Omaha daily bee., 1897-05-14
oUSE ADOPTS THE CONFERENCE REPORT
Allen Amendment Stays on the Indian
Appropriation Bill,
OF NEW YORK OPPOSES IT
R eports the Conference Action and Moves
Inconvenience Therein.
KANSAS COMES TO NEBRASKAS AID
Curtis and simpson Help Mercer In
what Proves to lie n winning
Effort for the Zig
Prize.

| Prize.
| WASHINGTON. May 13.-(Special Tele-
gram.)-Omaha won notable victory today
in the Indian supply depot matter, through
good generalship. the help of friends and
united Nebraska delegation. The victory is
remarked tonight as being brilliant in char
acter, in view of the formidable opposition
which has seemingly been growing stronger
| ever since the amendment directing the sec
retary of the interior to establish depot for
Indian supplies at Omaha was attached to the
Indian appropriation bill. After the house
had refused to concur in the senate amend
ment regarding the gilsonite lands on the Ute
reservation the debate was at once started on
the Omaha amendment in the bill, Sherman
of New York, who has been the most out
spoken opponent to the measure, telling the
house why this amendment should not be
concurred in. He gave way to Curtis of
Kansas, who has been warm friend Of
Omaha throughout the fight. Curtis made a
rattling good speech, citing the generosity Of
the people of Omaha in donating rent free a
building for the use of the government for
five years. He showed the advantages the
city possessed in being able to handle supplies
OF this character and the number of Indian
tribes that would benefit by the location
of the depot in Omaha.
ILLINOIS BIG GUNS.
Cannon of Illinois followed, being sarcastic
to degree, remarkng that If the govern
ment needed such depot which he under
stood 1t did not 1t was only right and
proper for the government to pay rent for
the buildings 1t might occupy. Cannon
swung his eyeglasses and told how economic
ally the New York and Chicago depots were
maintained and how utterly useless the To-
cation Of warehouse in Omaha was at the
best. The position of the chairman of the
appropriations committee and his outspoken
opposition seemed to crystalline sentiment
against the measure, especially as New York
and Chicago were fighting desperately to re-
ject the senate amendment.
Cooke Of Illinois, who openly boasted that
he remained in Washington to beat the
Omaha amendment, was given time in which
to tell why Chicago should continue as the
great head center for this branch of the gov
ernment. He read his side of the case,
among other things stating that a number
Of western cities had greater claims for the
location of this depot than Omaha, and gave
statistics provided by the Interior depart
ment to show the location of bidders for
supplies during the fiscal year 1897, and the
position of Iowa Kansas. Nebraska and Mis-
souri, in their distribution.
Simpson of Kansas, who had felt the
mailed hand of Reed early in the morning,
was at his best in supporting the amend
ment which he did in a fve-minute talk,
showing among other things. what a saving
it would be to the government should
Omaha secure the warehouse. incidentally,
he spoke of the Union Pacific and its
ation to the government. covering back into
the treasury half of its earnings to pay OBJ
legations. He argued that the establishment
of the depot in Omaha would be in the in
terest of the people saving them from tax
alton, etc.
Mercer was then rec gnized for a speech
that brimming over with good points,
designed to catch votes. which were forth
coming He spoke of the work in confer
ence how it had received the support OF
five out of six cOnferees, and the careful
consideration which had been given the sub
ject Reviewing what had been said by his
opponents, he read clipping from The
Omaha Bee which showed how double rates
were charged many commodities bought
in Nebraska, sent to Chicago, and then back
to Omaha for distribution. He made the
bold statement that the depot In Chicago
was used as a convenience for that city
and Illinois rather than for the Indians
of the northwest; that the maintenance Of a
warehouse In New York cost $22 5S3 annually
and Chicago, $l3,324, but thought that Omaha
would materially reduce both these figures,
which accounted for opposition OF those places.
Throughout, it was a taCtful presentation OF
Omahas case and made good impression.
VOTE OPENS THEIR EYES.
Sherman closed the debate, but not till
Dngley of Maine had his shy at the measure.
When the vote was to be taken on Curtis
motion to concur Stark and Sutherland Of the
Nebraska delegation rounded up the demo-
Gratis and populists, interest by this time hav-
ing extended throughout the chamber. There
was an exodus from the cloak room, Mercer
personally laboring to secure creditable
showing, even though defeat should follow
his efforts. But to the surprise of almost
every one, the vote for concurrence stood
54 to AZ, Curtis having been clever enough to
move to concur before Sherman could get in
his negative proposition. II was such a
signal victory that it dazed the Illinois and
New York delegations and on coming to in
quire reasons, found they had been hypnotized
by the west While Mercer showed himself
a most finished adept in securing votes, too
much credit cannot be given the rest of the
Nebraska delegation, which labored unitedy
for Omaha.
There was a call for tellers by Cannon, but
he was laughed from his position, and before
the foxy gentleman from Illinois could re-
cover his shattered forces the house ad-
journed. The success of Omaha was cause for
jubilation Allen. Thurston and Nebraskans
throughout unreseryedly pronounced the vic
tory OF inestimable value for Omaha, as II
meants the entrance wedge for broader egs-
la ion In the future.