People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1898-03-03
VAST A STEAL}
Here Are the Facts-Read .iem
and Take Your Choice.
Senator Harris Makes a State
ment in the Senate.
Neither ThurstOn Or Any Ome
Else Could Explain the
Substance IF III.
congressional Record. IA e laA.

l.
settlement of the Kansas Pacif,
settlement, as ii now is, bu. in tht
situation it has now assumed i
seems to me absolutely necessary
that something should be said with
regard to the past and with re arc
to the present condition of the affair
The Uniou Pacific company for Z
number of years has attempted tC
influence both the congress of tht
United States and the various ad
mlnIStranons OF the United States
to consent to some settlement which
would scale down the amount due
the government to about 80 per cen,
OF It's value. The climax OF the eff
forts in that direction was reached
last January. They had failed in
passing the Reilly funding bill, the,
had failed in passing the Powers
funding bill, and last January they
seemed to have imbibed the idea
that they could appeal to the ad-
ministration with more success
than they had appealed to Congress.
They succeeded in getting an agree
ment between Mr.. Cleveland and his
attorney general and what is known
as the Fitzgerald Committee by
which the government was to stand
by and see the property sold at a
loss of about $25, 100000.
That matter went along quietly;
no attention was paid to it. The
new administration came in on
March 4, and there was apparently
no attention given to it whatever.
The process seemed to be working.
The courts were moving in the d.
rectlon they desired. Last June |
had the honor to introduce a reso.
luton which was intended to call the
attention OF the president to the ex>
listing laws in regard to the matter
and to obtain a postponement. That
resolution, ate reciting sections 4
! and 5 Of the act of March 3, 1887.
lead as follows:
Resolved by the senate of tue
United States, That it is the sense of
the senate that the president ShUuld,
in strict accordance with the above
quoted statue, direct the secretary of
the treasury to carry out the prOvi-
siOns of said act by redeeming or
otherwise clearing off the paramount
lienS, mortgages, and membranes
on said railroad by paying the sums
lawfully due in respect thereof out of
the treasury to the holders of priCr
liens, and that the president should d.
rect the attorney general to take steps
and proceedings in the courts and
otherwise as Shall be needful TO re
deem such property from any prior
mortgage, lien, or incumbrance, nee
essary and proner to defend the in
tereSts of the United States in respect
to the matters in said act Of congress
mentioned, and to take steps to fore
close any mortgage or lien of the
United States on any Of said railroad
property.
And that the president is requested
to suspend proceedings to carry into
effect the agreement alleged to have
been made to sell the interest of the
United States in the Union Pacific
railroad and in the sinking fund, un-
til the further action of congress is
had in reference thereto.
In the discussion OF that resolu-
ton the whole progress and the
whole intention of the reorganizl.
ton committee was thoroughly
shown, and public sentiment re-
sponded to it. While the resolution
failed to pass, owing to the tactics
OF the friends OF the reorganization
committee in the senate, yet public
Sentiment was aroused thoroughly,
and power was invoked which is
greater than the president and greater
than the senate OF the United
States. That sentiment swept all
over the country, from Maine to
California, and the indignation ex-
pressed was so great that In response
to that sentiment the presiden,
practically acted upon the suggestion
of the resolution, and postponement
was applied for.
The moment that the postpone.
ment was applied for the railroad
company came up and in order to
save themselves on the main line of
the Union Pacific paid the full
amount, notwithstanding their as,
sertionS before for many wears and
Notwithstanding the assertions of
gentlemen on the floor of the senate
that it was an impossible proceeding,
that the company could never paw
the full amount of the debt, that
the value of the property was not
sufficient, and that it would result in
taking the property by the govern
ment. But the government obtained
every cent of the amount which was
Adue on the main line of the, Union
lsP4ci6c.
The subcommittee appointed by
the committee on Pacific railroads
met here in September and had no
difficulty in showing the then attor-