Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-01-21
CANAL BILL PASSED
Opponents of the Measure Caught
Mapping.
lHE R0LL-CALL SHOWED 4S TO 6
Mr.. Vest Denounces the Action as
Unprecedented.
REGULAR ORDER TAKEN UP

At the opening of tcdays session of the
Senate Mr.. Mcmillan (Mich) presented the
credentials of Julius Caesar Burrows re-
elected a senator from Michigan for a
term of six years, beginning March 4, 1899.
They were filed.
The resolution offered yesterday by Mr..
Cafery La.) requesting from the President
any information he may have received from
agents or representatives of the so-called
Philippine republic relative to conditions
in the Philippine Islands was laid before
the Senate.
Mr. Gallery said that the resolution was
very important. He thought it likely the
statements concerning the conditions in
the islands made in the public prints were
true. If they were true the question of
fact concerning the islands had an impor-
tant bearing the pending peace treaty
The resolution was adopted.
The following bills were passed: Granting
to the Clearwater Valley Railroad Com
pany a right of way through the Nez
the ST.. Louis, Sloan and Southern Rail-
road Company of Missouri and Arkansas
to construct a bridge across the White
river in Arkansas, extending the privilege
of immediate transportation of dutiabe
goods to the port of Astoria, Greg, pro-
Viding for the purchase of site and the
erection of public building thereon at
New Brighton, Pa, at a cost not TO eX-
coed $4,000, granting $4,000 to Mary A.
Swift, widow of the late United States
minister to Japan, amending an act en-
titled IAN act to provide for the location
and satisfaction of outstanding military
bounty land warrants and certificates OF
location under section of the act APPROX
ed June 2, 1s5S,' correcting the relative
rank of Richard r. Steedman, captain 18th
Infantry, United States Army.
Mr.. Lodge (Mass.} gave notice that on
Tuesday next, after the routine business, he
would discuss the Vest anti-expansion reso-
luton.
Spooner Amendment Adopted.
The Nicaragua canal bill was laid before
the Senate, the pending question being
upon the amendment of Mr.. Spooner (Wis)
The amendment was accepted by Mr.. Nor
gan and agreed to by the Senate. 1t fol-
lows: That if the President shall be
able to secure from the governments of
Nicaragua and Costa Rica such concessions
as will enable the United States to build
and perpetually own and control said canal,
the President is authorized to negotiate for
a control of or a right to construct. main
tain and perpetually control some other
canal connecting the Atlantic and Pacific
oceans, and the President is requested to
negotiate for the abrogation or modification
of any and all treaty obligations, if any
with the construction, ownership and per-
petual control of any such canal: Pro-
vided, that no payments shall be made
under the provisions of this act to or for
the benefit of the stockholders of the Mari
time Canal Company or for any of it's prop
erty unless the President shall decide to
construct a canal under the concessions
granted to said company
Passage of the Bill.
The Senate passed the Nicaragua canal
bill at 2:4S this afternoon without taking a
vote.
The opponents of the canal bill appeared
to have been caught mapping when that
measure was passed by the Senate without
a roll call. Mr.. Caffery was in the lobby
talking to a friend while this was going on
and no roll call the bill was demanded.
AS soon as 1t was learned that the bill had
actually passed the Senate there a
great furry, and Mr. Vest of Missouri said
that it was unprecedented to pass bill Of
such proportions without a roll call and
without even a quorum being present.
Meanwhile Mr.. Wolcott had called up the
anti-scalping bill. Objectian was made to
It's consideration and he moved that the bill
on the same subject which had been re-
ported from the committee be taken up.
Mr.. Chiffon thereupon raised the point OF
quorum
At this point Mr.. Vest entered the hall
and addressing the chair referred to the
unprecedented thing of bill of such
great Importance as the Nicaragua canal
bill being passed without roll call, and
said that he felt that he had a right to
have his vote recorded on the subject, and
that the Senate ought to reconsider the
action taken on that bill, so as to enable
a roll call. Before he proceeded further
the regular order was demanded, which
was a call of the Senate upon the point of
no quorum, which was raised against the
anti-scalpng bill.
RecOnsidered and Passed.
After the roll call had showed a quorum
to be present Mr.. Morgan asked unanimous
consent to have roll call on the canal bill,
which resulted in it's passage by a vote of
IS yeas to nays.