The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-03-04

/ ties ought to maintain close watch up
on the proceedings.
! The resolution was then referred to the
committee on contingent expenses.
Bills were passed as follows: Granting
free entry to a set OF bells presented by
the Car OF Russia 10 the orthodox Rus
sian church az Bridgepcrt Conn; to pro-
vide for the transfer of the Fort Sidney
military post reserve to the state of Ne
baska for educational purposes. and TO
establish an assay Office at Seattle, Wash
ington.
THE BANKRUPTCY BILL.
The motion Of Mr.. Hoar CIass) to nom
concur in the house amendments to the
bankruptcy bill was laid before the senate
and Mr. Stewart (Nev) resumed his
/ speech upon the house measure.
! Upon the conclusion of his speech, Mr..
Stewart offered a resolution that the SEN
ate conferees be instructed to insist upon
the bill. The resolution occasioned some
debate of a parliamentary character. Mr..
! Stewart then withdrew his resolution, and
MI Hoars motion to non-concur in the
house amendments to the bankruptcy bill
and that committee on conference be
appointed was adopted.
The vice president appointed Messrs.
! Hoar, Nelson and Lindsay.
THE ALASKA BILL.
The Alaskan homestead and railway
right of way bill was then taken up and
Mr.. Turner (Wash) addressed the sem
ate. He recognized, he said. the necessity
of some such legislation as that proposed.
because quite 100000 adult Americans
/ int nd .
proper transportation facilities were not
provided it would be a cruel and short
! sighted policy.
| He said he believed the measure pro-
posed by the committee was generally fair
and with some amendments would be an
! excellent bill.
! In his opinion the bill sufficiently hedged
about the transportation companies, as
the restrictions placed upon them by the
| bill were even more severe than those
placed on them by the general law.
To meet a point advanced by Mr. Tur-
ner. Mr.. Carter CMont), in charge Of the
| bill, offered a committee amendment re-
tanning the first section of the house
! bill. except wherein it provides for the
approval of the president, and modified
! the committee amendment with q provis
ion that no entry shall be allowed extend
| ing more than forty rods along the shore
/ of any navigable water. and along such
shore a space of at least forty rods shall
| be reserved from entry from all such
! claims.
| The committee amendment was adopted.
THE EPHEMERAL RUSH.
After the section was amended Mr.. Vest
/ 10 \ ~ str 1rrt he ont
ton He said frankly that he desired to
| test the sense of the senate on the prop
ostion to extend the homestead laws to
the district of Alaska. So far as con-
struction of railroads was concerned, 1t
would be a most difficult and expensive
undertaking. If constructors could find
valleys for their railroads they would be
met with all sorts of difficulties and dan
gers.
He thought that when the ephemeral
| gold-seeking rush had subsidized there
would be no possible reason for the con-
struction of railways in Alaska.
ALASKAN CABBAGES
Mr.. Vest ridiculed the report made by
| Rev. DR.. Sheldon Jackson upon the agri-
culture Of Alaska.
Alaska" declared Mr.. Vest. 'is not an
! agricultural section, and it can never be
made one. I speak from personal knowl-
| edge, and not from government reports"
! He said that in that great section. two
and a half times larger than the state OF
! Texas and ten times larger than the
state of Georgia, there was not a single
/ farm. yet the report of DR.. jackson ex-
/ pensively pictured the wonderful potatoes
/ and the remarkable cabbages produced
/ there.
NOTHING But WATER.
Mr.. Vest said ne knew something OF
! those potatoes and cabbages. The pota-
toes were large-and fun OF water. moth
ing else. He saw. he said. cabbages that
! spread over the ground like the blanket
I Of Saacho Panza, and caulifower that
! weighed twenty-five pounds; yet. when
they were cut, they contained nothing but
water As TO the grasses which DR.. Jack
son referred 10 so eIoguencly. Il was veg
/ etable blasphemy' TO compare them with
/ the blue grass Of Kentucky. He thought
/ the purchase OF Alaska for g. 10. 90 had
/ been made recklezsIy and heedIessly.
1 Since 1851 It had cost the government SAL.
| 90 and the Rev. Sheldon Jackson, D. D.
I and IL. n. missionary - the Aleuts
/ and manager q reindeer. 81 10 for
/ spending his winters IN Washington. and
[ MS summers IN Alaska"
| The motion OF NJ. Vest 70 strike out
The first section vas BY al aye and 10
/ vote defeated. 5i-I5-
/ Section OF the bill was amended BY
/ the insertion a a declaration that All
| such rights (iIde lands and beds II nav
( liable rtvsrsb shall continue 70 70 he'd
| b The United States II tr1s; Tor the peo-
| PIE of any state or states which may
/ hereafter b. created out of sad district"
| and il vas further amended b. the adop-
| ton q me following provision offered b.
the committee
| That al charges for the transportation
| Of freight and passengers On railroads 81
| IRE district % Alaska shah - a1sd sub
| tect 70 The approval q tas secretary ot the
! interior. ard when 80 approved shall -
| printed and posted as required b. So
! ,Isn of the act - regulate commerce a.
/ AMENDED On March 2 100. and ne= rates
/ a charges may ~ prescribed by fse -
I rotary 4 the interior from tine 70 line
as as may deem Necessary
yTltho2t completing ;he h.il. the So
a;s. q; ssss , II, adjourned
IL - gsec- that E5eE : feIioz . late
| sEcrylnlEg e.se goes EFu1s % Getslc alE---
y zsAl1zton Democrat