The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-03-01
SENATE NULLIFIES THE PROCLA-
NATIONS CREATING FORES-
TRY RESERVES
BY A UNANIMOUS VOTE.
THE SUNDRY CIVIL BILL PASSED
WITH NUMEROUS AMEND
MENTS.
IMPORTANT SUNDAY SESS
Upper House of Congress Has Not
Time to Remember the
Sabbath.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 2S.-The usual
Sunday quiet of the capitol building
was disturbed today by session of the
senate, made necessary to pass ap-
preparation bills. Large crowds filled
the galleries and over1owed to the
corridors. The attendance of senators
was even greater than that through
the week, the absentees, other than
those out of town or sick, numberine,
only y, viz, Cameron, Davis, Hans
brough, Jones CNev.), Kenney, Pasco,
Platt, Pritchard, Pugh, Smith, Turpfe.
Wetmore and Wilson. The venerable
figures of the senate-MOrrill Hoar.
sherman, Morgan, Palmer-were among
those present. BY a parliamentary f1c-
ton, the session was a part of the leg
1slatfVe day beginning Saturday, a re-
cess having been taken at 2:30 o'clock
this morning until 3 p. m. today The
sundry civil appropriation bill was un-
der consideration, number Of impor-
tant items in payment of sugar boun-
ties, for rivers and harbOrs, ETC., re,
naming to be passed upon. A vote on
taken as soon as the session opened.
and 1t was agreed o,37-12. The amend
ment apprOpriates 81, 0S5, 156 for the bal
ance of bounties earned from August,
1894, to June, 1895.
The river and harbor items next
were considered, most of the committee
amendments being agreed to as re-
ported. Mr.. Allison, in charge Of the
bill, explained the reasOnabIeness Of
the provisions as a whole. No estl-
mates 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 amounts which could
be proftably used. These amounts had
been reduced Is per cent before being
reported in the bill. In the course or
the discussion Senator German CMd)
made an earnest speech, pointing out
the enormous total Of the bill and urg-
ing that it be not loaded down with
new river and harbor items.
The bill carried the unprecedented
total Of $51, 900, OOO of which $17 900 900
was for river and harbOr contracts.
1t was more, he said than the condi-
ton of the treasury warranted. In
particular, Mr., German resisted new
item Of 100000 to prevent the Missis-
sippi river from breaking through into
Cache river north of Cairo, Ill 1t led
to a prolonged contest. The amendment
was finally modified and agreed to.
A PROTRACTED CONTEST
occurred over the committees PROPOSE
hQrDnr
appropriations in the sundry civil bill
and directing a separate bill on these
items. Mr.. Vest (MO) said this would
result in a river and harbor bill every
year instead of every two years as at
present. The amendment finally went
out on a point of order. The other river
and harbOr items We're agreed to.
Mr.. Hill IN. W took occasion to chaff
the senators on working on Sunday,
in connection with a debate on electric
light cOnduits in Washington. He said
he seriously doubted the prOpriety of
meeting today to enact legislation. He
had received many petitions urging
law for a rest day" in the District Of
Columbia. Moreover, the senator (Mc-
Millan) who urged this conduit amend
ment had himself offered bill "5o pro-
tect the first day of the week. common
ly called Sunday as a day Of rest and
worship"
The amendment appropriating 1925 900
for the purchase of the old COrcoran
Art Gallery building for the court Of
claims was agreed to.
When the amendment was reached
providing for commission to visit the
seal fisheries, Mr.. PettigreW said he
believed we should not send a COM
mission to Alaska to visit the scenes
of destruction Of our seals by Canadian
pOachers. He advocated the destruction
] -
relative to the Alaskan boundary re-
Gently sent to the senate. eff this
administration lasted much longer"
he asserted, cit would be sending in
treaty between Great Britain and the
United States for the arbitration of
the multiplication table"
Mr.. Morgan (Ala.) a member Of the
Paris court Of arbitration, discussed
the awkward predicament Of the
United States on the seal question.
Referring to the Paris tribunal, he said
that as usual when the court was made
UP of European arbitratOrs, the de-
cisiOn was against us; it always would
be so under like circumstances. There
was more real danger Of trouble over
this seal question since the arbitration
than there ever was from all the con-
flict before arbitration was adopted
The present trouble he said, was due
to the deliberate refusal of Great Brit
ain to carry out in good faith the spirit
of the Paris award. II do hope" said
Mr. Morgan, that the incoming adj
ministration will have the fOrtitude to
insist that Great Britain will comply
with the Paris award"
The committee amendment continu-
ing the joint scientific inquiry in Ber-
ing sea was agreed to.
New amendments were agreed to,
among them the following: AuthoriZ-
ing the president to appoint three COM
missiOners to revise and codify the
criminal laws Of the United States;
for a commission to consider the gov
eminent purchase Of a site for a me-
mortal building for the Daughters of
the Revolution.
An extended debate occurred on an
amendment offered by Mr.. Clark CWyo)
designed to counteract the presidents
recent order withdrawing q 900 900
acres Of land from the public domain,
and creating forest reservations. Mr..
Clark criticised the presidents order
as arbitrary. saying the people of the
states affected had not been consulted.
1t was, he said, the most serious blow
aimed at the Western country since the
present congress came into existence.
Mr.. Carter (Mont) who was commits
sicner Of the land Office at the time an
inquiry into forest reserves was be-
gun, also criticised the presidents or
der as hasty and in total disregard to
vast interests. Towns villages, mills
and mines had been indiscriminately