The San Francisco call., 1896-04-21
FRAUDS ARE DENOUNCED
Methods of Crime and Corruption
That Should Not Avail
in Congress.
RELIEF FOR THE PEOPLE ASKED
Debts of the Pacific Railroads Must
Not Be Dodged by the Crowd
That Became Enriched.

WASHINGTON, D. c., April 20-THE
CALL correspondent has secured a copy OF
Senator Morgan's minority report on the
Pacific funding bill. 1t is a voluminous
document comprising $50 printed pages,
thirty-siI of which are devoted to Mr..
Morgan's views, and the remainder is a
stenographic report of Huntington's testi-
mony, under cross-examination by Sena-
tor Morgan. Senator Morgan prefaces his
report by saying:
From circumstances that were entirely
beyond control of the undersigned he has
not been able to know anything of the
proceedings of the committee which have
resulted in the bill reported to the Senate
by majority of the Committee on Pacific
Railroads. He is informed that by some
sort OF joint action between that commit
tee and the committee of the House OF
Representatives (both acting through SUBJ
committees) to which the Senate has not
has been formulated and agreed to by a
majority of the Senate committee.
'If the undersigned had been physi-
cally able to do this service and had been
chosen for it, he would not have attempted
such manifest breach of his duty az a
Senator without the instruction of the
Senate, as is necessarily involved in this
concerted action. Under parliamentary
law it is breach of privilege and duty for
Senator to refer to the action or proposed
action of the House of Representatives as
10 any measure pending thereupon which
the Senate is celebrating. Such refer
ence is calculated TO bring the pressure of
outside influence of most serious character
to bear directly upon the action of the
Senate and to warp its free judgment
upon measure before il to force consider
alton.
"In this case the necessity for careful
observation of this great parliamentary
law is most obvious as beingfndispensabl
to the free, independent and impartial ac-
ton of the Senate. The minority of the
Senate committee scarcely have the privi-
lege of free speech when, added to the
weight of opinions and conclusions of the
majority of the committee of which they
are members they are fairly smothered
out by the impressive burden of the adju.
dlcation of committee of the House oi
Representatives upon the identical SUBJ
ject.
"The subject-matter of the bill calls fol-
action on the part of Congress that is en-
tirely novel and peculiar, and for that
reason if for no other, it demands free and
Independent thought, Judgment aud action
OF each member of Congress. So far as the
undersigned is informed Congress has not
hitherto engaged in the business of bar.
gain and sale with private persons in dis
posing of property or other rights of the
Government Of tho TTnitad Cfotaa In fb;o
case we are to be deprived of all such
guards against malfeasance or fraud. II
this bargain and sale is enacted into law
its miscarriage, however disastrous TO the
country or injurious to public morals, will
only lie at the door of those who vote for it.
"The undersigned is unwilling thus to
deal with this great public interest, leav-
ing the Government and the people with
ont any safeguard against fraud and fail
ure in the plan of bargain and sale of the
Union and Central Pacific railroads. It Is
needless at this moment to penetrate the
dark cloud OF suspicion that has so long
been gathering and now hangs over this
entire subject. In justice to Congress the
evil deeds that cover this whole business
like an ulcer should not be salved over
with some concealment and left to eat ito
way.
"The whole world knows that we are
dealing with men who have created tbese
conditions, and they impose new and
harder terms upon the Government. the
people and posterity that they are un-
Just and extremely dangerous. The bill
reported shows on its face that its leading
features have been docke.ed by the combi-
nation of railroad magnates who have
com bines in the general plan that is in
tended to secure to themselves great ad.
vantages at the expense of the people.
"The hearings before committees of the
House show that these men have been
active in negotiation and extremely alert
in presenting their views of the case,
while the Government and the people
have not been represented by authorized
and instructed agents. In this proposed
arbitration, if it is to become law, the
Government should have been repre-
sented officially and with careful diligence.
Without attempting to array evidence
OF fraud and peculation which Hunting
tons testimony yainly attempts to con-
coal, attention is drawn to the fact that
his evasions of truth as it is thoroughly
established are his main reliance for mis-
leading Congress in his effort to capture
the Central Pacific Railroad. after it has
made him and his three or four associates
enormously rich, on the plea that his pride
compels him to save the road from bank
ruptcy, to With his fraudulent dealing
seems to have driven it.
IL respectfully dissent from The plan OF
legislation embraced in this bill, and,
with view to getting action of the Senate
on different plan that have the honor
10 propose, | move to commit the bill to
the Committee on Pacific Railroads with
the subioined instructions. present this