Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1903-02-17
ABUSE Of PRIVILEGE.
Business OF Executive Sessions
Made Public by Betrayal
of Trust.
Mr.. MORGAN DEAOUNCES ACTION
No Debate on Statehood 6ill-severaI
Measures Passed by senate-House
Disposes of Number of Bills, De.
featina Only Two.

Washington, Feb. 17.-There was
no debate on the statehood bill In the
senate yesterday. The Indian appro-
priation bill and the Philippine cur
rency bill were both passed. Mr..
Vest, while the Indian bill was up,
called attention to point Of order
which had been made against one OF
Its provisions on the ground that it
was new legislation. All rules, he
said, were violated when majority
was in favor of any measure.
Mr.. Morgan, as question of privi-
lege, had read a recent communica-
ton addressed to him by Rafael
Reyes, Colombian minister to Mexico,
and which appeared in the public
prints, denying the accuracy of GER
tain statement alleged to have been
made by Morgan In the senate on Feb.
IL, that the president of Colon ia
had sold out and abdicated for ST, 000,-
900. He declared that If anything was
of the senate. Reyes, he said, seems
to be determined on the success or
the Panama scheme. THE coinci-
dence of the double assault on me"
he said, is quite cute enough to have
been enacted in the Panama canal
school and is brazen enough to have
been prepared In the Office of New
York railroad wrecker."
AS the statements of his (Morgan)
did not appear in the public records
of the senate the statement. he said,
is false or was surreptitiously obtain
ed. He then spoke of leaks" In the
senate. For years, he said he had
witnessed the abuse Of senators by
eavesdropping, or betrayal by persons
who have had the right or privilege
OF being present at executive sessions
OF the senate, and he had long since
ceased to expect anything else. 1t
was a cowardly form Of calling a SEN
ator to account for remarks or state
ments fade in confidence. The evil
seems to be without remedy, he con
tinued, and the only safety OF sena-
tors is in open sessions. Reyes, he
said, violated principle OF diplomacy
by obtaining his information surrep-
titiously through persons who violated
their trust.
At the conclusion of Mr.. Morgan's
remarks these bills were passed. Ap-
propriating $4,000 to compensate
the Old Point Comfort Improvement
company for the demolition and re-
moval Of the Hygeia hotel property
from the government reservation at
Old Point Comfort, Va; to authorize
Washington and Westmoreland coun-
ties. Pa. to construct bridge across
the Monongahela river; resolution
granting to the New York and New
Jersey railroad company the right to
construct and operate an underground
railway under land owned by the
United States in New York city.
At 4:10 O'Clock the senate went into
executive session and at 4:40 D. m.
adjourned.
In the House.
The house disposed Of a number Of
bills yesterday under suspension OF
the rules, defeating two The most
important measure passed was the
senate bill to amend the railroad
safety appliance law. A special OF.
der was adopted which practically will
make the Fowler currency bill con-
tinuing order for the remainder of the
session, not, however, to interfere
with conference reports, appropria-
ton bills and other privileged mat
tiers. To amend the act to establish
lighthouse depot for the second
lighthouse district in Boston harbor
80 as TO permit the secretary of tho
treasury to locate the site on ground
owned by the United States; to au-
thorize the president to appoint and
retire William Mccarthy Little as a
captain in the navy; to authorize the
Arkansas Coal and Mineral Railroad
company to construct a bridge across
the Arkansas river at Moores Rock:
to grant an American register to the
steamer Beaumont; for the erection
OF a keepers dwelling at Crosse Isle
Detroit river; to authorize a railroad
bridge across the Tennessee river al
q point between Lewis Bluff and Gun
tersville, Ala; to construct a light
house and fog signal at Burrows
island, Washington; to issue a patent
10 certain lands to Buffalo. Wyoming;
TO grant the Kenova and Big Sandy
railroad right of way through locks
and 8 Of the Big Sandy river; to
grant the Central Arizona company.
right of way through the San Fran
cisco mountain reserve, and to extend
the coal land laws to the district Of
Alaska.
A bill to authorize George A. Camp
bell and associates to use the waters
of the Coosa river, In Alabama, for
the purpose Of generating electricity,
was defeated, 81 to AZ (not two
thirds), as was bill to open to settle
ment $4,000 acres of land in the
Kiowa, Comanche and Apache reser-
walton, 35 to H..
At $40 p. m. the house adjourned.
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Inventor Dead.