The National tribune., 1902-02-13
AT WORK.
The Senate Has a Tumultuous
Week, but Passes the Pension
Bill-The House Passes the
Big Legislative Bill.

The proceedings of the Senate have
been somewhat enlivened during the past
week by the injection of the case OF the
alleged official corruption ut Cape Nome,
Alaska, into the discussions.
Ca Tuesday the Philippine Tariff Bill
was temporarily laid aside for the consId-
Grafton OF the Urgent Deficiency Bill,
which passed the House the week before.
The Senate also, after Il brief discus
sion, passed the bill for an increase Of 70
per cent. i'll the salaries of the United
states Judges, but the effort to raise the
salaries of Cabinet officers to SlU,UUO was
defeated. The salary of the Cabinet OIii-
ger is now $500 per annuIn, the same as
that of the Nice-President and the Speaker
of the House
During the afternoon Mr.. John f. Dry
den, who succeeds the late Gen. Sewell
as Senator from New Jersey. was sworn
IN and took his seat.
The Alaskan discussion, above alluded
to, was brought about by Senator Hans
brough, of North Dakota, who appears
rs the defender of Judge Arthur IL.
NOyes, who has recently had rather a
rough time of it in the San Francisco
courts, by which he was fined $1,000.
other members of the conspiracy to rob
miners getting off less easily with sen
tences to 20 TO Jail for different periods.
The story of the conspiracy, as brought
out, is to the effect that by means OF
scheme originated by man named Alex
.iuder Mackenzie, factitiuus contests We're
instituted against various paying placer
mines at Cape Nome, followed by the ap-
pointment of Mackenzie, or some other
member of the gang as receivers for the
property under very small bond. The
receiver would then proceed to have the
mines worked and the gold taken out, It
Is alleged, used to enrich the participants
IN the scheme. So notorious did the Op-
eratiOns of the cOnspiratOrs become that
arrests were finally made and the parties
brought to San Francisco for trial. MIR.
Mackenzie was convicted, but has ap-
pealed the case to the Supreme Court
and Judge Noyes was fined and has been
in Washington trying to fix up his fences.
according to report. 1t is also SAID that
the Judge will not return to Alaska, for
the good and sufficient reason that his life
would be put in jeopardy thereby.
The subject was brought to the atten-
ton of the Senate, first, By the publica-
ton OF newspaper article alleging that
the officials involved iii the scandal were
still drawing their salaries, under pro
.ection of certain powerful political in
iucnces. Naturally, Mr.. Tilman, of South
Carolina. ''pitch-fOrked" the subject in the
Senate III characteristic manner, and
informally it has become sort of unfn-
shed business, liable at any moment to
ntrude itself into the debates.
Senator Hansbrough's defense of Judge
NOyes, involving some criticism of the Cal
fornia courts, brought Senator Perkins to
the front, who Stoutly protested that the
California Judges who had so merciiessly
:courged Noycs were men of unimpeach-
able personal and judicial standing.
As the Senator from North Dakota saw
fit to make the argument of NOyes's at
torney a part of the record, Mr.. Tillman
proposed to put in the decision of the
court, but Senator McCumber, of North
Dakota, objected. and the hour being late
the subject was postponed, with the Sen
ator from South Carolina and the Sen
utors from North Dakota interested up to
the whitehead point.
The House of Representatives consumed
the day in arguing the case of the Amer
lean COW versus the oleOmargarine factor
ics;-and made little progress thereon.
On Wednesday, Senator Hale. who had
in charge the Urgent Deficiency Bill as
the unfinished business, made an appeal to
the warning factions, which had become
over night red-hOt. to suspend the Cape
Nome controversy, and to kindly refrain
from interjecting the case into the con
Sderation of the Deficiency Bill, and al
low it to be completed. before there should
he any more rhetorical fireworks.
The appeal was unheeded, however, for
McCumber and Tillman were soon at it
again hammer and tongs, although Mr..
Tillman preserved remarkable degree of
good nature, while the Senator from North
Dakota wrought his temper to point
where the sparks few. He characterized
the court of appeals at San Francisco as
having maligned an innocent man and faI-
sfied the actual condition of things in the
interest of mining syndicate.
In fact. Mr. McCumber, in his arraign-
ment of the court, surpassed all precedents