The Portland daily press., 1897-07-13

| who was the bearer of the beautiful ban
1 ner presented by the Endeavor organlza-
tions of the Orient to the United States.
After more singing the meeting ad-
jOurned.
UNION PACIFIC AFFAIRS
Occupied Exclusive Attention of the Sem
ate Yesterday.
Washington, July IA discussion
of Union Pacific railroad affairs occupied
the attention of the Senate today. The
defciency.apI ropriation bill was taken up
early in the day and Mr.. Morgan proposed
an amendment designated to prevent the
tconsummation of an agreement made
some time ago for the settlement of the
government claims against the road. Mr..
Morgan spoke throughout the day.
severely arraigning the Pacific railroad
managers. Later in the day, the entire
subject was disposed of by the withdrawal
Of the paragraph to which MT. MI. Morgan
had offered his amendment. The deficiency
appropriation bill was not completed up
/ to the time of adjournment.
"A resolution by Mr.. Butler of North
| Carolina was agreed to directing the Sec
retary of state to secure from diplomatic
representatives abroad full information as
to the operation of postal telegraphs
telephones and postal savings banks.
Consideration of the deficiencies appro-
priation bill was then resumed. The ex-
pediency of attaching private claims to
the bill was discussed at length Mr..
Foraker of Ohio had offered an amend
ment covering three insurance claims ad-
Indicated under the Bowm an act.
Mr.. Hale of Maine made a point OF
order against the amendment The
Foraker amendment was ruled out as
Towering private claims.
! Mr.. Gear of Iowa, offered an amend
4 ment for the payment of Judgment OF
fthe court of claims for 81 310. 427 in favor
of the Southern Pacific railroad company,
Z Mr.. Allen of Nebraska proposed a
E modification of the amendment providing
! taat the money be returned in the treas
lry. until the final adjustment of the
! claims of the United States against the
| Southern Pacific and Central Pacific rail
roads.
Mr.. White of California, Mr.. Hale,
and Mr.. Chandler of New Hampshire
! urged that the session might be indefinite.
ly prolonged if the amendment was
pressed. Thereupon Mr.. Gear withdrew
| the amendment.
Mr.. Morgan of Alabama, offered an
other Pacific railroad amendment. pro-
viding that no part of the sinking fund
of the Union Pacific Railroad company
held in the treasury of the United States
shall be used in pursuance of an agree
ment between the President of the United
States or any officer of the United States
and Louis Fitzgerald, chairman of the re-
organization committee of the Union
Pacific railroad or any other company or
corporation.
| Mr.. Morgan severely criticised the
agreement made with the reorganization
committee. Mr.. Thurston Of Nebraska,
demurred to Mr.. Morgan's. reference to
| him as counsel for the receivers of the
Pacific railroad, saying he had not acted
| in that capacity since December, 1895,
| and while political service might not
| involve any question of propriety yet it
was desirable to have the facts appear cor
| rectly. The receivers and their counse
were officers Of the court appointing them,
Mr.. Thurston said.
At one stage of his remarks Mr. Morgan
referred to the House not being in session
tomorrow and was reminded by Mr.. Gear
that the House would be in session to-
morrow.
II am delighted to hear that Congress
will not be running on one wheel, +" pro.
ceeded Mr.. Morgan, land invite the at
tention of the House to the fact that by
adopting this amendment it can save S31,-
900 to the government which other
wise the government will be robbed of.
These are strong words, but l use them
Knowing what they mean. Let Congress
adjourn without taking hold OF this trans
action and the United States government
will lose $50, COO, 600 and the people will
lose God knows how much in the
FUTURE
Mr.. Morgan made an extended legal
argument to show that the Union Pacific
railroad property could not be sold with
out the consent of Congress.
Mr.. Thurston !, took exception to Mr..
Morgan's claim that the government S
lien was not confined to the aided portion
of the road, but embraced all it's property
whether aided or not. Mr.. Thurston in
tended that the United States supreme
court had held the lien of the government
to extend only to the mileage aided by
the issue of subsidy bonds.
Mr.. Morgan spoke for over three hours,
appealing to his associates to support the
amendment and prevent the consumma-
| tion of what he regarded as a serious
menace to the government. Mr.. Hale in
charge Of the bill, made the point of order
that the Morgan amendment was new
legislation and not appropriate on an ap-
preparation bill. He agreed, however, to
withdraw the point OF order If vote
could be taken without delay.
Mr.. White demanded a yea and nay
vote which promised to bring business to
halt as Mr.. Hale declared there was not
a quorum of the Senate in the chamber or
in the city
Mr.. Thurston briefly controverted the
points of Mr.. Morgan's argument saying
the pending proposition was designed to
prevent the taking of the Union Pacific
question out of the politics Of the West,
and also to endanger settlement on a
most advantageous basis. He renewed
the point of order withdrawn by Mr.
Hale. The presiding officer, Mr.. Clark
of Wyoming. temporarily in the chair,
announced that he would submit the
point of order to the Senate.
The vote was about to be taken, when
MI Hale withdrew that paragraph of the
plll to which Mr.. Morgan's provision was
an amendment, thus disposing of the en-.
tire subject
The bill lwas then laid aside and at 4.55
p m. the Senate held an executive session
ana then adjourned