The record-union., 1898-10-05
MAGUIRE'S SHAM ISSUE.
HISTORY OF THE MEASURE ON
PACIFIC RAILWAYS.
Was Agreed to by Republicans,
Democrats, Populists and Sill
yer Republicans.

From the San Diego Unionl
This question of the Pacific railways
measure, passed at the last session OIL
Congress, is utterly foreign to the reai
issues of this campaign. 1t is res do-
1udicata, and the Democratic party hao
as much to do with the adjudication as
anybody. But as it has been persist
emily and desperately dragged into the
canvass, the Union will give a prleh
history of the affair, compiled from the
Congressional Record:
On the Doth of June last the Senate
having under consideration the oeh-
cheney appropriation bill, in charge OF
Senator Hale of Maine "a Republican,,
Senator Morgan Of Alabama "a Demo-
craft, on behalf of the Committee on
Pacific Railroads, asked unanimous
consent for the consideration OF an
amendment which contained two propo-
sitions. The first one constituted the
Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary
OF the Interior and the Attorney Cen
eral a commission to settle the indebt-
ednesS of the Central Pacific ana the
Western Pacific railroads, subject 10
the approval Of the President, without
power to accept a less sum than the full
amount of the principal and interest.
The second proposition was that the
money so received, together with the
proceeds from the Union Pacific Rail
road and the Kansas Pacific Railroad,
should be applied to the construction
OF the Nicaragua Canal. Senator Pet
tigrew of South Dakota (Silver Repub-
Ican) objected to the consideration Of
the amendment, whereupon Senator
Morgan moved, on behalf of the Com
mittee on Pacific Railroads, for its con-
Sideration, and Senator Hale raised the
point of order that it was general legis-
lation on an appropriation bill. A dis
cussion ensued from which it appeared
that Senator Pettigrew's objection was
to the portion which referred to the
Nicaragua Canal. Senator Teller of
Colorado "a Silver Republican, insisted
on the point of order being made
against the Nicaragua Canal PROPOSE
ton, but was willing that the other
should go into the bill. The point Of
order was sustained and Senator VIII
son Of Washington announced that ne
would object to the Pacific railroad por-
ton, unless the Nicaragua Canal prop
osition was included. Subsequently,
Senator Wilson withdrew his objection,
and a unanimous consent was granted
After a colloquy in which Senators
Perkins and White Of California join
ed, Senator Gear offered an amendment
concerning the Pacific railroad portion
of the proposition, Senators Perkins
and White preparing two amendments
thereto, written out by Senator White,
the effect of which was to limit the time
of payment to ten years, in equal semi
annual instaliments; Senator White eX-
planning that while personally he did
not believe in deferring the payment,
he thought, as amended, the plan was
as. nearly perfect as practicable. The
amendment was thus added to the bill
with the unanimous consent Of every
Senator Republicans Democrats,
Populists and Silver Republicans-and
with the express ruling of the Chair
that If any Senator objected to it, it
could not be considered, and also an
express declaration of Senator Hale
that he should raise the point of or
der against the amendment if it in
volved three minutes debate.
The bill then went back to the House
of Representatives which non-concur-
red and sent it to conference. The
Conference Committee reported in the
Senate on July I'd a complete agree
ment upon all the amendments with
the exception of that upon the Pacific
railroad matter. Senator White asked
the Senate to insist upon its position