The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-01-15
FREE HOMESTEAD BILL
Passes the National Senate by a
Vote of So to IL.
MILLIONS OF ACRES INVOLVED.

The Measure viii Open Up for Settlement
All Public Lands Acquired from Indians,
n Total of 33,aSa, ,541 Acres-Oleomarga-
rine Ell Passes the House.
| WASHINGTON, Jan. 15.-The senate yes-
| terday passed the measure known as the
| free homestead bill, which has been under
| discussion since the holiday recess 1t Is
measure Of far reaching importance,
! particularly to the west, and the interest
In 1t WAS shown by the fact that plank
concerning 1t was afeature of the several
national platforms. The effect of the bill
Is To open to settlement all public lands
acquired from Indians free of any pay
ment to the government beyond the minor
office feos, and to release from payment
those who have heretofore settled on these
lands. The number of acres involved, ac-
cording to an estimation made by the
commissioner of the general land office, is
83,s52,5al, which would have yielded the
government, at the prices heretofore es-
tablished, $35, 5,843,008.
To offset this statement it was brought
out during the debate that the lands were
mainly arid, and thnt those who had set
ment by reason of the scanty products Of
the soil. The western senators, in the
main, favored the bill as an extension Of
the general homestead policy of the gov.
ernment The opposition WAS directed
mainly by Mr.. Platt of Connecticut and
Mr.. Villas of Wisconsin. AS the bill passed
the house it covered only the lands ac-
quired from Indians in Oklahoma, but as
ung aI,Tpy tba i,,n1 ali t..
dian lands. The final vo ote taken by agree
ment at 4 p. IN. showed decisive major
ity in favor of the measure, it being passed
by 80 to II.
Following the disposition of this bill,
which had held the advantageous position
of the unfinished business of the senate
Mr.. Morgan sought to have the Nicarau-
guam canal bill made the unfinished bust.
ness. This precipitated a vote, which to
some extent was a test of strength of the
bill itself On Mr.. Morgan's motion to
take the bill up, the vote was 50 to or
less than quorum, so the matter did not
prevail, although it disclosed the strength
of the measure.
During the day Mr.. Morgan secured the
adoption of a resolution for an inquiry by |
the judiciary committee as to whether the
properties of the Union and Central Pa
cliic Railroad companies now belonged
to the United States by reason of alleged
defaults in the payment of bonds.
. Other resolutions adopted were by Mr..
Chandler, instructing the interstate COM
merce'commission to inquire into the re-
ported combination of lake vessels inter-
estS to maintain rates and by Mr.. Cullom,
calling on the civil service commission to
explain the delay in making annual re-
ports The senate adjourned over to Mon
day.
The house spent almost the entire day
debating the Grout bill, which was under
consideration for Il time on Wednesday, to
subject oleomargarine and other iinita-
tion dairy products to the laws of the
states into which they are transported.
The advocates of the measure took the
view that the states should be allowed to
regulate the sale of u product sailing I'M
der false colors and the opponents that the
bill would establish dangerous precedent
and invade the power Of congress to regu-
late interstate commerce The bill was
finally passed by vote Of 1876 to SO.
The bill provides that all articles known
as oleomargarine, butterine, imitation
butter or imitation cheese, or any SUBJ
stance in the semblance of butter or cheese
not the usual product of the dairy, and
not made exclusively of pure and unadul-
terated milk or cream, shall, upon arrival
in any state or territory be subject to the
operation and effect of the laws of such
state or territory, and shall not be exempt
by reason Of being introduced therein in
Original packages or otherwise provided
that nothing in this act shall be construed
to permit any state to forbid the sale of
except in such a manner as
will advise the customer of its real char
meter