The record-union., 1897-03-01
Made Necessary in Order to Consider the
Appropriation Bills.
Larger Attendance Than During the
Past Week.
The Sugar Bounty Amendment to the
Civil Appropriation Bill Agreed to
-Gorman Makes an Earnest
Speech Against the Enormous
Sum Carried by the River and
Harbor Bill, Fifty-One r1illions.

tiarbor Bill, Fifty -One 1illions.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 2S.-The usual
Sunday quiet of the Capitol building
was disturbed to-day by a session of
the Senate, made necessary to pass
appropriation bills. Large crowds
filled the galleries and overflowed to
the corridors. The attendance of Sem
ators was even greater than that
through the week, the absentees other
than those out of town or sick num-
bering only thirteen, viz: Cameron,
Cavis, Hansbrough, Jones of Nevada,
Kenny, Pasco, Platt Pritchard, Pugh,
Smith, Turpie, Wetmore and Wilson.
The venerable figures of the Senate
Hoar, Sherman, Morgan and Palmer
were among those present.
By a parliamentary fiction, the ses-
sion is a part of the legislative session
beginning Saturday, a recess having
been taken at 2:30 this morning until
p. m. to-day. The sundry civil ap-
appropriation bill was under consid-
Grafton, number of important items
in payment of sugar bounties, for riv-
ers and harborS, etc, remaining to be
passed upon.
A vote on the sugar bounty amend
ment was taken as soon as the session
opened, and it was agreed to-31 to y.
The amendment appropriates 81 ,0S5 1876
for the balance of bounties earned
from August, 1894, to June, 1895.
The river and harbor items next
We're considered, most of the commit
te amendments being agreed to as re-
ported. Allison, in charge of the bill,
explained the provisions as a whole.
No estimates had been submitted in
the usual way for any of these items,
but they were based on reports of the
Chief of Engineers as to amendments
which could be profitably used These
amendments had been reduced % per
cent before being reported in the bill.
In the course of the discussion Sem
ator German made an earnest speech,
pointing out the enormous total of the
Eill, and urging that it be not loaded
down with new river and harbor items.
The bin carried the unprecedented to-
tai of S51, 100000, of which $1,000
600 was for river and harbor contracts.
1t was. the Senator said, more than the
condition of the treasury warranted.
In particular German resisted new
item of 100000 to prevent the Mis-
sissippi River from breaking through
into Cachen River, north of Cairo, III.
1t led to a prolonged contest, Cullom
supporting the amendment as one of
urgent necessity.
Blanchard Of Louisiana spoke on the
general subject Of Mississippi River i'm
provements
The amendment finally was modified
and agreed 10
Another prOtracted contest occurred
over the committees proposition to do
away with river and harbor appropria-
tions in the sundry civil bill, and di-
recting a separate bill on these items
The amendment finally went out on a
point of order. The other river and
Earb0r items We're agreed to.
Hill of New York took occasion to
chaff Senators on working on Sunday
in connection with the debate on cleo
tric light conduits in Washington. He
said he seriously doubted the propriety
OF meeting to-day to enact legislation.
He had received many petitions urging
law for rest day. in the District of
Columbia Moreover, the Senator (NIc-
Millan) who urged this conduit amend
ment had himself offered bin ito pro-
tect the first day Of each week, com
monty called Sunday, as a day of rest
and worship"
The amendment appropriating $685.
600 for the purchase of the old Corco-
ran Art Gallery Building for the Court
OF Claims was agreed to.
When the amendment was reached
providing for commission to visit the
fisheries, Pettigrew of South Dakota.
said he believed we should not send a
commission to Alaska to visit the
scenes of destruction of our seals by
Canadian poachers. He advocated the
destruction of all the seals. In this
connection he ridiculed the treaty rela-
tive to the Alaskan boundary. recently
sent to the Senate 'If the Administra-
tion lasted much longer" he asserted.
''it would be sending in a treaty between
Great Britain and the United States for
arbitration of the multiplication table"
Morgan of Alabama, a member of the
Paris Court Of Arbitration, discussed
the awkward predicament of the Unit
Ell States" on the seal question Re-
ferring to the Paris tribunal he said
that as usual, when the court was MADE
up OF the European arbitr9tors. the de-
cisiOn was against us. it always would
be so under these circumstances. There
was more real danger Of trouble over
this seal question since the arbitration
than there ever was from all the con-
fiict before arbitration was adopted
The present trouble, he said, was due
to the deliberate refusal of Great Bri-
tain TO carry out in good faith the spir-
it Of the P.,ris award. II do hope" said
Morgan. that the incoming administra-
tion will have the fortitude to insist
that Great Britain viii comply with
the Paris award"
The committee amendment continu-
ing the joint scientific inquiry in Beh.'-
ing Sea was agreed to.
The Senate, by unanimous vote, added
an amendment to the sundry civil bill
counteracting the Presidents recent
order Withdrawing y 100000 acres OF
land from the public domain and estab-
fishing * as forest reserves.
New amendments were agreed to as
follows: Authorizing the President to
appoint three Commissioners to revise
and codify the criminal laws of the
United States: appropriating $4,000 to