The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-27

| Committee a bill for the purchase OF meta
| and the coinage of minor coins, which was
read and passed.
The bill making further provision for q
| civil government for Alaska was then
| taken up and its consideration was pro-
| ceeded with. Mr.. Perkins proposed a long
! amendment to the bill providing for Ii
| censes in various amounts to be assessed
| upon nearly all lines of business and trade
The amendment was dicussed by Messrs.
| Perkins, Gallinger, and Shoup, and was
agreed to.
The Porto Ricnn Bill.
At . o'clock the Porto Rico bill was laid
before the Senate as the unfinished bust
ness, and Mr. Foraker, who is in charge of
that bill, asked that it be laid aside tempo
rarily so that the Alaska bill might be
proceeded with.
After short colloquy between Messrs.
Hale Morgan, Allen, and Foraker Mr.
Morgan formally objected to the laying;
aside of the Porto Rican bill which he
said was not being pressed as it should be.
Mr.. Foraker stated that a conference on
the bill was to be held at o'clock in the
afternoon, and after that he proposed to
press it to a vote without yielding to any
personal requests.
tinued: Il have no disposition to find
fault with anybody. think that it is pretty
generally the wish of Senators that the
Porto Rican bill shall be brought to vote
at the earliest day possible. Commencing
tomorrow l shall insist on the considera-
tion of the unfinished business until it Is
disposed Of
Mr.. Morgan withdrew his objection and
consideration Of the Alaskan bill was re-
sumed. Mr. Hansbrough offered an
amendment providing that "aliens shall
not be permitted to locate, hold, or convey
mining claims, nor shall any title to
mining claim, acquired through an alien,
be legal"
Mr.. Hansbrough explained that his
amendment was directed against the Lap
landers, who had gone into Alaska with
reindeer and who had been first to reach d
rich mining region
Mr., Perkins favored the amendment as
being right in principle.
Mr.. Carter, in charge of the bill, also
favored the amendment He spoke of the
distinctions made against the American
miners in the Klondike. and said that it is
now proposed to permit Canadians, Lap
landers, Chinese. and Japanese to locate
mining claims in American territory in the
same manner as American citizens
might do
They call this" he said. "free mining,
but it is mining entirely too free to suit
the average American citizen, who finds
himself denied like privileges everywhere
else"
In the course of a long colloquy Mr..
Jones drew out the statement that Ameri-
can miners in British Columbia had to
give up one-tenth of their earnings TO that
Government. while no such burden was
imposed or foreign miners in the United
States. He thought that was decidedly un-
fair. The Secretary of the Interior. he de-
clared. has the authority to impose like
tax. and his not doing so was a sort of
subserviency to British interests which
was a simple outrage.
Mr. Carter explained how lot of Lap
landers, who had come to Alaska in charge
of herds of reindeer, which had largely
died out, MADE a rush for Cape Nome,
where they took up every desirable claim.
The bill as reported would give validity to
those locations. But the amendment Of
fered by the Senator from North Dakota
would leave those locations subject to the !
scrutiny of the courts. The courts would |
be required under it. to look up the citi- |
zenship of the miners. And that was in |
harmony, he said, with the time -honored |
policy of the Government.
Mr. Morgan suggested an amendment |
that the rights and privileges of mining |
for gold in Alaska shall be extended TO the |
subjects of Great Britain and Russia on |
the same terms and conditions as are |
granted by these Governments to citizens |
of the United States in the provinces bor- |
dering on the Arctic Ocean or Behring Sea. |
The bill went over without action being |
taken on Mr.. Hansbrough's amendment. |
and after a short executive session the |
Senate at 3;35 o'clock adjourned until to-