Evening journal., 1897-03-01
lay beqlnnlng on satnrdar.

day beginning on Saturday
The sundry civil appropriation bill wa
under consideration, number of impor
tant items in payments of sugar bounties
for rivers and harbors, etc, remaining Il
be passed upon. A vote on the sugar boun
b amendment was taken as soon as tn,
session opened, and it was agreed to by
vote of 80 to l2. The amendnent appro
PIRATES 81, loss, 1866 for the balance Of boun
ties earned from August, 1894, to Juno
1895.
The river and har5or items next wer
considered. most Of the committee amend
ments being agreed 10 as reported Mr.
Allison, in charge of the bill, explained
the reasonableness OF the provisions as
whole. No estimates had been submitteC
in the usual way for any of these items
but they were based on reports Of the chic
of engineers as to amounts which could b
proftably used These amounts had beer
reduced 25 per cent before being reported
in the bill. In the course of the discussion
Senator German made an earnest speech
pointing out the enormous total Of the bill
and urging that it be not loaded dowr
with new river and harbor items.
The bill carried the unprecedented tota
of S51, 900, 600, of which Sl7. 600, 900 was
for rivers and harbors contracts. 1t wa,
more, he said, than the condition Of tn,
treasury warranted. In particular Mr.
German resisted "a now item Of 1000, ,00(
to prevent the Mississippi river from break
ing through into Cache river north 6i
Cairo, Ills 1t led to prolonged contest
Mr.. Cullom supporting the amendment a;
one Of urgent necessity. Mr.. Blanchard o.
Louisiana spoke on the general subject o.
Mississippi river Improvements Tn,
amendment finally was modified anc
agreed to.
Forest Reserve Criticised.
An extended debate occurred on al
amendment offered by Mr.. Clarke of Wyo
ming designed to counteract the pres
ident's recent order withdrawing II 900,
600 acres of land from the public domain
and creating forest reservations. Mr.
Clarke criticised the presidents order a.
arbitrary, saying the people OF the state.
affected had not been consulted. It was
he said, the most serious blow aimed al
the western country since the present con
gress came into existence.
Mr. Carter OF Montana, who was com
missioner of tho land office at the time az
inquiry into forest reserves was begun, al
so criticised the presidents order as hasty
and i'm total disregard 70 vast interests
Towns, villages, mills and mines had beer
indiscriminately included within thes,
forest reserves.
Mr. Cannon Of Utah said the president.
order covered an area greater than that o.
the state Of Maine 1t affected states rep
resented here by IA senators, not one O.
whom had been consulted The ordel
would work most serious hardship to th,
people of the west.
Senators Pettigrew, Wilson, Dubois anC
Mantle also spoke in criticism, and tn,
amendment was then unanimously adopt
ed. 1t is as follows:
And all the lands in the states Of Wyo
ming, Utah, Colorado Montana, Wash
ington, Idaho and South Dakota set apar
and reserved by executive orders and proc
lamations of Feb 22 are hereby re
stored TO the public domain subject co set
tlement, occupancy and entry under thl
land laws of the United States, the sami
as if said executive orders and proclama
tions had not been made. -
The following are the principal amend
ments agreed to;
" Authorizing the president to appoin
three commissioners to revise and codif,
the criminal laws of the United States
appropriating $4,000 to overcome rive
obstruction caused by the water hyacinth
appropriating $3.50, 900 for a dredge 70
Sabine pass, Texas; directing the secrc
tary of the treasury to purchase a site at
cost Of s75,000 for public building a
Salt Lake City; appropriating s175, 90
for a revenue cutter to be stationed a
New York city; for a commission to con
slider the government purchase of a sit
for memorial building for the Daughter
of the Revolution; increasing the limit o
cost OF the public building at Norfolk from
Sl5O,000 TO S275, 600; appropriating 500,
600 for public building in Hartford, an'
$4,000 20 pay the heirs of the person
killed by torpedo explosion in Newpor
harbor.