The Portland daily press., 1897-01-11

The House, in committee Of the whole,
Payne, Republican of New York. in the
chair. resumed consideration Of the Pa-
oifo Railroad funding bill, the day to be
spent under the operation OF the five
minute rule.
Mr.. johnson, Repu blican Of North Da-
kota said: "Let no man deceive himself
with the delusion that these roads were
built by the private fortunes Of any per-
sons'.'
These roads had been built. he said,
out of the proceeds of subsidy and mort
gage bonds and sales of the land grant,
netting a profit of over 500, 900, 600.
To say nothing of what had been done
for these corpol alton, Mr.. johnson asked
what excuse members could make to
their constituents by now adding to that
magnificent gift S128, ,000,0 900 more,
which was what the bill practically pro-
posed to dop
Mr.. Daniels, Republican of New York.
urged the passage of the bill as reason
able and fair business proposition.
MIR. Arnold, Republican of Pennsyl-
yania, warned the committee that the de-
feat of the bill meant the Issue by the
next administration of sixty million
dollars of bonds to pay first liens upon
the property or the abandonment OF the
claim of the government.
Mr. Hilborn, Republican Of California,
opposed
THE WICKED BILL
and called attention to the fact that the
Central Pacific company would not be
required by the bill to give the govern
ment a mortgage upon the present over
land line of the road from Sacramento to
Oakland, but the government would get
a mortgage upon tbs ole Western Pacific
line abandoned long ago except for pure
ly local purposes. The ferry privileges
and property, of which the majority re-
port made SO much, had, since the rail-
road officials appeared before the commit
tee, been transferred to another corpora
tion and of course the railroad company
could not now mortgage them. In sup
port of this he read telegra m from the
city assessor of San francisco.
Mr.. Powers, Republican of Vermont,
chairman of the Pacific railroads COM
mittee, denied the truthfulness of the
statement just made, and said it was a
sample of the manner in which the op.
position to the bill had been carried on.
Mr.. Hilborn f1aunted the assessors
telegram. but Mr.. Powers, waving it
aside, said - 81 don't care for your tele-
gram. 1t comes from an interested party,
as interested as the gentleman himself.
The man who sent the telegram, un
dertake to say, does not try to tell the
truth"
Mr.. Henderson, Republican of Iowa,
advocated the passage of the bill because
if nothing were done foreclosure must
follow, with total loss of the govern
ment's claim.
Mr., McLachlan, Republican of Call
fornia. opposed the bill, referring in the
course of his remarks to the assertion
that the managers of the Central Pacific
had burdened the people of California
with unjust rate for transportation.
To this, Mr.. Watson, Repu blican of
Ohio, replied, comparing charges on the
Pacific roads with local rates in the East
and deemed them reasonable and proper.
Mr.. Bartlett, Democrat of New York,
opposed the bill, declaring it the worst,
and
MOST INFAMOUS MEASURE
ever proposed In this connection.
Mr.. Knox, Republican Of Massachu-
setts, said the frauds perpetrated on the
people of New England and the East in
the matter of constructing the Pacific
railroads was not the first nor the last
In the list of wrong-doing of that kind
in connection withEwestern railroads. )" If
half the officers and directors, said MIR.
Knox, "who offended in that way had
RECEIVED THEIR DESERTS,
our peniteutiaries would have TO be en-
larged." But the time had passed when
these men could be punished and the
only question before the House now was
whether or not some action should be
taken which would preserve some por-
tion Of the vast fortunes invested in the
stocks and bonds Of the companies. he
hoped the bill would pass.
The closing speech was in favor of the
bill and was by Mr.. Grosyenor, Republican
of Ohio. The committee rose ut O'Clock
and the bill and pending amendments S
were reported and the house adjourned
until Monday.
A Trolley Car Hurled Through House.
Wilkesbarre, Pa, January 9.-An empty
passenger car attached to freight train
on the Wilkesbarre & Northern railroad
broke Its coupling this afternoon near
Dallas and dashed down heavy grade
for several miles. When nearing Luzerne
Borough, at crossing, and while going
at a frightful rate of speed, it collided
with trolley car. The force of tho col
lision hurled the trolley car through the