The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-04-27
Tie Vote I'm the Committee on the
Powers of Commissioners.
AN EIGHT-HOUR LABOR BILL
FAVORABLE REPORT DIRECTED BY
THE HOUSE COMMITTEE.
ChandIer's Measure to CurtaiI Issue of
Free Passes to Be Considered
by the senate.

tee of the Senate to-day on the question of
reporting the bill charging the powers of
the Interstate-commerce Commission which
resulted in a tie of four to four. There
were three absentees, and of these Sena-
tors Aldrich and Chiffon were paired. the
latter for and the former against the bill.
Senator Lindsay. the other absentee. was
not paired, and the chairman was author
lied to consult him and then to act accord
ingly. The four senators who voted for
the bill were Messrs. Cullom, Chandler,
Allen and Tillman. and those who cast
their votes in the negative, Messrs. Gear,
LI6ins, Wolcott and Kean.
Later in the day, and after a conference
with Senator Lindsay, Senator Cullom re-
| ported the bill to the Senate adversely. 1t
was. however, not indefinitely postponed
| when reported, as most bills are when sent
back from committee with unfavorable
recommendation, but was placed on the
calendar, so that it may be called up and
| acted upon just as if it had been reported
favorably.
The House committee on labor, at a
| special meeting to-day, directed a favorable
| report on the Gardner eight-hour bill,
/ which has attracted much attention in la
Dor circles and among contractors for gov
| eminent work. The vote was unanimous
in it's favor. In its amended form the bill
is as follows:
THAT each and every contract hereafter
made to which the United States, any Ter
ritory or the District of Columbia is a
party. and every such contractsmade for or
on behalf of the United States or any Ter
I ritory or said District, which may require
or involve the eynnl0vupepf of 1ah0rarS nj
mechanics, shall contain a provision that
!, no laborer or mechanic doing any part of
the work contemplated by the contract in
| the employ or the contractor or any sub
| contractor contracting for any part of said
work shall be required or permitted to
work more than eight hours in any one
calendar day; and each and every such
contract shall stipulate a penalty for each
violation of the provision directed by this
| act of s. for each laborer, or mechanic, for
each and every calendar day in which he
shall labor more than eight hours; and any
| officer or person designated as inspector of
the work to be performed under any such
contract or to aid in enforcing the fulfill
ment thereof, shall upon observation or
of the United States, or any Territory, or
the District of Columbia, all violations of
the provisions in this act directed to be
made in each and every such contract, and
the amount of the penalties stipulated in
any such contract shall be withheld by the
officer or person whose duty Ii shall be to
1 pay the moneys due under Sucn contract,
whether the violation of the provisions of
such contract is by the contractor, his
agents or employees, or any subcontractor,
his agents or employees. No person on be-
half of the United States. or any Territory.
or the District of Columbia, shall rebate or
remit any penalty imposed upon any pro-
vision or stipulation herein provided for,
| unless upon a finding which he shall make
up and certify that such penalty was I'M
posed by reason of an error of fact.
Nothing in this act shall apply to con-
tracts for transportation by land or water,
or so much of any contract as is to be per-
formed by way of transportation, or for
such materials as may usually be bought in
| open market. whether made to conform to
| particular specifications or not.
1.-THE proper officer on behalf of the
United States, any Territory of the District
of Columbia may waive the provisions and
stipulations in this act provided for, as to
| contracts for military or naval works or
supplies during time of war or a time when
war is imminent. No penalty shall be ex-
| acted for violations of such provisions due
to extraordinary emergency caused by fire,
| flood or danger to life or property. Nothing
in this act shall be construed TO repeal or
modify Chapter 352 of the laws of the
Fifty-second Congress-. approved Aug. l.,
| 1892. or as az attempt to abridge the par
doning power of the executive.
Xxx
The Senate committee on interstate COM
merce to-day authorized a favorable re-
port upon Senator Chambers bill con-
corning the giving of railroad passes. 1t
prohibits the Issuing of free passes except
as authorized by the existing law and clas-
sifies such conduct as unjust discrimina-
tion," making corporations as we'll as in
diyiduals liable for an infraction of the
law. 1t also requires corporations granting
passes to keep a record of them which shall
be open to the inspection of stockholders.
The House committee On Indian affairs
to-day directed favorable report or the
bill creating a ommitte to consider the
establishment of a national reserve or park
of the Leech lake, W-innebagoshish and
CasS lake Indian reservations I'm Mime
sofa. comprising about $4,000 acres. The
commission was fixed at three members
from each branch of Congress and an ap-
preparation of 5000 was allowed.
The committee also reported favorably
the bill allowing Indians in the Indian Ter
ritory to emigrate to Mexico, the emigra-
ton to be under the direction of the secre-
tary of the interior and in bands af 300.
Mexico gives the Indians an opportunity to
return to the tribal relations and nomadic
habits and they prefer this to the ~restric-
lions now imposed on them and also as a
means of avoiding the spread Of tubercu-
lcsis and other diseases which have deci-
mated them of late.
Xxx
Senator Burrows introduced a bill i'm the
Senate to-day authorizing the President
ito select from the retired list of the
army an officer not above the rank of
brigadier general who may have distin-
guished himself during the war with Spain
in command of a separate army and to
appoint him TO be major general on the re-
tired list" The bill is in the interest of
General Shafter.
The present dispute between Chile and
Peru is an issue of the last war between
those two countries. about fifteen years
ago. One of the terms of peace was that
the victor. Chile, should occupy the two
valuable Peruvian provinces of Tacna and
africa, adjoining the Chilean boundary on
the north, for a period of ten years. AT the
end of that time the people of the provinces
were to determine by their vote whether
their lands should remain in the possession
of Chile or revert TO Peruvian sovereignty.
In the first case Chile was to pay Peru
10000, 600 silver soles. while If the province
was returned TO Peru the government of
that country was TO pay TO Chile a cor
responding sum of money. The allegation
IS now that the treaty provision on this
point was not executed; that there was no
plebisciIe and that no money was promised.
Because the United States was deeply inter-
ested in bringing about the peace which
terminated the bitter war between Chile
and Peru. ii is probably assumed by the
Peruvians that our government likewise
retains an interest In he execution OF the
terms of settlement. Our government has
not manifested any particular interest i'm
the subject, and has not received any appli-
cation up TO this time from either OF the