The age-herald., 1897-12-17
For the Gold Miners

past anu present.
 For the Gold Miners
 MT Cannon, (rep) of Illinois, brought for ward the bill for the relief of the miners in the Klondike, and MT. Savers, (dem) of Texas, and MT. Bailey, (dem) of Texas, spoke in favor of it.
 MT. Cannon submitted to the house a statement prepared by pr. Shelbon Jack son, one of the agents of the commissioner of education, who was in the Klondike re- zion as late as September 15, that there would be no suffering as far up the river as Fort Yukon, but that the food supply on the Yukon would not last beyond March, and he endorsed the recommendation of the secretary of war that food be sent in by reindeer via Dyea.
 Whetlier American or British
 Mr. Cannon said; "Whether these miners were in American or British territory, jects, if they be starving, it did not become the American congress to hesitate about voting them relief" (Applause.)
 MT Bailey said he had never been able to be charitable out of the public funds He believed tRat charity ought not to come from the treasury, and he never voted for relief funds for those stricken by fire or flood. But he realized that distress ap- pealed to the hearts of all, and he would not protest against a bill designed to re- lieve that distress. But he did protest against the government setting up store houses and becoming a vendor of provi- sions. The bill was passed without divi- sion.
 Tho Pelagic Sealing Bill
 MT. Hitt, of Illinois. called up the bill prohibiting pelagic sealing by citizens of the United States, which was passed by the senate yesterday.
 MT. Johnson, of North Dakota. made a vigorous speech in opposition to this bill He believed this bill and conditions grow ing out of it was bolstering up two great British monopolies, one In London and the other in Boring sea. The provisions were to build up a new herd. He declared that Canada would be only willing to join with us in prohibiting pelagic sealing on condi- tion that we should permit her to write our tariff laws.
 NIT. Johnson Turns Loose
 MT. Johnson said we had been humiliated and shamed by the complete surrender of our rights provided for by the Paris tri- bunal. He was particularly sarcastic in referring to Hon. J. w. Foster, whom he termed the "great surrenderer." So great was his reputation in this line that China had paid him $1OO,000 for surrendering to Japan. He created much merriment by enumerating some of the expenses of the Paris tribunal and said he did not believe that the experts who had made so much out of the government should be permitted to continue the negotiations which per- mitted them to draw such big salaries and roll at ease at the expense of the govern ment.
 Mir. Hit, chairman of the foreign affairs committee, answered some of the criticisms which had been advanced. The admitted evil Of the present system, he said, was pelagic sealing, which evil resulted in the killing of 5000 seals annually. And yet, the gentleman from North Dakota (John- son) proposed to meet this evil of q par tial slaughter by an absolute slaughter of the entire seal herd. Was this a humane proposition from a government which was urging humanity on other nations?
 After further debate the bill was passed; yeas 14S, nays 78.
 At o'clock the house adjourned