The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-12-17
TO RELIEVE KLONDIKERS.
House and Senate Both Pass
Resolves.
BILL TO PROHIBIT PELAGTC SEAL
ING PASSED BY HOUSE.

Measure Met Earnest Opposition OF Some
Members-Attempt to Obtain Report
From.Bimetallio Commissioner xcites
| Free Silver Debate in this House.
| Washington, December 16.-Mr. Wolcott
of Colorado, chairman Of the commission
appointed by President Mckinley to
secure, if possible, the cooperation of
foreign countries in an international con-
ference upon the silver question, said in
| theSSenate today that the commission had
not yet made a report TO the President
and it was uncertain when report would
be made. Negotiations for a bimetallio
conference, he said, were still ending,
but he assured the Senate that the COM
mission had no intention of prolonging
Its effort beyond the point where reason
able hope of success should exist.
| Mr.. Wolcott promised to explain fully
the work of the commission in speech
to be delivered after the holiday recess.
A resolution directing the secretary Of
war to send supplies to American and
other sufferers in the Klondike region
was passed.
Mr.. Pitchard, of North Carolina, chair
man of the civil service investigation
committee, delivered u brief speech upon
the execution of the civil service law as
developed by his committee after which
the Senate went into executive session
and at three O'Clock adjourned.
| Mr.. Hanna of Ohio, after an illness of
a week, appeared in the Senate today
and was cordially greeted by his col
leagues.
| Mr.. Frye of the commerce committee,
favorably reported and the Senate passed
hill directing the Secretary of the
Treasury to purchase or construct q suit
able vessel for revenue cutter service on
the Yukon river, Alaska, tho cost not to
exceed $40, 900.
| Mr.. Morgan of the foreign relations
committee, favorably reported bill for
| the relief of the heirs of Pom <. Sob,
the late Corean minister. Mr.. Morgan
| simply enabled the heirs of the late min
lister to acquire title to certain property
| in the District of Columbia. The bill
was passed.
| Mr.. Allison of the appropriations COM
mittee reported fayorably the House joint
resolution providing for recess of Con-
gress from December 1S, 1897 to January
| 5, 1898. The resolution was adopted.
Mr.. Hawley Of the military affairs
committee, reported the resolution of Mr..
Mcbride of Oregon, for the relief Of Ame-
rican miners and others suffering in the
Yukon valley, Alaska. The committee
struck out all but the enacting clause
and amended the resolution by appropri-
ating $3.50, 900, which is to be used by the
Secretary of War for the purchase of sub
sistence supplies and for their transporta-
tion and distribution, the consent of the
Canadian government first to be obtained
to pass over the Canadian territory.
The resolution provides that the sup
plies are to be transported by means of
reindeer. M. Hawley asked for imme-
diate consideration of the resolution and
it was adopted.
Mr.. Allen of Nebraska, secured the
adoption of resolution requiring the
Secretary of the Treasury to inform the
Senate If there are any supernumerary
| employees in the Treasury Department.,
and If SO their names and salary and If
any employees have been retired from the
service of the department, what salaries
and pensions they are receiving together
with their names, the circumstances of
their retirement.
Mr.. Pettigrew secured the adoption of
resolution, 1nstructing the Secretary
of the Treasury to furnish the Senate an
ltemized statement OF the receipts and
expenditures of the Central Pacific rail-
road for each year from 1871 to 1877.
Mr.. Cannon of Utah, offered and had
passed @ resolution directing the Score
tary of the Treasury to furnish the Sen
ate the names of the revenue cutters en-
ployed on the coast of Florida to prevent
hlibustering; how many such expeditions
were thwarted; what vessels were capt
ured; what armed expeditions We're TAX
en-, and what authority OF law the Secre-
tary of the Treasury acted in the matter.
Mr.. Aliens resolution calling on the
President for information about the in
structions given to the international
monetary commission and the report
made to him by the commission then
came up.
Mr.. Wolcott of Colorado, chairman of
the commission, said that the commission
had not made report to the President.
The English government, he added has
published resume of the PROCEEDINGS of
the commission in Great Britain, That
document will soon be here, and as it COW
ers the subject fully it will be valuable
to senators and others.
''I hope soon," said Mr.. Wolcott, ''to
make a statement concerning the work
of the monetary commission. Quite
natural the ssstatementsI shall make will
be unofficial, but it will contain some
information that may be of interest. and
value to the Senate.
LAS have been absent from the coun-
try for about nine months, have not
since my return, on account or an accum-
mutation of business, been able to pre-
pare such q statement, as I should like to
make to the Senate. If the Senator from
Nebraska, (Allen), will permit, the ques-
tion might go over until after the recess
when, about the middle of next month,
shall be able to discuss the subject"
Mr.. Wolcott asked that in the mean
| time, speech delivered by M. Meline in
the French chamber of deputies on the
Goth of November last, in which he dealt
at considerable length with all subjects
bearing upon bi-metallism, should be
translated, and printed.
I'M. Meline shows said Mr.. Wolcott,
'that the steady depreciation of prices
Of agricultural products is due solely to
competition between gold and silver
countries.
The translation was ordered.
sEMr. Stewart of Nevada, assaidl that he
had always advocated independent action
by the United States to secure bimetallism
and he thought that the effort TO secure
the cooperation of foreign nations would
not only be unnecessary but dangerous.
In the course Of his remarks Mr. Stewart
stated that the utteranoes of the President
and the Secretary Of the Treasury proves
that this was q gold standard administra-