Omaha daily bee., 1897-03-01
SENATE WORKS ON SUNDAY
Session Considered Necessary in Order tc
Pass Appropriation Bills.
SUNDRY CIVIL BILL FINALLY PASSES
Measure Carries s5t, 100000 the Lnrg-
est Ever Put Through Congress
Forest Reserves Restored
10 Public Domain.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 2S.-The usual Sun
day quiet of the capitol building was dis
turbed today by a session Of the senate,
made necessary to pass appropriation bills.
Large crowds filled the galleries. The at
tendance Of senators was even greater than
that through the week. The absentees other
than those out of town, numbered thirteen
viz: Cameron. Davis. Hansbrough, Jones OF
Nevada; Kenney. Pasco, Pritchard, Pugh,
Smith, Turpie, Wetmore and Wilson. The
venerable figures of the senate-Morrill,
Hoar. Sherman, Morgan, Palmer-were
among those present. BY parliamentary fic-
ton the session is part of the legislative
day beginning Saturday, a recess having
been taken at 2:30 o'clock this morning,
until p. M today.
The sundry civil appropriation bill was
under consideration, number Of impor-
tant items in payment of sugar bounties,
for rivers and harbors, ETC., remaining 10
be passed upon. vote on the sugar bounty
amendment was taken as scon as the session
opened and it was agreed to 31-12. The
amendment appropriates Sl,OS5,l56 for the
balance of bounties earned from August,
1894, to June, 1896
Rivers and harbors were next considered,
most of the amendments being agreed to as
reported. Mr.. Allison, in charge of the
bill. explained the reasonableness of the
provisions as a whole. No amendments had
been submitted in the usual way for any
of these items, but they were based on re-
ports of chief engineers as to amounts to
be used These amounts had been reduced
25 per cent before being reported in the Dill.
GORMAN OBJECTS.
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 down with
,f,, ,.l,.N,. Thn 10
ried the unprecedented total of $5l ,00O, 900,
of which $17 900 900 was for river and har-
Dor contracts. 1t was, the senator said,
more than the condition of the treasury war
ranted. In particular Mr.. German resisted
a new item of 100000 to prevent the Mis-
sissppi river from breaking into Caichon
river, north of Cairo, Ill. 1t led to a pro-
longed contest, Mr.. Culom supporting the
amendment as one Of urgent necessity.
Mr. Blanchard of Louisiana spoke on the
general subject of Mississippi river i'm
provements. The amendment finally was
modified and agreed to.
Another protracted contest occurred over
| the committees proposition to do away with
| the river and harbor appropriations in the
! sundry civil bill, and directing a separate
! Till cl these items. The amendment finally
! went out on a point of order. The other
| river and harbor items were agreed to.
| Mr.. Hill of New York took occasion to
| chatf senator's on working on Sunday in con-
| duits in Washington. He said be seriously
! doubted the propriety Of meeting today to
| enact law for a REST day in the District
| of Columbia Moreover, the senator CMr
| McMillin) who urged this conduit amend
ment, had himself offered bill ITO respect
tho first day of each week, commonly called
| Sunday, as day of rest and worship"
The amendment appropriating $325 900 fol
| the purchase of the old Concord art gallery
building for the court of claims was agreed
| to.
| PETTIGREW GROWS FACETIOUS.
Waen the amendment was reached provid
! ing for a commission to visit the fisheries
| Mr. Pettigraw of South Dakota said he be
leyed we should not send 4 commission t
Alaska to visit the scenes Of destruction O
our seals by Canadian polcher5. He ad
| vocated the destruction of all the seals Il
this connection he ridiculed the treaty rela
tive to the Alaskan boundary recently sen
to the senate.
,'If this administration lasted muc
longer" he asserted, lit would be sendin
in treaty between Great Britain and til
United States for arbitration OF the multi
plication table"
Mr.. Morgan of Alabama member of tn
Paris court of arbitration, discussed th
| awkward prediLdment of the United state
on the seal question. Referring to the Pari
tribunal he said that as usual when th
court was made up of European arbitratori
the decision wCS against us: it always woul
be SO under like Circumstances. There wa
more real danger of trouble over this sea
question since the arbitration than there eve
was from all the conflict before the arb
traton was adopted. The present trouble, h
sad, was due to tho deliberate refusal {
Great Britain to carry out in good faith tn
spirit of the Paris award.
II do hope" said Mr.. Morgan, that tn
incoming administration will have the fort
tude to insist that Great Britain will com
ply with the Paris award"
The committee amendment. continuing tn
joint scientific inquiry in Bering sea, wa
agreed 10.
New amendments were agreed to as fol
lows: Authorizing the president to appoin
three commissioners to revise and codf
the criminal laws of the United States; al
,'propriating $4,000 TO overcome river OF
o struction caused by the water hyacinths
appropriating 900 for dredge for So
bne Pass, Tex. directing the secretary
: = the treasury to purchase site, at a cost
, $75 900, for a public Building at Salt LAX
: City, Utah; appropriating $4,000 for rev
enue cutter to be stationed at New Yor
y City: for commission to consider the gov
ernment purchase of site for a memoirs
building for the Daughters of the Revolt
tiOn.
i FOREST RESERVES RESTORED.
An extended debate occurred on a
amendment offered by Mr.. Clark of Wyon
ing designed to counteract the president
= land from the public domain and creatin
o forest reservations, Mr.. Clark criticised ii
o president's order as arbitrary, saying II
y, | people of the state affected had not bee
consulted. II was he said, the most serior
blow aimed at the western country sipt
: the present congress came into existenc
: Mr. Carter of Montana, who was comm
u sioner of the land office at the time an II
u quiry into forest reserves was begun al'
: criticised the presidents order as hast
5 and in total disregard of vast Interest
u Towns, villages, mills and mines had bee
: indiscriminately included within these 70
est reserves.
J. Mr.. Cannon of Utah said the president
order covered an area greater than tn
, of the state of Maine. 1t affected stat
represented here by fourteen senators, N
one of whom had been consulted. II
- order would work most serious hardship
the people of the west.
e Senators Pettgrew, Wilson, Dubois al
r Mantle also spoke in criticism, and Il
+ amendment was then unanimously adopte
1t is as follows:
And al the lands in the states of Wy
ming Utah, Montana, Washington, Col
Is ana reserved by executive order and pro
r. lamation of February 22. 1897 are here
restored to the public domain and suhje
& to settlement. occuaancy ana entry una
es the land laws of the United States I
Iy same as IL said executive order ana PFC
= lamation had not been made.
70 Mr.. German made another statement
~ the extravaganza OF the pending bill,
y connection with an amendment proposing
.uaI hAA