Evening star., 1897-01-14
FOR ANOTHER FIGHT
House Pacific Railroads Committee
Decides Its Course.
IT FAVORS THE COMMISSION PLAN
Public Hearing to Be Held by the
Committee Next Week.
VIEWS OF COMMITTEEMEN

meeting of The Pacific railroads COM
mittee OF the House was held today TO
| consider the question of reporting a new
bill having In view a settlement Of the
affairs between the government and the
! railroads. Chairman Powers was not pres
ent, owing to illness, and Mr.. Hepburn
presided.
AS foreshadowed in The Star. the SEN
timent of the committee has undergone a
material change since the vote I'm the
House on Monday and the committee is
now almost unanimous in favor of report
ing new bill which will provide for
commission for the settlement of affairs
This will he done despite the predicted ac-
! ton on the Presidents part looking toward
| foreclosure.
An Open Meeting.
The committee this morning agreed that
| it would have an open meeting next We'd
nesday to hear arguments on the ques-
! ton of reporting the substitute of Repre-
sentative Harrison, which was defeated
| in the House Monday, but which was i'm
| mediately offered as a new bill. A sub
! committee, composed of Messrs. Powers,
| Hepburn, Patterson, Harrison and Hub
| bard. was appointed to report on the Har-
rison bill to the full committee neXt We'd
nesday.
1t is understood on good authority that
| practically all the members of the sub
committee favor the plan of the Harrison
bill. There is a difference of opinion as to
details, especially to the manner of ap-
pointing the proposed commission and the
number of men Ii shall contain. An at
| tempt will be made to adjust these differ
ences and early report bill along the
| lines proposed.
Attitude of Committeeman.
Representatives Powers and Patterson OF
| the subcommittee are understood TO have
| changed their views on the question, and
| now favor the Harrison bill. Mr.. Hub
| bard, who fought the Powers bill, wants
| a commission, as stated in The Star yes
terday
Representative Bell of Texas is said 10
| be the only member of the committee
against the proposition for commission.
He said to Star reporter after the COM
| mittee meeting today that he was opposed
| to the new project He wants his substi-
| tute to the Powers bill bill reported by the
committee.
The chairman of the committee and other
members of 1t believe that they can secure
another day from the committee on rules
| for a hearing on the Harrison bill. If it is
reported. They think that one day will be
sufficient to debate the bill, as the situ-
alton is well understood by members of
| the House by now. Mr.. Harrison SAYS
| that enc day will be sufficient.
Mr. Harrison hopes to have talk with
General Hampton, commissioner of rail-
roads, before the bill comes up next We'd
nesday. The idea of a commission was
| recommended by General Hampton in his
| annual report The latter is now at his
| home In Columbia. s. c., and has not been
| in the city for some time.
Will Fight Ii Also.
The California delegation will fight the
new bill, IL it gets standing In the House.
as they fought the other. Il do not see
| any necessity for any legislation on the
subject" said Representative Bowers of
| that state to Star reporter this morning
| No legislation is needed to protect the
| interests of the government. The Thur
| man law takes care of that. This seems TO
| be a last desperate effort"
Representative Barham agreed that no
new legislation is necessary, and said that
| ii ought not to be given consideration. He
said the foreclosure proceedings ought to
begin. He was satisfied that the govern
ment would get what is due IL under these
proceedings. There would be plenty of buy
ers. He referred to the latest rumors that
the Vanderbilts want the Union Pacific as
showing that there will be no lack of bid
ders IL there is a sale.
Representative Hubbard admits that the
government will be taken care of under
the Thurman law, which will stand until
repealed
The Harrison Bill.
The Harrison bill. which embodies the sug-
gestions made TO Congress by ex-President
Harrison, names the Secretaries of the
Treasury and the Interior and the Attorney
General to constitute the commission. A
suggestion was made that there should be
a commission of those not government Of
fcials appointed by The President, IL being
argued that the cabinet officers would not
have time to engage i'm the negotiations.
Another suggestion was that the Secretary
of the Interior and the Attorney General,
with three other persons. one selected by
the President and one by each OF the two
cabinet officers, constitute the commission.
Senator Gears Bill.
Senator Gear, chairman of the commit
tee on Pacific railroads, will call a meet
ing of that committee tomorrow TO con-
slider the bill introduced by him yesterday
for the appointment of a commission to
conduct the settlement of the indebtedness
of the bond-aided roads. When asked to-
day what action he thought the Senate
would take on the new proposition, Sena-
tor Gear said that he thought II likely
that it would be disposed to delay any ac-
ton until it should be known what the
House would do. but that he could not
say until the committee should meet what
course would be advised The senator said
he had introduced his bill after a confer
ence with some of the members of his
committee, but that he had not made suff1
cient inquiry to form an intelligent idea OF
its strength in the Senate. Nor did he
know how the Pacific railroad people would
regard the bill. Il have not conferred with
any of them" said the senator, ''and can
not say whether the provisions of the bill
will be acceptable to them or not; but
should suppose that they would prefer
treating with a responsible commission to
having the roads disposed of at forced
SALE"
Ocean Steamships Arrived.
NEW YORK, January 14.-Arrived: ST.
herian Glasgow: Mississippi London.