The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-02-18
Effort by Mr.. Allen to Secure n Sem
atOrial Investigation of the Ha-
wanna HarbOr Disaster.
CORBETT CASE DISCUSSED
AND AGREEMENT MADE TO TAKE A
FINAL VOTE ON FEB. rs.
bankruptcy Bill Debated in the House
MIR. Landis's Middlesex Club
Speech Criticised.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 17.-After a spirited
debate occupying more than two hours, the
Senate to-day, by vote of "a to 20, agreed
to the resolution of Mr.. Turpie. declaring
the Senate's opposition to the confirmation
of the sale of the Kansas Pacific Railroad
After disposition of the resolution the Cor
bett case was discussed by Mr.. Pettus and
Mr.. Hoar, an agreement having first been
reached to take final vote upon the case
on Monday, Feb. rs.
At the opening of the Senate the blind
chaplain delivered a touching invocation
with reference to the awful disaster to the
Maine The only reference thus far made
to the disaster to the battle ship Maine was
in the form of the following resolution in
troduced by Mr.. Allen:
Resolved, That the committee on naval
affairs be directed to. make an immediate
and thorough investigation into the cause of
the disaster to the battle ship Maine in the
harbor of Havana on the 18th inst, and re-
port to the Senate"
If the matter were taken up by the naval
committee, Mr.. Hale said, the best the COM
mittee could do would be to act through the
Navy Department. He was satisfied that
as soon as the secretary of the navy re-
explosion and it's details he would commu-
nicate the facts to Congress.
Mr. Allen objected to having the resolu-
ton sent to the committee naval affairs.
I'VE of u.s. said he, 'who are not members
Of the naval affairs committee, or of the
foreign relations committee, cannot get in
formation from the department about these
things We are shut out as completely as If
we were private citizens. / think i ought TO
get my information and l am deeply inter-
ested in this matter, through the committee
on naval affairs of this Senate. L do not
care to debate this matter or to indulge in
any extended discussion of it. What want
is action by the committee that will give US
information"
Mr.. Chandler objected to the resolution,
and it went over until tomorrow
Mr.. TIlrpie's resolution declaring that the
sale Of the Kansas Pacific ought not TO De
confirmed unless the government received
not only the principal, but also the interest,
of its claim was then laid before the Senate
and Mr. Thurston resumed his remarks
upon it. He pointed out that the entire DEBT
of the Union Pacific Railroad, which in
cluded the Kansas Pacific branch, to the
government was about 100000. Ihe SAFE
of the main and branch lines would return
to the government $65,OOO,000 or 81 per cent.
of the roads indebtedness to the United
States, principal and interest. This, Mr..
Thurston held, was piece OF GOOD nilan-
ciering on the part of the President, VINO,
he said, was better informed upon the value
OF the road and all the details bearing upon
that value than any other official or the
government in Congress or out. lie polnteu
out that if the sale of the Kansas racine
were not confirmed the President would
have no other alternative than 10 reueeHi
the first mortgage bonds, and thus, instead
of having in the treasury more thdn
$6OO0,0OO as a result Of the sale, the govern
ment would have to invest about $IVVO,VOO
more in cash to redeem the nrst mortgage
bonds, and then would have on It's httnuS d
property that was of SO little value, as com
pared with what some senators 1mdSlheu
that not a single one of the great railroads
centering in Kansas City thought enough
of it to venture q bid upon 1T at the sale
yesterday. Mr.. Thurston regarded the set
Element effected by the administration OF
the whole Pacific railroad business as emil
nently satisfactOry-a far better settlement
better by nearly $2O0OO,OO0, than that pro-
posed to have been made by the Cleveland
hands of the President, and the country
may well be satisfied with the discretion,
the business sagacity, the judgment ana the
craftsmanship Of William Mckinley
Replying to Mr. Thurston, Mr. Harris
read a telegram he had received last night
from Topeka, Kan, as follows: Govern
to ST. Louis to have Sanborn approve sale
in the morning" Mr.. Harris said he did
not know what practical effect the passage
of the pending resolution might have, but II
was evident that the purchasers were mani
Testing remarkable haste to secure the con-
firmat1on of tho sale.
made by MIR. Rawlins and in opposition by
Mr.. Gear While Mr.. Warran was speaking
the morning hour expired, ana the resolu-
tion its privilege having been lost, went to
the calendar.
Mr.. German suggested that the Corbett
case DC voted upon Monday, Feb. 20 at 3
D. m. This was agreed TO.
The Corbett case was temporarily laid
aside and Mr. Turpie moved to take up his
resolution relating to the Kansas Pacific
sale. The motion was agreed to-4 to %
The vote then taken on Mr.; Hale's
Irotion to refer the resolution to the com
mittee, the motion being lost-3l to 30. The
resolution was then adopted-4 to % the
detailed vote being as follows:
Yeas-Allen, Baker, Bate, Berry, Cannon,
field. Jones of Arkansas, Kenney. Kyle,
Mallory, Mantle, Martin, Mills, MITCHELL
Money, Morgan, Nelson. Pasco, Perkins,
Pettigrews Pettuss Rawlins. Roach, Teller,
Tillman, Turley, Turney, Turpie, Vest-34.
Nays-Carter. Chandler. Clark, Deboe, Ell
kins, Fairbanks, Foraker, Frye, Gallinger,
Gear, Gray, Hanna, Hansbrough, Hoar,
Lindsay. Lodge, Mcbride. Mcmillan, Ma
son, morrill,, Plat of Connecticut, Proctor,
Quay, Sewell, Stewart, Thurston, Warren,
Wilson, Wolcott-29.
The resolution as agreed to was as fol-
lows:
.Resolved, as the opinion of the Senate,
That the sale of the Kansas Pacific division
of the Pacific railroads, made to-day ought
not to be confirmed, except the terms
that the original claims and the interest
thereon due to the United States from said
railroad company of the Kansas Pacific di-
vision be paid in full by the bidders"
The Corbett case was laid before the Sen
ate and Mr.. Pettus concluded his speech in
support OF the resolution declaring Mr.. Cor
bett not TO be entitled to his seat.
Mr.. Hoar followed Mr.. Pettus with an ex-
tended legal and constitutional argument
liz favor of the seating of Mr.. Corbett. The
Senate then, at 4:lO p. M, went into execu-
tive session and five minutes afterward adj
journed.