The herald., 1898-03-12
BOWMAN BILLS
Make but Slow Progress
in the House
OLD SOUTHERN CLAIMS
RESISTED BY THE FILIBUsTER
PROCESS
THE WORK DONEIN COMMITTEE
Includes Proposed Action on Arid
Lands and an Adverse Report on
Powderly's Nomination
OLD SOUTHERN CLAIMS
BY THE FILIBUsTER
PROCESS
THE WORK DONE IN COMMITTEE
Press specla. Wire


WASHINGTON, March lin the house
under the special order made last week
today was set aside for considering claims
aggregating 81, 200, 900, reported by the court
of claims under the provisions of the Bow
man act.
OF the SEQ odd claims in the bill all but
a few came from the south, and dilatory
tactics were resorted 10 to prevent progress
with the bill. During the filibustering the
house was in an uproar.
Hull, Republican, Of Iowa, chairman of
the military affairs committee, reported
complete agreement from 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.
Loud of California demanded the reading
of the bill, which covers eighty pages.
Dingley, the Republican floor leader, op-
posed the bill in an earnest speech. He in-
sisted that members who imagined that
the findings of the court of claims in these
cases constituted liability against the
government is mistaken. The court simply
found certain facts He was perfectly
willing, he said, to take up these claims
separately and pass upon their merits.
Richardson. Democrat, of Tennessee, in
advocating the passage of the bill called at
tention to the fact that 92 per cent of the
claims submitter to 1t were rejected. of
the original claimants relieved by this bill,
he said, s. per cent were dead
Evans Republican, of Kentucky, in ad-
vocating the bill, said that the Republican
(Dingley) set UP a scarecrow to frighten
members whenThe alleged that the passing
of this bill would establish a precedent
which would permit southern claimants 10
loot the treasury. He pointed out that one
OF the first war claims passed by the house
at the session was one to pay citizen Of
Maine (Wm. s. Grant) $4,000. Dingleys
voice had not been raised against that
claim, although 1t had, unlike these claims
been rejected by the court OF claims and
the rejection had been approved hy the
supreme court of the United States. 1t was
only when these separate claims were
brought in that the distinguished Republic
an leader cried out against imaginary
raids upon the treasury.
After some further debate by Messrs.
Dalzell and Grosvenor against the bill and
by Ottgen, Republican, of Wisconsin,
in favor of it. the reading of the bill for
began.
Moody, Republican, of Massachusetts,,
as soon as the enacting clause had been
read. offered as an amendment a bill con-
tanning the French spoliation claims. The
reading of the bill was demanded as a fili-
clustering movement. 1t contained forty
seven pages.
Mahon, Republican, Of Pennsylvania.
chairman of the committee on war claims.
Moody, who, he said, was deeply
Interested in the French spoliation claims.
that IL an attempt was made to force the |
reading of this amendment, as a filibuster-
ing movement, the bill would eventually
pass, but he would take good care that the |
French spoliation claims did not pass.
Moody denied that he had offered the
for purposes of delay. lie
asked that the reading be dispensed with,
but Hopkins, Republican, of Illinois, OBJ
jected. Thereupoh Williams Democrat. OF
made the point that the amend |
ment was out of order.
The chair finally ruled the amendment
out.
Speaking to pro forma point of order.
Lewis, Democrat. of Washington. COM
NPo" a NASPdtCu III tOOayS papers |
from Ottawa. giving the details of an al. |
legged agreement between Canada and the
United States regarding the Alaskan
line. Lewis said that IL tho 70. /
ported agreement was true it was q com.
plete surrender of the United States ana |
gave Canada Dyea, White pass. Summit
lake and territory and property worth
billion dollars
without making any progress with the
OIL, the committee rose, and upon motion
of Dingley it was agreed that when tbs
house adjourn today 1t be to meet on Mon.
day.
At s o'clock, after completing two napss
OF the bill, the house recessed until o'clock
for an evening session to be devoted ~
pension legislation.
THE NIGHT SESSION
At the night session the twenty-five men,
sion bills which came over from last Fri
day night were passed and in committee OF
the whole forty-two bills were favorable
acted upon.
At 1880 the house adjourned until Mon
day.
SESSION NOTE3