| Show AROUND THE CAPITAL The Pacific Railroads LeM II Hearing ANDERSON GIVES h VIEWS InterState Telegraphy gainst the S P The Public Printer Ko jjavUiu Public LandEtc Latest News from Washington INTERSTATE TELEGRAPHY WASHINGTON March 3The post office committee of the Senate today decided to report favorably what is known as tho Spooner bill to regulate interstate telegraphy There were some amendments made to the bill but they are chiefly of an explanatory nature na-ture and do not materially change the provisions of the bill The chief amendment is the incorporation of an equivalent to the long and short haul clause of the interstate commerce bill but is a provision that it shall unlawful unlaw-ful to charge more for transmitting a I than for message a short distance transmitting one a long distance in the I same direction REGARDING PUBLIC LAND The Senate committee on public lands today considered the proposed amendments to general land forfeiture It agreed to report favorably upon the provision fixing the price ot laud forfeited for-feited and opened to settlement under the bill at SI to 25 per acre COMMISSIONER ANDERSONS ADDRESS The Senate special committee to whom was referred the reports of tho Pacific Railroad Commission gave a further hearing today on matters relating re-lating to affairs of the Union Pacific Commissioner Anderson addressed the committee explaining substantially as he had previously explained to the House committee the provisions of the commissions bill At the outset he was led by inquiries to explain by way of illustration the methods meth-ods of the Central Pacific Briefly he said that this company instead of doubling its earnings to dividends had invested them in collateral enterprise enter-prise without however charging money so taken to the account of earnings earn-ings Some years subsequently it had declared the dividends apparently within the letter of the law because its earnings still showed an undivided surplus sur-plus when in fact money had bpen expended ind the property so purchased pur-chased had depreciated in value Money to pay dividends had been borrowed or obtained from any source available It was to prevent transactions of this kind in the future that the commission proposed to limit the power to declare dividends to the amount of tho net earning of preceding years holding that the intervening time was insufficient insuf-ficient to merely endanger the value of any property purchased While as a guard against rand there was a provision requismg the assent as-sent of the President of the Uxitec States to any investments of this kind During the commissioners explanation I the nature of the security now posses pos-ses ed by government forthe Union Pacfic debt and that to be given by the company under the provisions of i either tho conuuismons or the Outh waitc bill Senator Morgan > skcd if he Anderson was prepared that as a lawyer to assert the government has no light to i declare a statutory lien now lor tbeI I further security of bonds upon any property that may be possessed by the company To this Anderson replied that he was prepared to make that assertion That while the United States might require re-quire the company to do anything in reason it could not extend its lien over one inch of property that was not authorized by statutory enactment Later in the heating Senator Morgan I read the following which he had in the I meantime written out covering his views of the point thus raised The I legislative power is able to give a remedy by legal or equitable attachment attach-ment according to the nature of the property to be sequestered and to the simple contract creditor whose demand is not yet due and the attachment can also be prescribed in the statute according accord-ing to the judgement of the legislature In this case the necessity of doing this by general law if there is any such necessity is avoided by reservation of the power to alter or amend the statute I suppose that the reservation has es much reference to providing for security of the mortgaged estate as to any other possible need for legislative interference and that under its provisions Con cress could give such a remedy against the consolidated company Anderson contended that if the question ques-tion thus raised should come up at all will come not as against the Union Pacific which now offers ample security for the debt but against the Central Pacific To this Mr Haymond attorney for the Central Pacific rejoined that the reputation and integrity ot the Central Pacific directors having been assailed they would assent to no bill which should propose to settle the question upon a mere nominal basis They would assent to any bill which provides pro-vides for a fa r investigation of I the courts I all these facts by t and would waive all questions < of stat jute j-ute limitation all questions fiS to I whether they were bound to government govern-ment and would agree with the United States upon the same principles that governed the transaction of a g ardian with his ward They claimed thgy had done no wrong to the United States that was why he hfil proposed to the I commission a few days ago o CO OVei this case upon rh entity different basis became he was advised the directors of the Central Pacific would not make a monieyed settlement They could afford to lose this property but I they could not afford to trade upon their reputation character and stand in AdAiSsi1 TUB souflI fiN PACIFIC J I The Secretary of the Interior in a letter to the AttorneyGeneral has recommended that proceedings be instituted in-stituted against the Southern Pacific Railroad Company to the end that the decree may be obtained directing the manner in which the tenantincom mon lands may be obtained THE PDHLIO PBISTEB THc House committee on printing toiiay continued its investigation of r I Benedicts administration of the government I gov-ernment printing office tbo examination 1 examina-tion being conducted by Representative Gallinger At the outset witness reiterated re-iterated his former assertion that ho had observed the civil service law during dur-ing his incumbency He had never hdd any examinations for appointments appoint-ments but had arranged the manner of I competition for some of the higher class of work Witneis would not deny that he had refused toreinstate a discharged pers n because he had learnpd upon investigation that he was a Republican He bal only two relatives in the printing print-ing officfl in his employ HOUSE WASHISGTOK March 3Henry C Seymour euccessor to S 0 Moilatt of Michigan deceased appeared before the bar of the House and took the oath i of office I Laird of Nebraska from the commit on military affair reported a bill authorizing the construction of roads from the entrance of Presidia at Baa Francisco to the National Cemetery House calendar Dorgan of South Carolina from the Committee on banking and currency reported a bill authorizing the Jssnu ot fractional silver certificates Committee of whol Mr Craine of IVxas from the committee com-mittee on election of President and VicePresident reported back his joint resolution proposing Constitutional amendments changing the time for the commencment of the Presidential term and changing the date for the annual meetingof Congress House calendar The House then resumed as special order consideration of the Pacific telegraph tele-graph White of New York took the floor in opposition to the measure Symmes of Colorado said that the purposes of the bill were merely to compel subsinized railroads to comply with the conditions of the provisions of the grant creating tham Contracts between the Union and Central Pacific roads and Western Union Telegraph Companies were void ab initio and no lawyer in America knew it bett r than the gentleman from New York White they were at the time they were made and still are in direct violation of the express provisions of the statutes and grants creating the Pacific railroads rail-roads and telegraph companies and in violation of the public policy ana against public jaw The contracts under un-der consideration had been made with the object and intention of defeating every substantial requirement of the grants After Jay Gould and his ring bad conducted the Union Pacific aslonn as he could make anything out of it he had walked off leaving the company bankrupt and taking along with him the assets of the telegraph lines wih whch he levied a discriminating tribute from the people west of the Missouri River Dockery of Missouri said that under granting nets the Pacific companies were required to construct not only railroad iin s but also telegraph lines Instead of doing so they had assumed to divest themselves of their obligations by contract with the Western Union Telegraph Company Com-pany conferring upn that company tae exclusive right of way along railroad rail-road lines The acts of Congress requiring re-quiring that telegraph linw along the Pacific roads should receive all business without discrimination were nullified by this unlawful contract with the Western Union Company Dockery after attacking Jay Gould said that competition was essential to the highest and b3st interests of the whole people At the close of Dockerys speech White MVired his substitute which was II rejected without division and the bill was pas edyeas 197 nays 4 Bliss Ketchem Merriuiau and White of New York Adjourned |
