The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-02-23
The Proceedings

Washington. Feb. 22.-Although the
house was in session today, the members
were not allowed to forget its historical
significance. Flags foated from the dome
of the capitol and Chaplain Couden. in
an eloquent prayer. made patriotic refer
ence to the Father of his Country
This happened to be the day set apart
under the rules for the discussion Of
Columbia, but Chairman Babcock, of the
district committee, graciOuSly gave way
to Chairman Cannon. of the aDDroDria-
tions committee, under an arrangement
by which district business was to come
up after the deficiency and naval appro-
priation bills had been disposed of. When
the deficiency bill had been taken NJ IN
the committee of the whole, the bitter
fight that was waged in the house some
weeks ago over the Pacific funding bill
was renewed to some extent.
Mr.. SayerS Dem. Texas offered amend
ments to the paragraphs in the bill for
the payment OF judgments of the South
ern Pacific Railway company, one of
them striking out an item of S1.31O. .427.
to pay balance of judgment OF the court
of claims in favor of the Southern Pa
cific company.
THE OLD FIGHT.
sis, that this was the old fight that had
been going on since the Fiftieth congress.
Now the question was whether the COM
mittee of the whole would reverse the
ern Pacific this s., 300. 600. That company
had control of the Central Pacific and all
its branch lines; and, he asked, should
not this be held as an offset to secure it's
payment of Indebtedness to the govern
ment? The congress ought 20 see now
that ii was engaged in a death grapple,
with the result that no money was -
propriated for settlement of the indebted
ness between the government and these
companies: the validity of the judgment
was admitted and it could not be denied
that the government owned the amount
named. But as the stockholders of the
Southern and Central Pacific companies
were one and the same. and one was in a
state of bankruptcy. the house would
be derelict in its duty to pay over s., 300. 600
of money TO the Southern Pacific Rail-
way company. which was one and the
same as the Central Pacific Railroad COM
pany.
Mr.. Northway (Rep Ohio maintained
that the amount of the bill was a legal
judgment and should be paid. He quoted
the supreme court of the United States
in support of his contentious
AFTER HUNTINGTON.
In the coure of his speech. Mr. DocBery
Dem. Mo- criticised Mr.. c. P. Hunting
ton. He contended that Mr.. Huntington
had converted trade from the
longed to that line, and in that
the amount to which it was justly en-
titled under the Thurman law. and looked
forward to the time when il could be
bought for a nominal sum. Mr. Dockery
said he appealed for even-handed justice
and would not discuss legal technicalities
The Southern Pacific was but a mask, a
disguise. behind which the Central Pa
cific masQueraded at the expense of the
government.
Mr.. Dockery replied somewhat testify
TO an interruption by Mr.. Bingham (Rep.
Pa and said dramatically:
''I challenge the gentleman from Penn
sylvania TO read the list of stockholders
of the Southern Pacific and of the Gen.
trail Pacific TO see how nearly alike they
are
He referred to 'this defaulting corpora
ton. alias c. P. Huntington. and his
brother stockholders" and went on to
read figures showing that on January l.
1899. Mr. Huntington would owe the
United States $4,000. 000 He appealed to
the house not to pay this claim at a
time of widespread depression.
GROSVENOR'S DEFENSE.
A vigorous defense of the Judgment was
made by Mr.. Grosvenor Rep. Ohio)
This matter presented a simple question
of law. he said ii was not a question
of passion or prejudice. He did not know
c. P Huntington personally. but he
knew of him as a man who employed
40 900 laborers and paid them high wages:
who had built uD great industry at
spread depression, and against whom
there never had been strike of laborers
Mr. Grosvenor objected to ny. attempt
to make the Southern Pacific suffer be-
cause another had defaulted TO the
United States. Here was a railroad that
had never defaulted and was never given