Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1897-01-18
CONGRESS.
Senate.

of Mr.. Hoar. the House bill for a uniform
bankruptcy law was made a special order
for the 10Th inst. Mr.. Mills called up the
resolution introduced by him declaring that
the determination Of the eXpediency of
recognizing the independence of a foreign
government belongs to Congress, and when
Congress shall so determine the executive
should act i'll harmony with the legislative
department of the government in also rec
O%niZing the independence of the republic
of Cuba and apprOpriating $4,000 for the
salary of a minister thereto Mr. Mills
then proceeded to address the Senate upon
Few senators We're present when the Sen
ate met on the 18th. Almost Immediately
after the reading of the journal, on motion
of MI Sherman, chairman of the committee
on foreign relations. an executive session
lasting twenty minutes was held. The Sen
ate concurred in the House amendments to
the bill to conform to and ratify the con-
struction of bridge across the Red river
above Fulton, Ark, by the TeXarkana and
Fort Smith Railway company and the bill
passed.
Immediately after going into executive
session on the 18th the Senate took up the
motion of Senator Sherman, made at the
request of Secretary Olney. to reconsider
the vote by which the eXtraditiOn treaty
between this country and Argentine ana
the Orange Free State were amended. The
motion was debated at considerable length.
The principal point n contention in the
eXtradition treaties is the authority grant
ing foreign government to take by force
from this country persons who escape to
this country and are charged with certain
offenses 1t was this point which was first
stricken out and which Secretary Olney
asks be retained. Senator Davis. a MEM
Der of the committee on foreign affairs,
made strong argument against the prln-
ciple which Secretary Olney desired to have
retained in the treaties. The discussion
took a wide range and covered the general
features and precedents of eXtradition See
rotary Olney was defeated at every point
xxr1aO hot hIN1vv rnf1IC 70 don ire
action on the Argentine and Orange Free
State eXtraditiOn treaties, and would not
consider the suggestions which he made.
The treaties amended by the Senate will
stand. The Senate has agreed to a final
vote on the free homestead bill at 4 p m.
The Mills resolution for the recognition of
the Cuban independence was called up and
Mr.. Bacon of Georgia spoke in its favor.
The Senate on the 14th passed the meas
ure known as the free homestead bill, which
has been under discussion since the holiday
recess 1t is a measure of far-reaching i'm
portance, particularly to the West, and the
interest i'll it was shown by the fact that
a plank concerning it was Il feature Of the
several national platforms The effect of
the bill is to open to settlement all public
lands acquired from Indians, free OF any
payment to the government beyond the
minor office fees and to release from pay
ment those who have heretofore settled on
these lands The number of acres involved,
according to an estimate made by the COM
missioner of the general land office, is 3D.
1928 which would have yielded the gov
SRs o OFFSET ths
it was brought out during the debate that
the lands were mainly arid, and that those
who had settled upon them We're unable to
make payment on account of the scanty
products of the soil. The Western senator's
in the main favored the bill, as an extension
of the general homestead policy of the gov
eminent
The House on the Sth resumed the debate
on the Pacific railroad funding bill imme-
dately after the reading of the journal.
Mr.. Payne (Rep., n. W occupied the chair.
Mr.. Patterson Dem., TENN member of
the committee opened the debate today with
a half hour S speech in favor OF the meas
ure, 81 confess said he, that my face is
set like flint against the governmental con-
troll of these roads (Applause;) In con,
the best bargain the government could
make. Mr.. Harrison Dem. Ala), another
member of the committee. followed in oppo-
sitiOn to the bill. He believed that the time
for action had come but he could not sub
scribe to the remedy proposed in the pend
ing measure because it was too liberal to
the companies. Mr.. Boatner of Louisiana
antagOniZed the bill. He insisted that the
government by execution of the Thurman
act had lien on all the property of the
roads and that it obtained no additional Sc
curity by the pending BILL Mr.. Johnson OF
California, in the course of his speech i'll
favor of the Pacific railroad bill this after
Sutro of San Francisco and Editor Hearst
of the San Francisco Examiner. He de-
nounccd both in the most bitter terms. Mr..
Hearst came in for the most emphatic cas-
tigation and Mr. johnson made serious al
legations against him. He said that every
member from California except Mr. Bow
ers would favor the bill if he dared to ex-
press his honest sentiments. Mr. Cooper
rep, Wis.) who followed Mr.. Johnson
Hearst as the most disgraceful attack in the
legislative annals of the United States.
''NIr. Johnson did it, said he, Sin a man
ner known only to .cowards-when his vic
tim was absent and unable to reply. lie
then described Mr.. Hearst as man OF posi-
tive genius who had built up two great
newspapers, and scored Mr.. johnson for
standing against his state for this bill.
The Pacific railroad funding bill went to
it's doom in the House on the 18th, under
an adverse majority of 66. The friends OF
the measure, who had predicted it's passage
up to the last moment, were surprised by
the decisive character OF their defeat. They
had been led to hope from the votes on the
than an even chance OF passage The Bell
substitute provided that if the Union Pa
cific and Central Pacific would clear off the
first mortgage and advance the govern
ments lien. the government would extend
the Indebtedness at 3 per cent. 1t was de-
feated 10 to 15S The Harrison substitute
provided for a commission to negotiate
settlement of the debt. it was rejected by
the House by vote of % to pa Many of
the members were as much opposed TO these
substitutes to the Powers bill, The Cali
fornia and Middle West members voted al
most solidIy against them When the vote
came on the main proposition, the whole
opposition swung into line, and crushed 1T
by the adverse vote of 102 to 16S. The vote
was not taken directly on the passage of the
biz but on the preliminary motion to en-
gross and read the bill a third time Bills
the subject of hard contests, ale usually
brought to a final test before the last par
liamentary stage is reached. The Reilly Pa
ritic Funding bill two years ago was de-
feated in the same manner on the same mo-
ton This is the fourth funding bill killed
in tMe House III ten years. An analysis Of
the votes today shows that eighty-siX Re
publicans and sixteen Democrats voted for
the BILL and ninety-nine Republicans, fifty
eight Democrats and six PopuliSts and five
Independents against it.
Little interest was manifested in the
House on the 18th in the speakers decision of
the point Of order made yesterday by Mr..
Dockery Dem, Mo- against Mr.. Powers
motion to recommit the Pacific railroads
funding bill made yesterday after the defeat
of the measure. Immediately after the
reading of the journal the speaker sustained
the point of order and the bill will not be
recommitted. A bill to better define and
+11o Of oJin 10 n