The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-12-20
SENATE'S BUSY DAY.
Continued from First Page.


sas, spoke upon his amendments to the
measure He announced tnat on gen.
eraI principles he was favorable to the
CONSERVATION of a canal across the 18TH
INNS ar such as enterprise would promote
the intereats of the Southern States, but
he had always commended for its construc-
tion bv the United States government.
He honed before the final vote al corpo-
ration interests would he eliminated ne
did not commit himself 10 YoSe ior 1lle
bill even if his amendments were auopteu,
but would determinate tnau quosoion
when a vote was feached.
Mr.. Berry explained that his aineuu'
ments would eliminate the prov isionS ~ ~
the original bill for the issuance OF
tonds and would close The maritl me
company out entirely as stooknoiaeI ~
the canal enterprise, leaving the unlten
States Nicaragua and Costa Rica as ne
only stockholders and leaving the MAORI
ty of the stock in the name OF the gov
eminent. They also prohibited the APP
pointment of any one Interested n the
present maritime company from acting
as director under the government 8
management of the enterprise.
Mr. Allen of Nebraska followed Mr..
Berry. He was not opposed to tho canal
scheme, he said, because he antaRonized
certain features of the bill. One OF its
pernicious features would be eliminated
BY the adoption of the Berry amendments,
namely, the bond feature.
MIR. Caffery of Louisiana at the request
of Mr.. Turpie, who was absent, renewed
the latter's motion TO postpone considera-
ton of the bill until January ~.
Mr. Hoar said he thought the oanai
should be built and at once. While
senators did not know what the canal
would cost, they knew enough TO know
that its construction WAS necessary Ior
the protection of the commercial relations
between the two coasts of the United
States. The canal, he insited. should be
built by the government. The ex perience
of the government with the Onion Pa
clio and the Central Pacific railroad
should not be repeated. In order to do
Justice to the maritime canal company,
In his opinion the President should be
authorized to obtain a reasonable and
impartial estimate on the canal compa.
ny's property and that company should
then be paid. The Clayton Bulwer treaty
should be got out of the way Our repre-
sen natives had declared 1t valid. The con
sent of England should be obtained.
Mr.. Morgan secuted the idea of post
poning consideration of the bill until
England's consent was obtained. If Eng
land had said we could not build the
canal without her consent, the canal
would have been built i've years ago.
He maintained that the concern CT Mica
ragua and Costa Rica v ) not FORFEITURE
able next October. Mr Morgan said
that the Berry amendment for financing
the enterprise we're moro acceptable to
him than the pi DIVISIONS of the commit
tee.
He predicted that the United States
would secure at least per cent dividends
upon its investments and he drew o
glowing picture of the use to which the
funds obtained COULD be put.
AT 5.15 p. m, she Senate went into ex
| ecutiye session and ut 5.35 p. m the
Senate adjourned
In THE HOUSE.
| Washington, December 19-This was
suspension day in the House and several
bills were passed, the most important OF
which was the bill appropriating $3.50, COO
| for the Philadelphia exposition OF 1893.
| The vote was exceedingly Close Bills
were also passed under suspension OF the
rules, to authorize the distribution of the
assets of the Freedmans' bank, to enlarg
| the scope of the fish commission to in
clude game birds, for the relief of the
| fourth mounted Arkansas infantry and
! for the relief of John w. Lewis of Ore
gon. Mr.. Bailey of Texas introduced a
resolution in open House directing the
| judiciary COMMITTEES to investigate and
report ON the question as to whether the
members of the House who accepted COM
missions in the army. had forfeited their
seats in the HOUSE. He maze the resolu-
ton the text for some remarks, in the
course of which he bitterly denounced a
newspaper statement to the effect that in
| Ais attitude upon this question he had
| been made cats paw Of by certain
prominent Republicans i'll the House He
| denounced the Republican who had in
stigated the statement as an infamous
liar and challenged him to father it,
There was no reply to Mr.. Bailey's state
ment and the resolution was referred to
the committee on rules.