The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-12-17
CulbersOn Plays Insurance
 Grafters.
WARM TIMES IN SENATE
Intriguers ef Panama RevO-
 luti0n Attacked.
Position of Mir. Bishop, Prsss Agent of the Canal Commission, wiii be Abolished, Says Senator
 Hale.

Washington, Dec. 16.-Tne senate today passed the Panama canal emer- gency appropriation bill. but the result was not attained until after the de- bate on the bill had been continued the greater part of the day to the ex- clusion of practically all other bust- ness. Set speeches were made by MT. Bacon in advocacy of his amendments requiring estimates for canal commits sion salaries; by Mir. Allison. who de- voted himself largely to the details. by Mir Culberson, who criticised the employment of Mir. Bishop as press agent" by MT. Stone, who criticised the purchase of American ships to car- " Panama supplies after the announc- ed determination to go abroad for ves- sells under the conditions ther existing. and by Mir. Newlands, who expressed the opinion that the construction of the canal should have been intrusted to the geological survey.
 A substitute for Mir. Bacon's amend rent offered by Mir. Hale was accepted. It specifically requires that Congress shall be supplied with regular esti- mates of all salaries except those paid to faborers skilled and unskflled. Oth- erwise the bill was passed as reported from committee.
 . During the day Mfr. Hale made the Authorized announcement that Mir. Bishops duties as a press agent" would be discontinued.
 shonts's Salary Too High.
 Mir. Gal1inger spoke on the merits of the salary roll. saving that he had be- lieved that Mir. Shonts's salary is too high and that he was certain that the $1aoo0 paid to Mir. Bishop as a press ngent,"N is, beyond all reason. "and hope he said. that in due time that gentleman will perform more work or that his salary will be reduced to $5,- 900. the sum paid his predecessor"
 With these and perhaps few other exceptions, he believed the pay roll reasonable. He especially defended the $1000e payments to the. Auditor and 5 Purchasing Agent. and quoted the tes- timony of Secrstary Taft showing that! they dad already, saved the govern: ment $a4o.ooo. by securing a reduction of the figures of the lowest bidders.
 Mir Cuibsrson supported his amend fnent providing that no part or the money appropriated shall be, paid for the maintenance of a literary bureau He said 1t is not aimed at any indi- viduRl and that he believed Mfr. Bishop to be an honest candid and straight forward man, and he had found him more frank In defining hts duties than either Secretary Taft or Mir. Shonts had been
 Mir Culberson understood, he said. that direct assurance had been given by the administration that the posi- tion occupied by MT. Bishop would be abolished. and with that assurance in, view he would at the proper time withdraw the amendment
 Mir. Hale said the committee on ap- propriations had been q unit as to the undesirability of the system inaugu- rated in MT. Bishops position. He added:
 T am authorized to state. and state here. that 1t is the view of the
 T h lieve, of every senator here, that 1t is improper and useless"
 IndefensibIe and Infamous.
 MT. Culberson expressed the opinion that the method of securing control of the Isthmus has been "indefensible and infamous in morals"
 He called attention to the fact that while the original estimate for the complete construction of the canal had been $1S4,000,000, there had already been expended no less than ST5,500,000. Of this amount, he said, ten million dollars had been paid to the intriguers who under the shadow of the capitol in Washington had planned the Pana- ma revolution.
 Speaking of the salaries paid in the canal work. he said that doubtless some of them were extravagant. but he was not prepared to agree that there had been an attempt to place these salaries on the same basis as the salaries paid by the large insurance companies.
 Speaking of these companies he said:
 ''They are the greatest aggregation of lordly thieves and unconscionable perjurers this age has yet developed. They invaded the sanctity of legisla- lures. state and national, and one ot the most humiliatins circumstances connected with the hole business is the fact that they found a Democrat on whom they fastend their graft at 25 per cent. of the amount required to secure the services of Republican for tho same work.
 MT. Stone recalled the policy am nouuced by the canal authorities last spring with reference to the purchase of foreign ships to be used in the canal work when they could be secur- ed more expeditiously afrd<more cheap ly than American vessels. The policy had. he said, met with his instant ap- proval, but he was sorry to say that while it had been '1naugurated with much laundering, 1t had gone out with a fizzle."
 He referred to Mir. Bishop as the Argus Eyed purveyor of canal litera- ture" whose duties were "to guard the canal enterprise against the machin- ations of a wicked world" He said two ships were brought from the Ward Line at the price of s1.30O.0oO. This purchase. Mir. Stone contended had been made at the price given when two vessels of equal capacity could have been bought in England for $75O,000.
 MT. Galiinzer said that the English ships belonged to a concern that had failed and were a bargain counter af- fair and they were disposed of to oth- CT parties before the proffer at the price given could be investigated.
 ,Mr. Culberson withdrew his amend nnent and the bill was passed without division.
 At 4:s6 D. m. the Senate went into executive session and at 4:5S adjourn ed.