Railway Co., and to take possession Of
the bonds and stocks now held as col
lateral for them and appropriatins
SIG, 900, 900 for the purpose, was taken
up.
Pettigrew spoke in advocacy OF it,
as ii business measure to protect the
interests of the government. He as
serted that the receivers of the Union
Pacific Co. did not desire to pay inter-
est on those trust notes so as to COM
plicate matters 1t was the duty Of
the government. he said. to pay off
these notes. take possession of the
road and its branch lines. and operate
them in the interest of the people all
along the line. He believed that it
was the fear that would be done which
had led the managers of the Union
Pacific to handle the property SO 10 be
able TO sever the branch lines from the
main road. on which the government
had a lien.
Plat said Pettigrews remarks
should convince the Senate of the
necessity of immediate action to settle
The debt of the Union Pacific and Cen
trail Pacific to the government. He
could not understand why Congress
had been so utterly Indifferent to the
question whether the debt Of over
500, 100000 to the government should
be secured. or should he lost.
Morgan said he understood the plan
OF the managers to he to get control of
the branch lines. unite them with the
Northern system, and get up Il parallel
to the Union Pacific line. He alluded
to the past history of the Union and
Central Pacific roads as "a saturnalia
of fraud" and "a labrynth of frauds
and raScalities.'
The statement made. today. by the
senator from Dakota. made ii proper
that it should be investigated by the
Pacific Railroad Co, and he proposed
TO ask that the committee should sit
during vacation and investigate the
subject. No such petitions and re-
ElonStrances, Mr.. Morgan said, had
ever been presented to Congress as had
come from the Pacific coast against
the management of the Pacific rail-
roads He hoped that the people of
California would not be denied a voice
i'll those proceedings and would not be
sacrificed to a 'gorgion of monopoly
The Union Pacific Company had in
its treasury enough money to pay the
interest on its first mortgage bonds;
the Central Pacific had paid such in
terest up to date and had, besides paid
a l per cent. dividend to the British
stockholders yet both those companies
came to Congress as mendicants. stat
ing they were bankrupts. All this was
false pretense" Mr. Morgan was dis
cussing the question of the government
interpieading in one of the foreclosure
suits pending: and was expressing the
hope and confidence that the attorney
general would refuse to interplead.
Il would like to ask the SENATOR
Vest interposed. what he understands
by that part of the Presidents mes
sage to the effect that.un something
be done by Congress in the very future,
the Executive department will take
steps by the first of January. to pro-
tect the interests of the government"
Morgan-I suppose that the senator
can interpret that message if anybody
can: | will not stop to do it.
Another remark of Vests as to the
meaning of the message was replied to
by Morgan with the sentence: Il wish
the senator would not bother me with
that message. certainly | am not pay
ing attention to it.
Morgan argued that under the charter
of the railroad companies. they would
cease. whenever the first default in
payment of their bonds was made. to
have any right to the property and all
property passed Immediately and with
out any action by Congress or by the
courts, into the possession of the gov
ernments of the United States The
control of the Pacific Railroads was
necessary to the government
from a military point of view; and it
was imperatively important to shut
out the idea that the government was
ever going to abandon it's control into
private hands. particularly into the
hands of foreign stockholders; for. said
he. there is not railroad 200 miles
long that is not owned abroad Ameri- |
can stockholders in American railroads
would be curiosity that should be put
in side show"