The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1914-02-20
ALASKAN RAILWAY
BILL PASSES HOUSE
READY FOR CONFERENCE NOW.
SIMILAR MEASURE HAS ALREA-
pY PASSED SENATE.

Washington Feb 19.-The House
passed the Alaskan railway bill to-
night by majority of 143 votes. The
opposition could muster only eighty
seven votes, whereas 230 votes were
cast for the bill. Texas furnished six
of the eighty-seven votes cast against
the measure, while nine Texans voted
for it. There were three not voting.
The bill, as it passed the house,
provides for the construction of rail-
road in Alaska to tap the Bertng and
Matanuska coal deposits, the road to
be constructed at cost not exceeding
$35,OOO,000 which sum is to be appro-
priated out Of the public treasury
without resorting to a bond issue. Tne
senate measure is now ready to go
to conference. The amendments made
to the senate bill are important, but
not of a character to endanger the BIZ,
in conference.
Bond Issue eliminated.
The most important change made
in the bill by the house was elemi-
nation of the section which proposed
$35, 100000 bond issue to raise the
funds with which to construct the
railroad Representative Fitzgerald
said that the government would pay
In, ;ntn Cttnh
bond issue in thirty years and char
acterized the bond issue as ridiculous.
His motion to strike out the bond
issue plan was carried by vote of
CT to 81. In discarding the bond is
sue project, the house adopted another
amendment by Mr.. Fitzgerald fixing
the limit of cost of the railroad at
25,000,000 and appropriated 100000
with which to commence work on the
railroad.
Another amendment offered by Mr..
Fitzgerald was adopted striking out
the fourth section of the bill This
section provided that for the creation
of a redemption fund in the Treasury
to be known as the alaska railway
redemption fund" into which should
be paid so per cent of all money de.
rived from selling public lands, town
sites, coal, mineral or timber and into
which should be paid all net earnings
of the Alaska railway above mainten-
ance charges and operating expenses
This money was to be used upon or
der of the President to pay the inter
est on the bonds which We're to be
authorized.
Pay Earnings Into Treasury.
Instead of the redemption fund the
house bill carries this provision Of
fered by Mr.. Fitzgerald and adopted
today:
THAT all moneys derived from the
lease, sale or disposal of any of the
public lands, including town sites in
Alaska, or the coal or mineral there
in contained, or the timber thereon,
and the net earnings of said railroad
or railroads above maintenance cost
shall be paid into the treasury of the
United States as other miscellaneous
receipts are paid and a separate ac-
count shall be kept and annually re-
ported to congress"
1t is significant that these amend
ments were offered by Representative
Fitzgerald of New York a reactionary
democrat who is opposed to the bill
and who after having the bill thus
amended, voted against the measure
The votes in the committee on the
whole on the Fitzgerald amendments
show how comparatively few of the
members of the house took part in this
final shaping of the bill. Under the
house provision the house apropria-
ton committee of which Mr.. Fitzger-
aid is chairman would have the max
ing up of the allowance each year for
the construction of the railroad,
whereas under the senate provision
the administration could proceed with
the work without having to go to the
appropriation committee each year for
such part of the money as the COM
mittee would recommend, with such
riders or conditions as the commit.
tee might from time to time decide
to write into the bill. This provision
in the house bill would give the op-
ponents OF the measure some fighting
chance every time the sundry civil
appropriation bill is made up with
items relating TO the prosecuting Of
work on that line.