The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-02-18
THE PROCEEDINGS
OF CONGRESS
Debate in Senate Over Kansas Pacific
Railroad.
REFERENCE TO THE MAINE DISASTER
Mr.. Aliens Resolution Regarding an
Immediate Investigation of the
Catastrophe Is objected to by Mr..
Chandler. of New Hampshire--Ai
Quiet in the House.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 11.-After spirit
cd debate occupying more than two
hours, the senate today by vote Oh
81 to 90 agreed to the resolution OF MI
Turpie, of Indiana, declaring the SEN
ate's opposition to the confirmation OF
the sale of the Kansas Pacific railroad.
1t was developed by the discussion that
the government would receive from
the sale of the Union and Kansas Pa
cihc something more than S650O0.OOO, 81
per cent. of the entire Indebtedness OF
the roads to the United states, the
basis of settlement being about $40, ,0OO,-
900 better for the government than that
proposed by the Cleveland administra-
ton. After the disposition of the res
olution the Corbett case was discussed
by Mr.. Pettus, Alabama, and Mr.. Hoar,
Massachusetts,. an agreement having
first been reached to take final vote
upon the case on Monday Feb. 2S.
The only reference thus far made to
the disaster to the battleship Maine
was in the form of the following reso-
luton introduced by Mr.. Allen, Ne
Draska:
Resolved, That the committee on
naval affairs be directed to make an
into the cause of the disaster to the
battleship Maine in the harbor of Hav
ana on the 18th inst. and report to the
senate"
Mr.. Hale Maine. chairman .of the
naval affairs committee, said he had
no objection to the reference of the
resolution to his committee, but he did
not deem il desirable for the committee
ct % hA
melancholy affair in Havana harbor
The executive department of the gov
eminent was even now engaged in maxi
ing an investigation of the disaster.
The secretary of the navy was engaged
in the work and was employing all
the means in his power to ascertain
the truth. If the matter was taken up
by the naval affairs committee, Mr..
Hale said, the hest the committee
could do would be to act through the
navy department, he was satisfied that
as soon as the secretary OF the navy
obtained definite information concern
ing the explosion and it's details he
would communicate the facts to con-
gress.
Mr.. Allen objected to having the
resolution sent to the committee on
''who are not members of the naval
affairs committee, or of the foreign re-
lations committee cannot get informa-
ton from the departments about these
| things. We are shut out as complete
ly as if we were private citizens. I
| think ] ought to get my information,
and 1 am deeply interested in the mat
ter, through the committee on naval
affairs of the senate. l do not care to
debate this matter or to indulge in any
extended discussion of it. What ]
want is action by the committee that
will give us information"
! Mr.. Chandler. New Hampshire OBJ
| jected to the resolution and it went
! over until tomorrow.
The debate on the bankruptcy bill
! dragged along listlessly in the house
| today, interest in it being overshad-
owed as on yesterday by the Maine
disaster. The speeches on the floor at
tracted almost no attention and were
delivered in most instances to hand
| full of members.