Omaha daily bee., 1899-03-08
CONGRESS- LIBERAL TO WEST
Largest Amount Ever Appropriated for This
Section is Granted,
TwENTY-FoUR PUBLIC BUILDINGS INCLUDED
No way is Found to Long Delay Sale
of Government Building, Although
Nothing VIII lie Done Before
Exposition Delegates Arrive.

| WASHINGTON, March 7.--(Special Tele-
/ gram Interest in the work OF the closing
/ hours of congress far appropriation
bills go Is seen on every hand in depart
ments and out among Legislators and those
having interests in various measures. on
| the whole Nebraska and states Immediately
around the Antelope state have come out
of the crucible of the conference between
3 the two houses of legislation greatly bene-
fitted. The river and harbor bill carries
$4,000 for improvement of the Missouri
river on the Nebraska side opposite Sioux
City, Ia, and from the lower limits thereof
/ to a point opposite Elk Point in South Da
| kota.
The sundry civil bill carries an appropria-
! tion of $4,000 for continuing the improve
ment OF the Missouri river at Omaha and
I Council Bluffs. Also for the purpose of
completing the resurvey of lands of Grant
and Hooker counties, Nebraska, $4,000 is
made Immediately available.
The general deficiency bill, which was the
last to pass both houses and which was
next to the last signed by the president on
| March 4, although the act bears the date
! of March to make good the legislative
! fiction of time governing the last hours of
/ congress, carries number of items of
: interest to Nebraska. For the old postotllce
/ building at Omaha the sum of $4,000 IS
appropriated to put the same in repair for
the occupancy of the headquarters of the
Department of the Missouri. Forty thousand
dollars was asked for by the secretary of
war, but the sum was cut down to the
| amount named.
| W. II. Michael of Grand Island, chief
clerk in the State department, is given $4,000
| for labor and material expended on COM
| plation of laws relating to navy and marine
corps.
| The amendment which Senator Thurston
secured to the Indian bill and later to the
general deficiency bill, complying with the
| terms Of the statute regarding the Indian
supply depot at Omaha, was knocked out
| in conference as one of the last acts of the
| conferees on that measure. He will have
an interview with Secretary Hitchcock re-
garding the amendment before leaving
| Washington
Bert Wheeler OF Omaha, the clerk of the
committee on public buildings and grounds
| of the house, has prepared a statement as
| to the amount of appropriations carried in
| the general deficiency bill to meet new legis-
! lation so far the erection of public build
| ings and purchase of sites are concerned,
which passed congress during its closing
| hours.
Tue statement shows that the bills that
| passed the senate carried S12 425, 900. Those
| lHdJ pdSStu Tue uUuSe W PJ,c-O,-
| 800
Money for Western states.
Iowa secures 100000 by reason OF new
| legislation, divided follows: Dubuque,
500 900; Creston, $50 900; Clinton, s1OO,O 900;
Oskaloosa, $4,000.
In Nebraska, Omaha secures 100000, of
which SIPS 900 is made Immediately available
and authority is given the secretary of the
/ treasury to make continuing contract to
| cover the total cost of the building, fixed
at 81, 500, 900. Blair obtains $43 600, of which
! $2l 900 is made available Immediately. Hast
| ings and Norfolk get $4,000 each for pur-
chase of sites
South Dakota is taken care Of with an
appropriation for public building at Aber-
deem to cost $S7 900, with an immediate ap-
preparation of $435O0
OF buildings authorized seventeen were
given to the eastern states, carrying an ap-
preparation or authorization of S2,S75, 900.
| Sixteen go TO southern states, carrying an
appropriation or authorization of 81, ,O92, 900:
| nine to middle western states, with an ap-
proprietion of $4,437,OOO, and twenty
to western states, with an appropriation Of
| S2,996,9OO. This is the largest amount ever
! appropriated by any congress for western
states
General Spaulding today speaking of the
request made on the part OF Senator
| Thurston and Mr. Mercer to withhold aD-
| praisement and sale of the government eX-
, position building at Omaha in view of the
Greater America Exposition, said that the
| failure OF congress to legislate for said
building makes It mandatory upon the
| Treasury department to apprase the build
ing and sell 1t within a reasonable time.
Sale Cannot BE Long DcInyed
At the request of Senator Thurston. who
has been Informed that several members of
the Greater America Exposition associa-
tion will come to Washington in a few days
with view to securing some action on the
part of the Treasury department which has
now direct charge of the building and pos.
sibly the loan of some OF the exhibits Cen
eral Spaulding said that he would hold the
matter in allegiance for a short time.
Spaulding said he would like to obligs
Omaha people, but the act providing for
government building and exhibit at the
Transmississippi Exposition is now In force
in view OF the failure to secure action dur
ing the last session of congress for disposal
| OF the building and he would be compelled
to go ahead with the sale of the structure
at an early date Under the terms of the
! act the city of Omaha will have the first
right to purchase the building, then the
ilhHSHlhslsslppl hApOslllOH, anu SnOull
neither of these interests desire the build
ing 1t will then be sold to the highest bid
der for cash, The Nashville, Tenn, gov
ernment exhibit building brought about $500
and 1t is thought that the building at Omaha
! will not bring much more than that hgure.
Cold Wave in Gulf states.
| WASHINGTON, March THE weather
! bureau officials say that by tomorrow a
cold wave will cover the Atlantic coast
states. The temperature in Washington will
fall twelve or fourteen degrees to about de-
grees above before tomorrow morning, and
north of here the mercury will fall from 20
to % degrees. 1t will not be any colder in
the south than II is now and just at present
II is warmer in Kew England than south of
tbat section. Later in the day, however, a
decided change is predicted throughout New
| England. The weather will be very severe
all along the New Jersey and New England
coast.
Chief Clerk of War Department..
WASHINGTON, March THE secretary
Of war today appointed John c. Scoheld
now private secretary TO the assistant sec