The record-union., 1898-02-18
Opposing the Confirmation Of the Sale Of
The Kansas Pacific.
The Days Session of the House
Taken UP With a Listless De-
bate on the Bankruptcy Bill,
Interest in It Being Overshad-

spirited debate occupying more than TWO
hours, the Senate to-day, by vote OF
81 to %, agreed to the resolution of
Turpie of Indiana, declaring the Sen
ates opposition to the confirmation or
the sale of the Kansas Pacific Railroad.
After the disposition of the resolution,
the Corbett case was discussed by Mr..
Pettus of Alabama and Hoar of Massa-
chusetts, an agreement having first been
reached to take a final vote upon the
case on Monday, February 2tSh.
AT the opening of the session the blind
Chaplain delivered a touching invoca-
ton with reference to the awful disaster
of the Maine.
The only reference thus far made to
the disaster to the battleship Maine was
in the form of the following resolution
introduced by Allen of Nebraska:
Resolved, That, the Committee on
Naval Affairs be directed to make an
immediate and thorough investigation
into the cause of the disaster to the bat
tleship Maine in the harbor of Havana
onthe 10th instant, and report to the
Senate
If the matter were taken up by the
Naval Affairs Committee, Hale said the
best the committee could do would be
to act through the Navy Department.
He was satisfied that as soon as the Sec
rotary of the Navy obtained definite in
formation concerning the explosion and
its details he would communicate the
facts to Congress.
Allen objected to having the resolution
sent to the Committee on Naval At
fairs. I'VE of us said he, who are not
members of the Naval Affairs Commit
tee or of the Foreign Relations Commit
tee cannot get information from the
departments about these things. We
are shut out as completely as If we We're
private citizens. / think / ought to get
my information, and l am deeply IN
terested in this matter, through the
Committee on Naval Affairs of this Sem
ate. l do not care to debate this matter
or to indulge in any extended discussion
of it, What l want is action by the
committee that Will give us informa-
ton
Chandler of New Hampshire objected
to the resolution and it went over until
Tomorrow.
Turpie's resolution declaring that the
sale of the Kansas Pacific ought not to
be confirmed unless the Government re-
ceived not only the principal, but also
the interest of its claim, was laid before
the Senate and Thurston resumed his
remarks upon it. He pointed out that
the entire debt of the Union Pacific Rail-
way, which included the Kansas Pacific
branch, to the Government was about
ST. 100000. The sale of the main and
branch lines would return to the Gov
eminent ST.. 900. 000, or 81 per cent. Of
the roads Indebtedness to the United
States. principal and interest. This,
Thurston held was piece of good imam
ciering on the part of the President
who. he said, was better informed upon
the value of the road and all the details
bearing upon that value than any other
official of the Government in Congress
or out.
He pointed out that if the sale of
the Kansas Pacific were not confirmed
the President would have no other al
tentative than to redeem the first
mortgage bonds. and thus instead of
having in the treasury more than 3d.
100000 as a result of the sale. the Gov
eminent would have 10 invest about
81 600 600 more in cash to redeem the
first mortgage bonds. and then would
have on it's hands property that was
what some Senators imagined, that not
a single one of the great railroads CEN
tering in Kansas City thought enough
of it to venture bid upon it al the sale
yesterday.
Thurstom regarded the settlement eff
fected by the Administration of the
whole Pacific Railroad business as en-
inently satisfactory. far better set
~.
than that proposed to have been made
by the Cleveland administration. This
business is in the hands OF the Presi-
dent" he said and the country may
be well satisfied with the discretion, the
sagacity and the craftsmanship of VIII
liam Mckinley"
Replying to Thurston Harris Of Kan
sas read a telegram he had received
last night, as follows:
Government lien sold here. Special
messenger sent to St. Louis to have
Sanborn approve sale in the morning"
Harris said he did not know what
practical effect the passage of the pend
ing resolution might have. but it was
evident that the purchasers were man
ifesting remarkable haste to secure the
confirmation of the sale.
remarks IN idNoF OF the IeSV1ut4oii
were made by Rawlins of Utah and in
opposition by Gear of Iowa.
While Warren of Wyoming was
speaking, the morning hour expired.
and the resolution, its privilege having
been lost. went TO the calendar
German Of Maryland suggested that
the Corbett case be voted upon Mon
day. February 18th, at 3 p. m. This
was agreed to.
The Corbett case was temporarily laid
aside. and Turpie moved 10 take up
his resolution relating TO the Kansas
sale. The motion was agreed to-34 TO
23.
Tie vote was then taken on Hale's
motion to refer the resolution to the
committee the motion being lost-31 TO
81.
The resolution was then adopted-34
to 29-the detailed vote being as fol-
lows:
Yeas-Allen, Baker. Bate. Berry. Cam
non. Chiffon, Clay. Davis, German,
Harris. Heitfield. Jones of Arkansas.
Kenney. Kyle. Mallory. Mantle Mar
tin. Mills. Mitchell. Money, Morgan.
Nelson. Pascoe. Perkins. Pettigrew,
Pettus. Rawlins. Roach. Teller Tillman,
Turiey. Turney, Turpie, Vest--34.
Nays-Carter. Chandler. Clarke, De-
Doe. Elkins. Fairbanks. Foraker Frye.
Gallinger. Gear. Gray, Hanna. Hans
brough, Hoar. Lindsay, Lodge, Nc
Bride. Mcmillan Mason. Morrill,. Platt
of Connecticut. Proctor, Quay. Sewall,