The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1897-01-14
A NUMBER OF MINOR BILLS
WERE PASSED IN THE UNITED
STATES SENATE.
SENATOR MILLS HAS A NEW CUBAN MEASURED
1t Declares the Power to Recognize Gu
ba Lies in Congress-He Will Be
Heard Thereon Monday Next
Free Homestead Bill Fur
ther Discussed.

Washington, Jan. despite the fact
that the house today entered upon the
consideration of the Pacific Railway
funding bill, the attendance on the floor
was not large. Great interest was man.
ifested in the discussion of the bill by
those present. The large map showing
the routes of the Pacific roads had been
erected in the arena in front of the speak
to by the several speakers. Under the
special order adopted before the holiday
recess, the debate will continue until Sat
urday evening and the vote be taken
Monday
Before the bill was taken up bill was
passed amending the government in Alas
ka so as to appoint the surveyor general,
appointed last year at $500, SO as to
have him also perform the duties of col
lector of customs and receiver at Stka.
The Pacific Railway committee then
demanded the regular order under the
special order and the house went into
committee of the whole (Mr. Payne of
New York in the chair and took up the
funding bill.
Mr.. Powers (rep.) of Vermont said that
it had been arranged that the time for
| and against the measure should be equal
| ly divided, he to control the time in its
favor and Mr.. Hubbard (rep.) of Mis-
souri,, the member of the committee who
made the minority report the time
| against it.
Mr.. Powers then took the floor and
| made the opening argument. He took
| his position in front of the chart. At
the outset he said that he proposed to
deal with the subject with the utmost
candor. The bill which the committee
presented to the members for their con-
sideration, he said, constituted plain
business proposition and he asked the
members to consider it as SUCH He
then launched his argument into thor
oughly exhaustive history of the Pacific
roads. He described the necessity which
existed in the early sixties for trans
continental railway, the difficulties which
south was ablaze with red war, how that
capital could not be secured to accom-
plish anything without government aid
and the determination Of the government
to back the enterprise by large grants
Of government lands and to further back
the enterprise up to the extent of $4,000
per mile as far as the Sierras and $50, 600
| for the distance across the mountains
The government was to take first mort
gage to insure the repayment of the
bonds. But with this aid, granted by
the act of 1862, the projectors were una
bic to 90 ahead and to permit them to
raise money, congress, 1864, allowed
them TO place first mortgage under the
governments lien and of equal amount.
| He reviewed the difficulties which be-
set the projectors as to the eastern ter
minus owing to the opposition of the sew
eral cities, and how it was settled eventu-
ally by the construction of branch lines
| The supreme court had decided that the
| governments second mortgage now rest
| ed only on that portion of the road actu
ally aided. He outlined the great hard
ships involved in the consummatiOn Of
the work and the bountiful fruits which
followed to the American people by open
ing up the territory. If the government
| should lose every dollor of the debt of this
road it could credit itself and the Amer
lean people with ten times as much in
dollars and cents as they amounted to.
| Proceeding he explain the earnings Of
the roads and said it was undoubted that
| they could not pay the bonds when they
| became due.
|
| The governments interest in 1869 was
estimated at S3,S92,0OO. At that time
the army and navy transportation and
| the postal system to the coast cost the
| government $7,357,731. Yet, notwith-
standing the vast increase in the govern
ment transportation TO the Pacific coast,
| the rates of compensation paid by the
government to the companies were re-
duced so low that instead of receiving
an amount double, or even equal to the
interest on the subsidy bonds, they were
| left debtors annually to the interest ac-
count in large numbers.
| ''Do you claim that this bill is just
| and proper arrangement with those who
have done what they could to discharge
| their obligations to the government
asked Mr.. Boatner (dem.) of Florida.
II do replied Mr.. Powers. lie pro
ceeded to say that he knew Mr.. Boatner
regarded the Pacific Railway projectors
as a set of rascals because they had got
ten rich. But he asserted that If they
had not discharged all their obligations
to the government and had gotten rich
in other ways it was nobody's business.
This, he said, they had done. He then
gave a computation of the present in