The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-12-07
PAY FOR THE
 CANAL WORK Bill is Discussed in the House. $l6.5)o, poo IS A KSD FOR
 e-- Criticism B .cauS. Estimates
 Are NO. Ill De.ali. Clayton of Alabama Very Much Inter ested In Statement That Com e mission Has Press Agent
 ct elo,0oO Year.

Washington, Dec. 6--with an oppor- tunlly Ior unsiniiLed oebate on the sao- ject or the rans,iIia Canal the House 1, ,exnausted its oratory on the sapJecS In session of four and three-quarIer hours today. The bill appropriaIing xIp,ou0.0vv TOT canal work, whtcn was the supyect of discussion. wiii DC read for adoption, and paced on it's final passa a tomorrow. The feature of the de.a was the criticism indulxed in by botu sepublicans and Democrats re- garding the incompieteness of the statement of expenditures and esu- mates authorized by the canal commis- sion.
 MT. Hepburn. in charge of the bill made some effort to show that while detailed estimate might be more sat- isfactory. at the same time members Of the House were not in a position to pass critical judgment on estimates for such work prepared by expert engi- neers who hold responsible positions and who had been selected entirely be- cause of their fitness.
 Bourke Cochran of New York took decided exception to. this attitude on the part. of Mir. Hepburn, applied 1t as affecting all matters of appropriation and.arraigned 1t as decidedly the wrong attitude of Legislators. To enforce his argument he read the sentiment of the President fin his message for economy and scrutiny of appropriations.
 The so-cailed press agent" of the canal commission was criticized by sev- erai speakers and lack of definite in- formation as to. the excuse Of such n position was shown The place was declared to carry salary of $f0. 900 year and some curiosity was manifest cd to know what were it's duties. Representative Ransdale and Robert son Of Louisiana took the oath Of of- flee Unanif1ous coisent was obtained by Mfr. Hepburn for immediate eonsid- eration Of the canal btif
 Demeerats wfu Not Hamper.
 Pending the request Mfr. Williams, the minority leader. took occasion to eharacterise Gls request as unusuai. but he s&i6 the pecAazits was unusual. There waA no 1fsposition on stl1e Demo cratic eide to delay the appfopriatioii. He fepnd come fatilf with the parp0rt of the statement ofTE3paeg wasch had been spent. saying fts vas not An item; iSed etnfefaenl ss ,, ! igs 4 ss
 Bscause tfg bili regulated tho tax on the proposed canal bonds MT Payne fN. Y.) said 1t should n ave gone to the Ways and Means Committee, but he would not protest.
 The, bill was then considered by the House as the committee of the whole. with Mfr. Yreeland in the chair. WI EsSRV0Iu UGK Au -- tuS Ql8CueGtOn of the measure. He reviewed the canal work. stating that $I0.000,000 had been expended and that particular attention had been, paid to housing employees on the isthmus and in rehabiiitatinR the machinery the French company had left there. rag.
 There was q pay roll on the isthmus containing the names of moref than iS.000 persons They were paid twice d ra0nthsa ana fhAra xun,.fA I.o suo e,.-sm to meet the payment due December i5 unless the bill sho ( i pass.
 Replying to a question by Mir. Little- field (Maine) as to the amount ex- pended for salaries. Mir. Hepburn said there were twenty~six salaries over e5.00o; six between $4.000 and S5, ,0o0: ffty-six between $3.o0o and 5000 and 136 between S2,000 and S3.000.
 These included engineers and persons of higher skill.
 It was stated In reply to C. B. Landis that the value of the Panama Railway stock had been estimated at $7,O00, 900, but Mir. Hepburn could not recall the estimated value placed on the ma chinery and equipment before 1t was purchased by the United States.
 Machinery of Frenehmem.
 But 1t was announced. was 1t not" Mr. Landis. that this ma chinery was valuable and that the equipment was such as could be- utii- ized?"
 Tt was." replied Mir. Hepburn.
 Mir. Fitzgerald (N. Y.) said that he had been informed that sl0.000 a year was being paid to press agent In this city. Mr. Hepburn said he had not heard of the matter before. He did not believe 1t proper appropriation of the canal funds, and suggested that Mr. Fitzgerald pursue his information.
 MT. Williams suggested that an es- timate be secured from the committee as to the amount necessary to carry on the work on the isthmus until Jam uary.
 An explanation of the purchase of the two steamers Mexico and Havana were asked for by. Mr. wadsworth IN. Y). Mir. Hepburn replied that he understood N,at three steamers origin l ally purchased as a part of the prop erty of the French Canal Company were not capable of transporting the required material to the sthmus
 Fault was found by Mir. Olmsted (Pa.) i and MT. Kahn fCaL) with the state- ment of expenditures furnished. Mir. | Heuburn concurrcd in this opinion.
 The floor was yielded to Mir. Will 1, Hams (Miss.) who gave notice of cer- tain amendments he should offer to the l bill later. He declared the cananl | non partisan question. The amendment | he would offer would he to strike ou, | the sum of s1s.500.000 in the bill and | insert an amount he should endeavor | to ascertain absolutely necessary to | carry on the work until January next.
 No Need for Bond Iaue.
 Asserting that there was $40.000, ,000 belonging to the United States now on deposit without interest in n" nation al banks Mir Williams sa = would object to the Issuance oi bonds on which two per cent. would be paid to secure money to build the canal. Fall ing in striking out the entire bonding provision. he should move to strike out the provision reimbursing the treas- ury to the amount appropriated in the bill from the proceeds of the bond sale.
 He called attention to the original act authorizing bonds for the canal and said It was plain thsre was noth- Ing mandatory about t. He main- tained that the position he took was not a movement against national banks.
 At the suggestion of Mir. Fitzgerald (N. Fl Mfr. Williams said he would