The San Francisco call., 1897-12-10
MCBRIDE SEEKS RELIEF FOR
KLONDIKERS.
Secretary OF War Asked to Furnish
All the Information He Pos
sesses on ths SubIect.
Special Dispatch to THE CALL
CALL OFFICE. RIGGs HOUSE.
WASurNcTON neca uer O (

Senator Galllnger. chairman OF the Com
mIttee on Pensions, called atten tion to the
increased demand for private pension
legislation and requested Senators TO be
careful in the future to see that their bills
for private pens sions were meritorious be-
fore they were introduced.
An nour was devoted to the considera-
tion of private pension bills ana forty-five
were passed. The resolution OF the Pacific
Railroad Committee, asking Information
regarding the sale of the Kansas Pacific,
was passed, which gave Senator Gear of
Iowa and Senator Thurston of Nebraska
an opportunity 10 make short speeches
congratulating the country upon the set
Element of the Pacific Railroad question.
Some work was laid out for next week,
Senator Carter securing the right OF way
Monday and Tuesday for his census bill,
and Senator Lodge had the immigration
bill made the unfinished business during
the week.
An attempt was made by Mcbride TO
secure an appropriation for the relief OF
the Klondike miners, but the net result
was resolution calling on the Secretary
of War for ali information he had on that
subject.
Galllnger of New Hampshire, chairman
of the Committee on Pensions, requested
that al the closing of the morning busi-
ness to-day an hour be set aside for the
consideration of private pension bills, OF
which, he said, there were over 200 on The
calendar indorsed by the committee.
II want to say" he said, that there is
a laxily among Senators about sending
pension bills 10 our committee. No in
quiry is made by them as 10 the merit of
the measures, and the result is that our
committee is flooded with correspondence
concerning he details of bills that ought
10 have been determined before the meas
ures were laid before Congress. Senators
should be absolutely satisfied of the merit
of measures before introducing them. l
am satisfied that in private pension mat
iers We have gone TO the extreme limit,
and that it IS now time to call a halt. |
am and have always been friendly to the
soldiers, but am constrained TO feel that
we are going too far, and We ought, in the
future, TO exercise the greatest conserva-
tism in the consideration of ell pension
matters.
Gallinger thought that the practice of
pensioning remarried widows and several
other similar classes of claimants ought
to be stopped. He approved the recon-
meudation of the Commissioner of PEN
sions that a law should be enacted speed
lily providing that no pension should be
granted tn a widow if her marriage TO the
soldier had been subsequent to the passage
OF the law under which he was drawing a
pension.
In response 10 a question by Allen of
Nebraska, Gallinger said that he was op-
posed 10 the granting of large nsions 10
widows OF distinguished officers.
"We have reached the limit in that re-
gard" said he, land it is time that we
should stop"
The order requested by Gallinger was
then made.
Mcbride of Oregon secured the passage
of the resolution asking the Secretary OF
War for such information concerning the
needs OF the Alaskan miners in the Yukon
Valley as he might have in his possession
The Senate then began the consldera-
ton OF private pension bills under the
special order. During the hour allowed
forty-hve bills were passed, the majority
OF them being for increases to pensions
now received.
Gear of Iowa, chairman of tae Pacific
Railroad Commit ttee, said that too much
credit could not be gwen the present az
ministration for the ad mira BILE manner in
which ii had handled and disposed OF the
Pacific railroad matters.
Harris facetiously congratulated his
friend from Iowa (Gear) and his friend
from Nebraska (Thurston) upon the
change which had come over them since
the consideration OF the Pacific railroad
question last spring.
Gear responded that so far as he was
concerned no change had been experi-
enced, and that he was just as much op.
posed TO Government ownership of the
railroads as ever.
Thurston congratulated the country
upon the result of the Administrations
effort regarding the Pacific railroads. He
said If the plan proposed by Harris had
been adopted the United States would not
have received ANYTHING apprcximating
the magnificent sum which mad been paid
Tor the main line OF the Union Pacific
DE said that the result demon trated
the correctness OF the position which he
had held ever since the Pacific railroad
matter had been a subject of contro-
versy. He expressed the opinion that the
prosperous business condition brought 10
the country by the advent of the present
administra ,ion had so improved the main
line OF the Union Pacific that it would
now proba bly, earn dividends on The full
amount OF the large purchase price paid
for it.
Harris inquired whether Thurston
thought the same conditions would corre-
spondingly improve the Kansas Pacific
branch.
Thurston said that it was hardly to be
expected that a branch line would be
affected in the same manner as a great
transcontinental railroad. He said that
he noticed in the Presidents mes age
that the administration is committed TO
the policy OF purchasing the Kansas Pa
clfc branch unless a better price was
offered.
He did not believe in Government own
ership of railroads. ana he was of the
opinion that the experiment of such own
ership, if il was 10 be Tried, might better
be tried with some other than the Kansas
Pacitlc. He suggested TO the Pacific Rail-
road Committee that the authority asked
for by the President to buy in the roa1
be coupled with full power to reell it.
Upon motion of Lod The Immigration
bill was made the unfinished business OH
the Senate calendar
Carter, chairman of the Census Com
mi:tee, secured unanimous consen: for
the consideration on Monday next OF his
bill providing iOr the taking of tho Rod