Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-09

General for information concerning the
Kansas Pacific was adopted.
MIR Gallinger IN. HI, chairman of the
committee on pensions, requested that at
the conclusion of the morning business to-
day an hour be set aside for the consdera-
ton of private pension bills, of which he
said there were over 200 on the calendar
inalorsed by the committee.
Many of them have passed the Senate at
previous sessions but failed in the House
They are not new bills. During the first
extraordinary session of this Congress 9lS
private pension bills were introduced in
the Senate. and thus far during the pres
ent session - bills had been presented by
senators. During the extraordinary ses-
sion 1 .3O such bills were introduced in the
House. and 40 have been thus far intro
duced in the present session by members of
the House. This makes total of 2.1So
new private pension bills already intro
duced in this Congress. Eliminating dupli-
Gates. Mr. Gallinger was of opinion that at
least 1000 separate bills had been pre-
scented for consideration
Il want to say" said he, that there is
laxity among senators about sending pen
sion bills 10 our committee. No inquiry is
made by them to the merit OF the meas
ures and the result is that out committee is
flooded with correspondence concerning the
details of bills that ought to have been de-
termined before the measures were laid
before Congress Senators should be abSo-
IuteIy satisfied of the merit of measures
before introducing them / am satisfied
that in private pension matters We have
gone TO the extreme limit ard that il is
now time to call halt. | am and have
always been friendly to the soldiers, but
l am constrained to feel tina. we are going
too far ana that we ought III the future to
exercise tie greatest conservatism in the
consideration of al pension rlatters."
Mr.. Gallinger thought that the practice
of pensio1iES remarked widows and
eral other similar classes of claimants
ought to be stepped. He thought, too. that
the recommendation of the commissioner of
vi la he cd
speedily providing that no pension should
be granted to a widow if her marriage to
the soldier had been subsequent to the
passage of the law under which he was
drawing a pension ought to be enacted in
to law.
In response to a question By Mr.. Allen
(Neb). MIR. Gallinger said that he op-
posed to the granting of large pensions to
widows of distinguished officers I'VE have
reached the limit in that regard" said he,
and it is time that We should stop
Was then made
Mr.. Mcbride (OreD secured the passage of
a resolution asking the Secretary of War
for such Information concerning the needs
or the Alaskan miners in the yukon valley
as ne might have in his possession.
Blils We're passed "a follows: Granting
TO the town of Valentine. Cherry county.
Neb-. certain lands: to pay the Richmond
locomotive works its claim for damages
and losses Incurred in the construction of
the battle ship Texas; providing for the
erection of public building at Washing
ton. Pa.
The Senate then began the consideration
or private pension bills under the special
order.
The specill order for the considera ton Of
private pension bills continued for an hour
curing which time forty-fiye bills were
passed A majority OF the measures pass
ed provided for the granting of increases
10 pensions now received.
MI. German secured the passage of A hill
70 provide for the purchase of additional
iard in Baltimore. Md. for the erection
thereon Of new government building.
Mr. Harris tksn) moved that his Pa
cific railroad resoiution offered last spring
be reccmmitted 10 The Pacific railroad com
inlttee as IN view of the sale OF the Union
Pacific main line and the prospective sale
of the Kansas City branch he had no desire
TO press the resolution.
Mr. G"Ir of Iowa. chairman of the Pa
cihc railroad committee. commenting upon
Mr. Harris motion said that too much
credit could not he given the present ad-
ministrdtiou for the admirable manner
in which il had handled and disposed of the
Pacific railroad matters
Mr.. Harris facetiously congratulated his
friend from Iowa (Mr. Gear and his friend
from Nebraska (Alr. Tnurston) upon the
change which mad come over them since the
consideration of the Pacific railroad uues-
tion last sUr.ng.
Mr.. Gear responded that so far as ne was
concerted no change had been experienced.
and that he was just as much opposed to
SpNtfIlultHt ownership OF rallfoaQS as ever
Mr. Thurston congratulated the country
upon the result of aGministra tons efforts
regarding the Pacific railroads. He said
that If the plan proposed by Mr.. Harris
had been adopted. the United States would
not have received anything apuroximatinG
the magnificent sum which had been paid
for the main line of the Union Pacific rail-
road. He said that the result demonstrated
the correctness of the position which he
had held ever since the Pacific railroad
matter had peen subject of controversy
AT 40 the Senate adjourned until Mon
day