The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-03-12
BOWMAN ACT CLAIMS
BILL TO PAY $1,2OO,OOO DISCUSSED
ALL DAY BY THE HOUSE.
FiIibustering ResOrted to by It's OPP
pOnents-Many Pension Bills Passed
at the Evening Session.

WASHINGTON, March 1.-THE bill to
pay the Bowman act claims. aggregating
81, 900 for stores and supplies furnished
the Union army during the war, was be-
fore the House until o'clock to-day, but
beyond completing the general debate lit
tie progress was made. OF the eight hun
dred odd claims in the bill, all but a few
come from the South and dilatory tactics
were resorted to to prevent progress with
the bill. During the flibustering the House
was in an uproar. At O'CLOCK after COM
pleting two pages of the bill the House
took recess until s p. m. for an evening
session to be devoted to pension legisla-
ton. After the evening session the House
adjourned over till Monday.
At the opening of the session to-day
Mr.. Hull (Rep, Iowa), chairman of the
military affairs committee, reported COM
plete agreement by the conferees on the
army appropriation bill. The report was
agreed to without debate
The House then went into committee Of
the whole and took up the special order
Mr.. Loud (Rep, CALI demanded the read
ing OF the BILL which covers eighty pages.
MIR. Dalzell (Rep., Pa-), before the debate
began, made the point of order against the
bill that IL was not competent for the war
claims committee to report a bill contain
ing $40 claims, each of which should be
subject of separate bill,
The chairman of the committee of the
whole (Mr. Payne of New York; ruled that
the point came too late. The general de-
bate then began under an agreement that
it should be limited to two hours.
Mr.. Gibson Rep., Temp in opening the
debate explained the nature of the claims,
all of which were for stores and supplies
furnished to the army by loyal citizens.
atively approved. The claims he said, were
distributed as follows by States: Alabama
Rar ArkaR q 81 Georgia AZ Illinois j
Maryland, 70; Mississippi, 109 Missouri, 81 ;
New York. |; North Carolina, 10; Ohio, 2;
oregon. I; PennsylvIaannia 4; South Caro-,
West Virginia, AS.
Mr.. Dingley, the Republican floor leader,
insisted that members who imagined that
the findings of the Court of Claims in these
cases constituted liability against the gov
eminent were entirely mistaken The court
simply found certain facts. He was willing,
ne said, to take up these claims separately
and pass upon their merits.
Mr.. Richardson (Dem., TENN, in advo-
eating the passage of the bill, called at
tention to the fact that go per cent of the
claims submitted to it We're rejected. That
character of the examination made by that
court. OF the original claimants relieved by
this bill, he said, % per cent. were dead.
bill, said that the Republican leader. Mr.
Dingley, set UP scarecrow to brighten
of this bill would establish a precedent
which would permit Southern claimants to
loot the treasury: He pointed out that one
of the first war claims passed by the House
at this session. was one to pay a citizen
OF Maine Civilian S. Grant, $4,000. Mr.
Dingley's voice had not been raised against
IQi inn oil n11ch had fI0Z%
claims, been rejected by the Court of Claims
and the rejection had been approved by the
Supreme nS, Court q. Of the United States. It
brought in that the distinguished Republican
leader cried out against imaginary raids
upon the treasury.
After some further debate by Messrs. Dali
zell and Grosvenor against the bill and by
Mr.. Often (Rep:.. Wis.) in favor of it the
Mr.. Moody (Rep, Mass), as soon as the
enacting clause had been read, offered as
an amendment a bill containing the French
spoliation claims. The reading of the bill
was demanded as a flibustering move. 1t
contained forty-seven pages
Mr.. Mahon (Rep, Pa), chairman Of the
committee on war claims, warned Mr.. Moody
who, he said, was deeply interested in the
French spoliation claims that if an attempt
amendment as a filibustering move, the
bill would eventually pass, but he would
take good care that the French spoliation
Mr. Moody denied that he had offered
the amendment for purposes of delay. He
asked that the reading be dispensed with
but Mr.. Hopkins (Rep., I'LL objected
Thereupon Mr. Williams (Dem., Miss) made
the point that the reading was dilatory. He
also made the point that the amendment
was out of order. The chair finally ruled
the amendment out.
Speaking to a point of Greer Mr.. Lewis
(Dem., Wash.) commented upon dispatch
in to-day's papers from Ottawa giving the
details of an alleged agreement between
Canada and the United States regarding
the Alaskan boundary line. Mr.. Lewis said
that If the reported agreement was true 1t
was complete surrender of the United
States and would give to Canada Dyea,
White pass. Summit lake and a territory
and property worth billion dollars.
Without making any progress with the
bill the committee rose and on motion OF
Mr.. Dingley, 1t was agreed that when the
House adjourned to-day ii be to meet on
Monday. At o'clock the House took a
recess until o'clock.
AT the night session tile twenty-five pen
sion bills which came over from last Friday
night were passed and in committee Of the
whole forty-two bills were favorably acted
upon. In the latter were the following I'M
usually large pensions: William D. Sea-
mans Fourteenth New York Artillery. $50;
Henderson II. Beggs $50; Jacob g. tricks.
$50; Henry f. Rice, lieutenant of Company
B, United States Infantry, $50, and B. f.
Wonders, $40. At 1890 p. m. the House adj
journed until Monday.