| Show AVARICE AND fRAUD t S Some Sensational Charges Venti lated In the Senate c CONGRESS WAS BUNCOED BY THE SOUTHERN 3METHODIST BOOK CONCERN Onethird of Its Claim of 288OOO Was Paid to Lobbyists I Viola ton of An Agreement Carter Denounces De-nounces Shipowners For Attempting Attempt-ing to Rob the Government Washington June 9At todays session of the senate Mr Carter of Montana in connection with the rejection by the government gov-ernment of the steamship Centennial asa as-a transport made some ugly charges against the shipowners of the Pacific coast He said they had been endeavoring to hold up the government and compel it to pay Inordinate and extraprdinary prices for ships to be used to transport troops to the Philippines Mr Perkins of California denied the statements of Mr Carter declaring that the vessel owners of San Francisco had placed their ships at the disposal of the government at a rate fully 5 per cent less than they usually received for them Mr Lodge of Massachusetts made some sensational disclosures concerning the disposition dis-position of the money appropriate by congress a short time ago m payment of the claim of the book concern of the Methodist Episcapal Church South He introduced a resolution directing the claims committee to make an Investigation Investiga-tion of the matter and report to the senate sen-ate what if any action could be taken The omnibus claim bill carrying S over 9000000 40 private pension bills and several measures from the general calendar calen-dar were passed GRASPING SHIPOWNERS Mr Gallinger said that the war department depart-ment had found i difficult to obtain transport ships on the Pacific coast One of the vessels secured the Centennial had been found unseaworthy and it was the purpose of the committee on commerce to take steps to repeal the act providing American register for the Centennial This statement gave rise to a discussion that developed some sensational disclosures Mr Carter of Montana entered upon an explanation of the declaraton that the Centennial was unseaworthy The shin be understood from perfectly trustworthy sources was a thoroughly sound vessel She had been carefully examined in Puget Pu-get sound by properly designated officers of the government and had been declared absolutely seaworthy She had been given a firstclass clearance by the British authorities au-thorities and was regarded by those competent com-petent to judge as a fine i sel She had been a Japanese transport in the war between be-tween Japan and China and had perform most satisfactory servce S The fact seems to be said Mr Carter that a number of gentlemen engaged in shipping on the Pacific coast have been engaged In holding up the United States government for exorbitant prices for transports The arrival of the Centennial at San Francisco and the granting toher of an American register was a notice to the patriotic gentlemen who were endeavoring endeav-oring to get the government by the throat that their monopolly was broken and they entered into a conspiracy to breakdown break-down the reputation of the vessel Secretary Sec-retary Alger ordered that another examination exam-ination be made of the Centennial as I was not deemed advisable to Ie any I chances of sending troops to the Philippines Philip-pines ir an unseaworthy vessel This report re-port said Mr Carter was set up against 1 the two reports which had been made 1 from Puget sound the examination upon which one of the latter had been based having been made in dry dock This whole transaction declared Mr Carter bears the earmarks of a pre concerted scheme on the part of San Francisco shipowners to hold up the government gov-ernment and force i to pay inordinate and extortionate transport charges PERKINS PLEADS NOT GUILTY Mr Perkins of California said that he desired to enter a word of defense of the San Francisco shipowners So far as the company with which he was connected was concerned it had declined to charter its ships to the government Therefore it could not be included in the denunciation of Mr Carter He knew of his persona knowledge that Mr C P Huntington of S the Pacific Mail Steamship company had place the vessels of his line at the disposal dis-posal of the government The China the City of Sydney and other ships of the company hart been offered to the govern ment for fully 5 per cent less than they could command on the Atlantic coast I Mr Spreckels had done the same with the vessels of his line i Other San Francisco I Fran-cisco shipowners had offered their vessels to the government at its own price The loyally of the people of California Califor-nia declared Mr Perkins cannot be I S impugned The Pacific states California I Washington and Oregon will never be found lacking in patriotism and none of them mine of their citizenS will ever attempt at-tempt to extort a cent from the government I govern-ment The aspersions of my friend from I Montana were uncalled for and unwarranted unwar-ranted by the facts S The measure offered by Mr Gallinger I which had started the debate was then I passed without division passe I THE SENATE BUNCOED Mr Lodge Mass precipitated a lively I discussion by offering the following resolution reso-lution That the committee on claims be di recteu to inquire and report to whom the money was paid under claims or theM the-M th dist Book Concern South and also a to all circumstances connected with the passage of the bill providing for the payment of said claim and with the subsequent subse-quent payment of the mon y under said act of congress Mr Lodge explained that when the bill appropriating J2SSOOO to r y the claim of the Methodist Book Concern was before I be-fore the senate he had offered an amendment i S amend-ment providing that not more than 55000 i sliould bo paid to any agent or lobbyist i r forworking for the bill His amendment o had been received with indignation and as a reflection upon the honor ofrnen who I S were rendeving to the Methodist church South a service of love I We were assured said Mr Lodge I that art of the I no part sum appropriated was to be paid to agents but it now de velopes that a contract existed for the payment of 35 per cent of the proceeds of the claim to lobbyists and that one man had received the immense sum of sinn mo S Mr Bate Tenn who had strongly advocated ad-vocated the payment of the church claim was much exercised over the disclosures Ho denounced the action of the agents as an outrage upon individual senators I and upon congress He favored a thorough thor-ough investigation Mr Pasco made a statement similar Intone In-tone to that of Mr Bate Mr Tillman S C inquired of Mr Pasco if he did not thing such thieving practices would operate against the parent par-ent of other southern claims pending before congress He declared that the transaction was an outrage and a swindle Mr Wilson Wash said the proceeding was an outrageous one and I was evident that the government had been buncoed Without disposing of the Lodge resolution reso-lution the senate took private luton up pension bills and passed 41 of them Consideration of the omnibus claim bill which was read yesterday was resumed re-sumed After some unimportant amendments were agreed to the senate substitute was jessed The measure as passed carries over 9000000 A conference on the bill with the house was asked and Jiessrs Teller Pascoe and Stewart were appointed as the senate conferees con-ferees S Bills were passed as follows Permitting Colonl Anson Mills Third United States cavalry to accept and exercise the office S of Loundary commissioner between the United States aid Mexico and to arserd an act establishing a court of private land claims requiring claims to be fled before March 3 1SOJ A bill for the incorporation of the International Inter-national American bank was made the unfinished un-finished business and the senate at 435 S p m went into executive session and soon afterward adjourned S 5 |
