Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-12-17
Mr. W0LC0TT REPORTS
,rrs OF pIMETAI.LIc NEcoTIA-
r,ovs STATED IN THE SENATE.
VglIgF FOR KLOSDlKE SUFFERERS.
,.o.ures Providing IL Pass Both
,,.,.cs of ConRrcss-Reindee 10
uc Used-Pritchord Against the
,,,tl-ScrVicc Law.

DISTINCTION, d. c.. December TO-
,,- Wolco,t OF Colorado. chairman OF
~. commission appointed by President
Mckinley 10 secure, IL possible, the co.
..-s,on OF foreign countries In an in
.'.rstional conference upon the silver
.far. said in the Senate to-day thur
". commission had not yet made a re-
~. 10 the President. and it was uncer-
... vbsn "a report would be made. Ne
-...-t.ons for a bimetanic conference. he
IA are still pending, but Mr.. Wolcott
..rrsi the Senate that the commission
nd no intention OF prolonglng it's RE-
,,,i beyond the point where reasonable
-, Of success should exist.
NJ WoIcott promised TO explain fully
49,. work Of the commission. in a speech
- t. delivered after the holiday recess.
~ Hanna. Of Ohio, after an Illness OF
, week appeared in the Senate to-day,
.,7 was cordially greeted by his col
LEAGUES.
All. Allison. Of the Appropriations Com
,-..,ss. reported favorably the House
.,.-. resolution providing for a recess OF
,,,rrrr,s from December IS, 1897. TO Janu-
an, s. l,gS. The resolution was adopted.
RELIEF FOR KLONDIKERS.
v- Hawley, OF the Military Affairs
committee. reported the resolution of
~ Mcbride, of oregon, for the relief Of
,--.rf.1n miners and other sufferers in
81 Yukon Valley, Alaska. The commit
-. .,ijek out all but the enacting clause.
.-. amended the resolution by appro-
LING 5000. which is to be used by
-. secretary OF War for the purchase
80 s5bsistence supplies. and for their
.-.r-r6rtation and distribution, the con-
,.-, nj the Canadian Government first
r. obtained 10 pass over Canadian
territory.
Tho resolution also provides that tho
,..,,lfes are to be distributed among
,..,,. miners as the Secretary Of War
,--,. determine. and that they are TO be
,-sv.ported by means Of reindeer, the
s-.- b, be sold after they have performed
tfs.r service.
Mr. Hawley asked for immediate con-
siF.-4fion OF the resolution, and it was
adopted. 80,
Mr. Gauinger called up the census bill,
.,- tba purpose of replying briefly to
..-.susnt by Hon. Carroll d. Wright,
,r---nor8ted in Mr.. Lodges speech OF
yesterday. in which Mr.. Wright was re-
,.r,.6 10 have said that S20O0,O00 would
have been saved II the last census had
rsa7 taken by force under the classihed
service. lie expressed surprise that so
-.,k,ess a statement should have been
made ny a man usually so careful as Mr.
Wright
CIYIL-SERYICE LAW.
vr. Pritchard. of North Carolina. chair
man of the Committee on Civil Service,
which is engaged in a general inyestiga-
lion Of the civil-seryice system, followed
I'm a speech dealing with the general fea-
lures of the civil-service law, contending
that under the Democratic administration
there had not been an honest enforce
rent OF the law. He did not, he SAID
,mpute corrupt motives 10 those admins
,.ring the law, but he did assert that
they had permitted their partisan zeal
q, induce them to place a construction
I'm the civil-service law, in many in
stances. that IS at variance with the
ep.rit. as well as the plain letter of the
law" There can be-" he continued, no
such thing as an honest enforcement Of
the law, if we are to permit the CLASH
r-.ti0n made by Mr.. Cleveland TO remain
jn force. and II is tho imperative duty of
The Republican party TO modify the law
So as TO give expression 10 the honest
intentions of the trainers of the statute
ut was" he said, a singular coincidence
that IL never occurred TO him 10 make
his sweeping extensions Of the ciyil-ser-
vice law until he had reached that point
where II was obvious TO him that his
party was TO be repudiated by the Ameri-
can people at the next general election
nor until nearly all Republicans had been
removed from office, and their places
filled with simon-pure Democrats"
At o'clock the bill went over TO a
future day, and, on motion of Mr.. Quay,
the Senate went into executive session.
At o'clock the executive session was
concluded and the Senate adjourned.
House Proceedings.
The House to-day passed a bill appro-
puatug SIZE, 900 for the relief OF the peo-
Yls who are in the Yukon river country
and also the bill passed by the Senate
yesterday to prohibit pelagic sealing by
American citizens. The former bill en-
Ouutered practically no opposition. AS
passed the sum carried by 1t is to be eX-
pended under the direction of the Sec
Ie.aD of War, for the purchase, trans
p.Ua.!On. and distribution of subsistence
stores II provides that these stores may
D. sold at prices fixed by the Secretary
o. War. or donated, where the people are
unable 10 pay for them. 1t empowers
him 10 purchase reindeer and employ
drivers. not citizens Of the United states,
and afterWard dispose Of the reindeer
Secretary Alger was on the floor during
/ tho debate.
! The bin 10 prohibit pelagic' sealing was
lwarmly antaeonized by Mr. Johnson, OF
II North Dakota; Mr.. Hepburn, and others
b Ia The course OF the debate there was
n some exceedingly caustic criticism OF the
Hc1gr.e OF our Bering Sea negotiations
49, and present.
4 mr. Johnson made the statement that
lwh..e the heal herd had brought SV'V'v
liHto the Treasury since 1870. 100000 had
been spent policing Boring Sea- ana q
l1W 600 negotiations and other expenses
CURRENCY BILL.
The currency bill framed by secretary
o'fhe-Treasury Gage was introduced Dy
Chairman Walker. of the Banking anu
Currency Committee, Immediately altei
me hearing. The BILL as presented TO the
House is Identical with the bill as SUD
m.'ted 20 the committee, save for a Few
changes Of no especial significance, winch
were suggested by Mr. Walker.
An hour was spent on the legislative
executive, and judiciary appropriation
b.' without accomplishing anything
The bankruptcy bin was reported py
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