El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-02-08
The Senate Working on the
Arbitration Treaty.
IN EXECUTIVE SESSION.
The House Takes Up the Pacific Rail-
Road Bill and Hears Some Inter-
esting Testimony from Expert
Witnesses.

WASHINGTON, February S.-Mr.
Daniels from the judiciary committee
of tue senate reported back the house
bill to constitute new division
of the eastern district of Texas with
court to be held at Beaumont, with the
recommendation that it be passed, OBJ
iections of the president to the contra
ry Notwithstanding. The bill passed
by the requisite two thirds majority,
yeas 81, nays 1, Mr.. Caffrey, democrat,
of Louisiana, voting nay. The senate
then went into executive session.
Shortly after l O'Clock, the senate
doors were closed for the consideration
of the arbitration treaty with Great
Britian. Hill, of New York, at once
made motion that they debate the
proceedings in the presence of the pub
lie. The motion was antagonized on
the grounds that it would be against
the public policy for such proceedings
to be permitted. Senators Gray, Lodge
and sherman, opposed the motion OF
Senator Hill.
Tue senate committee on interstate
this morning and after an informal
discussion agreed it would be impos-
sible to pass the bill this session, and
any report would be useless. The
house has refused to give the bill day
for consideration. 1t is understood the
animated.
Senator Chandler declared that the
railroads of the country had openly.
and on every occasion possible violated
the provisions of the interstate COM
merce law by the formation OF trusts,
and for one, he did not propose to give
them the opportunity to suppress the
ticket brokers and prevent the
public from securing the advantages
of cut rates whenever they could get
them. Messrs. German and Chiffon
called attention to alleged conduct OF
railroads in the recent election and
asserted that they had been guilty of
coercion aud other practices intended
to iutimidate their employees. Both
these senators intimated that the
time was most inoppOrtune for the
railroads to come to congress and ask
favors. The opposition was so manifest
and vigorous that the committee was
compelled to take the action it lid.
A premonition of the approaching
count of the electoral vote next We'd
nesday was given in the house today
when the speaker laid before the house
copies of the returns of the recent cleo
tion by states. By unanimous consent,
they were permitted to lie on the speak
er's table.
The house committee on Pacific rail
roads today heard Stuyvesant Fish,
president of the Illinois Central, and
F. 5. Bond, vice-precident Of the Chi
cago, Milwaukee and St. Paul, on mat
ters regarding the Pacific railroads.
Mr.. Fish suggests that the government
foreclose on Union and Central Pacific
at the same time and make them
public highways over which all con-
Meeting roads would have equal rights.
He favored the government ownership
on the ground that it would give
al connecting roads equal rights, as
intended by the original act. If the
government, however, looked only to
making the most money out of its
Pacific road interests, it should &C
cept the first good order.
Mr.. Bond was of the opinion that the
organization of railroads could be per-
fected to purchase the Union Pacific.
The committee went into executive
session and agreed to report favorably
the Harrison bill creating a commits
sion for the settlement of the inde bted-
ness of the Pacific roads.