Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-17
One Amendment Adopted BY
the Senate.
ESTIMATES OFSALARIEH
ALL BUT FOR LABORERS MUST IN
SUBMITTED TO CONGRESS. I
secretary Bishops Duties as a Press
Agent" Are to Be Discontinued 4
The Purchase of Ships. ~

The Senate yesterday afternoon passeA
the Panama canal emergency approprts~
ton bill, but the result was not attainedi
until after the debate on the bill had beer
continued the greater part of the day to
the exclusion of practically all other busfd
iess' Set speeches were made by Nh
bacon, IN advocacy of his amendment REL
quiflhs estimates for canal commission sels.
aries; by Mr.. Allison, who devoted himself
largely to the details of the bill; by Mr.
Cuiberson, who criticised the employment
OF Mr.. Bishop as press AGENT by Mr.
Stone. who criticised the purchase o6
American ships to carry Panama supnlieS
in face of the announced determine ton I'd
60 abroad for vessels under the conditions
then existing. and by Mr.. Newlands, who
expressed the opinion that the construo<
tlon OF the canal should have been intrustS
ed to the geological survey.
substitute for Mr.. Bacon's amendments
offered by Mr.. Hale. was accepted. II
specifically requires that Congress shall ~
supplied with regular estimates of all saI..
ap6 apies except those paid to iaborers skilled
passed as reported from committee
Mr. Bishops Salary Criticised.
Mr.. Gallnger declared he had believed;
that Mr.. Shonts' salary is too high. anX
ne was certain that the $4,000 paid Mr.
blshop as a press agent" is beyond alE
reason, and l hope" he said that III
oue time that gentleman will perform more
work. or that his salary will be reduced t6
SS,ooo' the sum paid his predecessor" With
these, ana perhaps a few other exceptions.
ne peIleVed the payroll reasonable He
especially defended the $40 600 payments tot
the auditor and the purchasing agent and
quoled the testimony of Secretary Taft IN
support or this contention. showing that
they had already saved the governments
s1fo,ooo by securing a reduction OF the fgs
ures of the lowest bidders
Mr Hopkins suggested that If all tb>
have been saved
Mr.. Culberson supported his amendments
proVlolhg that no part of the money apv
propriated snail be paid for the maInte~
nance OF literary bureau He said n -
not aimed at an individual and that Id
peneved Mr. Bishop to be an honest, cam
dld ana straightforward man and he had
round him more frank in defining his dutie.
than either Secretary Taft or Mr. Shonts
had been.
MI. Mr.. Culberson understood. he said. that
direct assurance had been given by the ad
minlstration that the position occunied hv
ME- Bishop would be abolished and with
that assurance In view he would at the
proper time withdraw the amendment
Press Agency to Be Abolished
Mr.. Hale spoke of the difficulties in deal.
Ing with a single position in legislation
and he said the committee on appropria.
lions had been unit as to the undesira.
olity OF the system inaugurated in Mr, <
Bishops case. He added: Il am author.
zed to state and l state here that this
view of the committee on appropriationS
md of. believe, every senator here that s
Il Is improper and useless and leads
TO no good results, IS recognized nv
the administration and that hereafter the
secretary of the commission Is to be given
duties SO that the whole ma
,hlnery OF the press bureau is to be dis
That will be done as an admin
strative measure and there Is no opposi.
ion to the change on the part of any one.''
Mr. Culberson expressed the hope that
usted, but Mr.. Hale said he had been given
10 authority to speak on that point. That
would be a matter OF future legislation.
Mr.. Culberson expressed the opinion that
he method of securing control of the 18TH
nus had been ''indefcnsibIe in law and in
amous in morals. " He called attention to
or the complete construction of the canal
lad been s1S4.0oo.0ge. there had already
,een expended no less than S765o00oo OF
his amount, he said, ten million dollars had
,een paid to the intriguers who. under the
shadow of the Capitol in Washington, had
damned the Panama revolution.
Insurance Officials Denounced.
Speaking of the salaries paid In the canal
york, he said that doubtless some of them
we're extravagant, but he was not pre-
ared to agree that there had been an at
empt to place these salaries on the same
asis as the salaries paid by the large In
urance companie'\ Speaking of these
he said: They the great
st aggregation of lordly thieves and un-
onscionable perjurers this age has yet de-
eloped They invade all fields; they trafs
C In political influence without regard
party lines. a merchant with the wares
n his shelves. They have invaded the
anctity of legislatures, state and national,
nd one of the most humlliating circum-
tances connected with the whole business
, the fact that they found democrat on
rhom they fastened their graft at 25 per
ent of the amount required to secure the
,rvices OF republican for the same work."
Mr. Stone recalled the policy announced
v the canal authorities last spring, with
sference to the purchase of foreign ships
, be used in the canal work, when they
ould be secured more expeditiously and
lore cheaply than American vessels. The
olicy had, he said. met with his instant
pproval but he was sorry to say that