The herald., 1897-01-16
PRIVATE BILL DAY
N IHE LOWER HOUSE
Makes Happy Applicants
for Pensions
Secretary FRANCIS Makes REPLY
To Questions Regarding the
Kansas Homesteads
SPEAKER REEDS DECISION
Thought to Have Killed th: Free Home.
stead Bill
SPEAKER REEDS DECISION
Thought to Have Killed th. Free Home.
stead Bill
A Mississippi Members Proposition for the
Purchase of Cuba
Gears New Bill Providing a Pacific
Railroad Commission Will Be Re-
ported to the Senate on Mon
day-Session Notes.
Associated Press Special Wire.

Associated Press Special Wire
WASHINGTON Jan. 15.-The pro-
ceedings in the house today were very
tame 1t was private bill day, but the
whole time was consumed in passing
through the house bills favorably acted
upon in committee of the whole before
the holiday recess. The widow of the
late Major General Gibbon was the bene-
ficiary of one of the bills passed, carry
ing s100 per month and the widow Of
Brevet Major General w. A. Nichols Of
another carrying SIS per month.
The free homestead bill, which came
back to the house with senate amend
ments, was referred under ruling Of
the chair to the committee on public
lands.
For several days Speaker Reed has
been recognizing members to call up
small bills of local Importance at the
opening of each days session. Today
number Of such were passed.
A resolution of inquiry calling upon
the secretary of the interior for the rea-
son for his refusal to issue patent to
lands sold by the Union Pacific in Utah
was adopted.
a resolution was adopted empowering
the committee on elections to- proceed
Immediately with the consideration Of
the Benoit-Boatner contested election
case from the Fifth Louisiana district
with view to obtaining action before
the close of the present session. Mr..
Boatner was unSeated at the last session
on a contest and subsequently reelected
in November.
Almost two hours were consumed in an
Intellectual struggle to amend a resolu-
tion for the appointment of fifteen addi-
tional house employees so that the new
patronage should go to states not now
represented on the house roll
AT o'clock the regular order was de-
manded, and this being Friday the house
proceeded with the consideration of bills
on the private calendar.
The bills favorably acted upon by the
committee of the whole on the last pri-
vate bill day were taken up An at
tempt was made to reduce the amount
$100 carried by the BILL to pension Fanny
Gibbon, but it failed.
Blue of Kansas, Republican; Crowther
of Missouri, Republican, and others ar
gued against granting pensions of more
than $50 per month to the widows of
General Curtis of New York, Republican,
and Grosvenor of Ohio Republican,
took the view that the distinguished
services of General Gibbon entitled his
widow to recognition.
Gen. Grosvenor stated in connection
with the apparent effort of some men,
bers to wipe out distinctions between
the widows of private soldiers or officers,
that in his long experience as a member
of the G. A. r., he had never heard of
antipathy, expressed by private soldiers,
to recognition of the meritorious ser
vices of officers.
A bill was passed to increase the PEN
sion of Clara N. Nichols, widow of Bre-
vet Major General w. A. Nichols, to
$75 per month. All the unfinished busi-
ness was disposed of, but the calendar
was not reached.
The speaker referred the free home
stead bill, with senate amendments, to
the public lands committee, despite the
fact that the senate had requested a
conference on the measure The speaker
ruled that if the senate'S request made
it privileged it would place in the other
branch of congress power to determine
what measure should be privileged.
At p. m the house took a recess un-
til s o'clock this evening, the session to
be devoted to pension legislation.
Secretary of the Interior Francis sent
reply to the house today to resolu-
tion asking why the land offices at To-
peka allowed homestead entries to be
made on lands in Kansas in the Union
Pacific railway grant which had beeA
sold by the railroad to bona fide pur-
chasers and to which patents had not
yet been issued.
The secretary says that the officers
have no authority to permit these en-
tries and that the land commissioner,
when his attention was unofficially
called to the matter, directed the officers
to allow no entries of lands within the
Union Pacific grant until the railroad
company had an opportunity to oeject
to the allowance. Replying to the part
of the resolution requiring Information
as to the cause Of the omission to issue
patents to lands within the limits of the
grant, the secretary states that as the
company is in default to the government
on the principal and interest Of bonds.
he believes it is his duty to withhold
from patent all lands which were in
the possession Of the government at the
time of the default
1t has been the practice of the rail-
road company to establish by the af.ida-
Wits of two of its officers the bona fide
sale of such lands as it desired patented.
Within the past two months lands ag-
gregating 2Q09,0 ,073 acres have been list
ed for patenting in the states of Kansas,
Colorado Utah and Wyoming.
The secretary says that while not
questioning the statement of the rail-
road company that these lands have
been sold to bona fide purchasers, he
has felt it to be his duty to require the
affidavit of two disinterested partie0s
and also the affidavit Of the purchaSees