Newspaper Page Text
VOL. l.
NATIONAL CAPITAL.
What i's Eeing Done in Congressional
Halls for the Country’s Welfare.
PROCEEDINGS FROM DAY TO DAY BRIEFLY
TOLD —BILLS AND MEASURES UNDER
CONSIDERATION—OTHER NOTES.
TTIK HOUSE.
Tbursday. —The debate on the free
coinage bill was kept up ail day Thurs
day. At times it was heated, for the
house h: s n< ver labored under such in
tense excitement as existed from the mo
medt it met 8t the morn ng I our. Mem
bers on both sides of the question were
working for votes like bees in a hive.
Mr. Hatch, of Missouri, made the nr st
sensational speech of the day. He de
nounced the you g (Massachusetts) mug
wumps, who have calle l themselves dem
ocrats, stating that he would eveu prefer
such statesmen as the barefooted Kansan
to Mr. Williams. Many other sensa
tional speeches were made during the
day, but ihe genuine fight did not com
mence until 5 o’clock, when Mr. Bland
called the previous question on the pas
sage of the bill. At that time nearly
every member was upon the floor. There
was not a vacant sent in any of the gal
laries. Even the doors were crowded with
men and women as eagi rto get in as
they would be to crowd in a circus.
Whin Mr. Bland called the previous
question, Mr. Burrows, of Michigan,
moved as a substi ute to lay the bill and
all its amendments upon the table.
This motion, if carried, would have
defeated the bid. During the roll
call, the leader-i on the two sides
ran about the hall like wild men.
The free coinage m n weie angered. They
begun to realize that the immense lobby
present and the heavy pressure brought
to bear by the goidbugs in favor of post
poning the question, was havimr its ef
fect. Many free coinage democrats were
exhibiting weakness. Many who hid an
nounced for free coinage had dropped
over into the tanks of tho e who wanted
to postpone the issue. When the roll
call had concluded, the result was start
ling to the free coinage men and a sur
prise to the goidbugs. It was 148 to
table, against 147 against tabl ng.
This me nt the defeat of tire Bland bill,
but the speaker had not voted. As soon
as he saw it he demanded of the cteik to
call his name. It was done. He voted
‘“no.” As he did so the very ceiling
vibrated at the applause given him.
Then he announced the vote 148 to 148,
a tie voie, which meant that the house
refused to table the bill. It was amazing.
No one expected it, and nobody cm ac
count for it, except on the ground that
the backbones of many Democrats had
weakened under tbe great pressure
from the East. Only nine Republi
cans had voted with the mass
of Democrats against tabling; eighty
one D mocrats had voted to table.
These included all the New York men
except Mr. Rockwell, who represents
Senator Hill’s district, and whose seat is
contested, all the New England Demo
crats, all from Pennsylvania, and a ma
jority from Michigan, Wisconsin, Min
nesota, Illinois and Maryland. The
South wus almost unanimous against
tabling, but a few Southern men went
down tir der pressure or conviction.
Among them was Colonel Herbert, of
the Montgomery, Alabama, dis
trict, an ardent Cleveland man;
Colonel Elliott and Mr. Braw-*
ley, of South Carolina; Mr. Loeran, of
Louisiana; Mr. Wilson, of West Virgin
ia, and Mr. Raynor, of Maryland. 'lhen
there was Gtary, of California, Cas'le, of
Minnesota, and several sc* me of others
who would vote for free coinage on the
direct i-sue, but who are trying to shelve
it. Then the anti-free coinage men com
menced filibustering. They moved to
ndjouqh, but w-re turned down on that
by a vote of 120 to 146. Mr. Johnson, of
Ohio, came forward as an anti-free coin
age bill leader, and move to reconsider
the vote by which the vote to table the
bill bad been lost. Mr. Bland (hereupon
moved to table that motion. On this
latter motion the vote was again an
nounced to tie—l4B to 148. Immedi
ately there was intense excitement. The
opposit ion leaders rushed down the aisle,
yelling that the vote had not been reca
pitulated. Tbe speaker replied tbac no
one Had called for it. At this the
gold men yelled vociferously for a
recapitulation, and, when the names
were called over, two more “no” votes
were added, and Mr. Bland’s motion to
tnble the motion to reconsider was lost.
This looked serious to the free coinage
men. It looked like they were defeated.
Both sides were wild with excitement
The scenes on the floor were of the wild
est confusion. Pages and runners were
sent everywhere for absent members.
The roll w s being called again on the
original motion to table the bill. The
defeat of Bland’s motion had brought up
the original motion again. During the
calling of the names, every man in the
house was laboring under a strain of ex
cit< ment. Such cloe votes were never be
fore known n the floor of the house. The
change of a single vote, the arrival of
one new man, would reverse the result.
Those who seemed to waver were pleaded
with, threatened rfnd everything possible
done to change them. But none changed.
When the vote was being recnpitulat< and,
the most exciting incident of the day
iieeuroed. Mr. Donovan, of Ohio, was
recorded as voting no. Mr. Outhwaite,
of Ohio, declared that Mr. Donovan hid
not been in the house du ini the roll
call. Here half of the house ye'led to
have Mr. Donovan’s name str cken off,
and the other half protested. Mr. Do o
van him-elf was not present.
Then the confusion and excite
ment were intense. Con£ ressn U‘ D - s "ho&k
their fists at one another, turned red in
the face and yell -d themselvis hoar-e. It
looked like bedlam had broken loose.
The noise of the speiker’s gavel was
drowned in the confusion, and the ser
geant-at arms, with his mace, a great sil
ver eagle with outstretched wings perch
ed on a marble rod, had tone cal'ed, and
sent through the aisles to force ihe mm
be's into tin ir seats. This quieted the
house for a few moments. Then Mr.
Lockwood, of New York, declared that
his name had not been recorded,
and voted “aye” to table the bill,
but Mr. Lawson, of Virginia, who had
not been recorded, offset this by vo’jpg
“no.” This made the vote I*o to 147,
a majority of one against tabling the
hi 1. Mr. Johnson, of Ohio, changed his
vote to m ve another consideration, leav
ing the final vote 145 to 148. The an
nouncement was greeted with great and
long continued applause. The free coin
a>e men were growing hopeful. Mr.
Johnson found that he could not move to
reconsider wi'hout other business inter
vening. Mr. Fitch, of New York.’hereforc
began filibustering lay m ving u>n i uru,
and calling the yeas and nays. It tikes
half n hour on each roll call and it was
after 0 o’clock at n’ght whe i the vote
was announced. The bouse by a larne
majority, 102 to B>. iv r u <-d to "djuirn.
Idle anti-free coinage men at this stage
commenced resorting to all manner
of ddatory tac'ics. One man would
move to take a recess for an hour,
ano her would amend it by adding
two hours, and a third would
move to adjourn. On each motion the
yeas and nays were called. At 11 o’clock
Mr. B and m ved to take a rece*s until
11 o’clock Friday. But a recess Friday
would have been a continuation of the
legislative day of Thursdiv. But the
goidbugs were determined to have noth
iog le-s than an adjournment, which
would defeat ihe bill for the present, at
least. Therefore they began anew order
of filbustering, by moving that when
the house adjourned, it be to meet
on Saturday, and another goTd
bug amended by inserting Monday.
The goldbug members endeavored in
every way to lead the free coinage men
astray, but wi hout success. At 2:30
o’clock in the morning upon Mr. Bland’s
motion, the house adjourned.
Friday. —After the storm the calm.
Not fifty mimbers were pnsent Friday
morning when the speaker’s gavel called
the house to order. Not more than one
hundred specta'ois looked down upon
the arena of Thursday’s battle. But the
calm is only temporary. On both sides
there is a smolde ing fire which requires
but a spark tpj-et it into a blaze. _ The
order will be ma leas soon as Caterings,
of the committeb on rules, returns to
Washington, which will not be later than
Monday. After the approval of the
journal the house went into a committee
of the whole on the private calender.
Saturday. —The attendance of the
members in the house Saturday morning
was small. Mr. Culberson, of Texas, of
fered a resolution providing for the pay
ment of the expenses of the sub-commit
tee of the committee on judiciary investi
gation of the charges against certain ju
dicial officers of the Uni ed States. Mr.
Baxley, of Texas, said that he did not
believe that there was a quorum present
and demanded a division. The vote re
sulted 05 to 1. Baxley raised the point
of no quorum and Culberson withdrew
the fesodutiduT 'The* "House then pro
ceeded, under special ordr, to the con
sideration of pension bills, reported fa
vorably from the committee of the whole
nt Friday night’s session.
Monday. —Speaker Crisp gave the sil
ver situation a severe twist Monday, one
which the anti-silver men exultantly
claim means the death of free coinage, at
least at this session. He informed
Mr. Bland that, holding the cast
ing vote in the committee on
rules, he should decline to vote
to report the cloture resolution offend by
Mr. Bland lBt Friday for the purpose
of bringing the silver bill to a square
aye and nay vote, unless a clear
majority of the democrats of the
hou-e should instruct him to do so.
-peiker Crisp’s position, he explains,
is entirely consistent with bis record. A
elolure rule is odious and distasteful.
When the matter ws discussed in the
caucus, Speaker Crisp, in a ringing
speech, insisted that the cloture should
be the li st resort of the majority, in the
most emphatic a* and unequivoed manner.
The sp akei’s action aroused the ire of.
Mr. Bland who ch- rges Speaker CrLp with
bad faith. All hough the news had
gone forth that the committee on rules
would not report the resolution for the
consideration of the silver bill during the
day, yet the gallaries were well filled
with spectators, Hod there was nn air of
anxiety pervading the members in the
chamber. The speaker laid before the
hou-e a communication from Representa
tive Joseph McKenna, of the sixth
district of California, informing
the house that he had sent his resig
nation ns representative to the governor
of California. The communication was
spread upon the Journal, The speaker
also laid before the howsi a communica
tion from D. D. Donovan, of the sixth
Ohio district, stating that on page 263 of
the congress! mai record he was recorded
as voting in the negative of Burrow’s mo
tion to the bill (the silver bill on the ta
ble). He was n< tin the hall when his name
was called on this or any other r 11 per
taining to the silver bill, he being at
home sick. The speaker stated that cor
rection would be made and communica
tion sprea I upon the journal. Mr. Bur
row-, of Michigan, inquired whether this
would make any change in the result of
the vote. The speaker reported that it
had been stated at the time that it would
not.
Tuesday. — The silver excitement
seemed to have entirely subsided when
the house met Tuesday morning. The
attendance both on the floor and in the
galleries were small, and the silver and ,
TRENTON, GA. FRIDAY, APRIL 1,1892.
anti-silver leaders re’axcd their activity,
Mr. Bland and Mr. Pierce, were absent,
and the only loaders of the antis who
were present when :he speaker called the
hou-e to order were Tracey and Harter,
whose faces wore an expression of per
fect content. The speak* r laid before
he house a commutiic tion from Mr.
Roger Q Mills stating that he had sent
to the governor of Texas his resignation
as representative.
THE SENATE.
Thursday— At the conclusion of the
executive s ssion of the senate, which
lasted four hours, the correspondence re
ceived Wednesday from the president
relative to Bchring*sea was made public.
It covers the points as heretofore indi
cated.
Friday— The senate, Friday, on the
motion of Mr. Sherman, went into exec
utive session. The seriousness of the
Bchiing sea situation is shown by the
fact that Secretary B aine attended the
cabinet meeting, notwithstanding he hai
not yet fully recovered from his recent
attack of grip. A-ll the other members
of the cabinet were prompt in attend
ance. Foster and Tracy bad a
conference prior to tho meet
ing, presumably in regard to the order*
to be sent to the naval and revenue ves
sels to be assigned to the duty of petrol
ing the sealing grounds. It is praeti''
callv settled that this service will be as
signed to the warships Charleston, Balti
more, Boston, Yoiktown, Adams. Ranger
and Michigan, and the revenue vessels
Corwin, Bear, Rush and Albatross.
Saturday. —The day was occupied by
the senate in the discussion of the Behr
ing sea matter. The sess on was held
with closed doors. Notwithstanding*
this, it was developed that the treaty will
be ratified w th a modus vivendi a t ich
in ent, and that President Harrison will be
sustained.
Monday. —Among the bids reported
from C'liuinitte* s and placed on the cal
endar Monday was me to amend the net
estsMishing circuit courts of on°al end'
to dpfine and regulate, in certain cases,
the United Sta'es courts. Mr. Hoar, who
reported die bill, gave notice that he
would ask the senate to consider it at a
very early day.
Tuesday.— ln the senate Mr. Stewart
gave notice that he would, Monday next,
move to tako up the senate bill to pro
vide for the 'ree coinage of gold and sli
ver. At 2 o’clock the senate went into
secret session and the call of senate was
immediately ordered for full attendance.
NOTES. ,
A cabinet meeting was held at tin
white house Tuesday morning All of
the members were present. The Behring
sea question was taken up at once, and
President Harrison’s response to Lord
Salisbury’s latest note discussed.
It is said on good authority that the
pre.-ident and his cabinet are well please and
with the conciliatory tone of Lord Salis
bury’s note of the 26th instant, especially
as it is held to concede the point that has
been the principal cause of contention,
viz., the removal of modus vivendi of
last year for protection of the seal fish
eries.
There has not been a contested election
case before congress in many years that
has attracted such universal attention as
that of Noyes vs Rockwell, from the
Elmira district of New York. The GjUie
is one of those close and delic itkjSes
that affords a good argument oijWather
side. Noyo< claims to have
by sixteen vot* s,and Rockwell claims the
election by twettLX-cm£.
THE RIVERS AND HARBORS.
The Amounts Appropriated for Georgia
Alabama and South Carolina.
The bill for improvement of rivers and
harbors was completed Monday, and re
ported to the house at once. Savannah
harbor gets a big slice of the Georgia
pie—$425,000 is appropriated for ex
penditure right now, and the bill
authorizes giving out a contract for the
completion of the deep water project.
The other harbor appropriations are:
Brunswick, to complete inside harbor,
$27,500; Cumberland sound, $112,500;
Darien, $25,000. The river appropria
tions are: Altamaha, $15,000'; Chatta
hoochee, below Columbus*.s2o.ooo; Chat
tahoochee, between West Point and
Frankbn, $5,000; Flint, $15,000; Oemul
gse, $25,000; Oconee. $25,000; Savannah,
below Augusta, $35,000; Savannah, above
Augusta, $ 0,000; Jekyl ere k, $7,500;
Coosa, between Rome and railroad
bridge, $130,000; inside route to Florida,
$15,000.
From the above it will be seen that
Georgia gets at once $893,500, besides
the control of the s\stem lor Savannah,
which means $3,000,000 additional as
needed. In other word 9 Georgia is de
cidedly on top in the river and harbor
bill and Colonel Lester deserves great
credit for what, he has done.
SOUTH CAROLINA’B SHARE.
South Carolina is provided for as fol
lows:
Harbors—Charleston is put under the
contract system, and besides gets this
year $300,000; Georgetown, $12,000;
Wingaw Bay. SIOO,OOO.
Rivers-Edisto, to complete, $7,385;
Great P. e Dee, $10,000; Santee, $30,000;
Waccnmaw, $10,0t)0; Wappoo cut, to
complete, $10,000; Watt-ree, annual
maintainance, $2,500; Cong .ree. $5,000;
Mingo creek, to complete, $3,000; Little
Pee Dec, $5,000; Claik river, to com
plete, $2,500; Bufor* to complete,
$12,500.
* WHAT ALABAMA GETS.
Alabama :s pn video for in this wise:
Harbors—Mob le, $350,000: rivers—Ala
bama, $70,000; Black Warrior from Tus
ca osa to I’uuiel creek, to complete,
$150,000; Catawba. $7,500; Warrior,
#75 000; Tombigbee. 5 09.000.
FOR ALLIANCE.fiUN.
Dotes and Correal Comment Regarding
the Great Reform Movement.
PRESIDENT POLK HAS SOMETHING TO SAY
OF-THE PADDOCK AND CONGER BILLS
—FOREIGN LAND HOLDERS, ETC.
j The politician's mission seems to je to
insuß the farmers with the old chestnut,
i that they can only get money to pay their
( debts by workiug for it, and that you
! cannot legislate everybody rich. Nobody
j knows that better than the farmer, and
j what they want to know now is, why
! cau’t they be benefi ing by reversing leg
i isla ion that has made them poor in
i spite of industry, economy and frugality?
*\
The Economist says: “The time for
quibbling and hair splitting has passed.
A man to now command the respect of
the farmers of America must say whether
he is for the demands or against them.
No dodging, gentlemen. If you arc for
them, how much? The question for every
man who advocates the demands to set
tle with himself is, will he stand by them,
if the bosses carry his party against
them?"
*
* *
A novel plan is being operated in the
Dakotas. Each sub-Alliance is asked to
prepare and seed a certain number of
acres of land to wheat. This is to be an
offering for the spread of Alliance prin
ciples, by selling the wheat and expend
ing the proceeds for that object. It is
said that hundreds of acres will be used
in that manner, and great good is ex
pected from the experiment. Such
methods disclose au ear estness that
should know neither opposition nor dis
couragement, and should lead a nation
or a peop e out of the dark shadows of
distress into the bright sunshine of pros
perity.
*
* •
The Alliance Faimer (Homer, La.)
says: “The President’s salary is $50,000
ft year. Twenty years ago 30,000 beshels
of wheat wou'd have paid it; now it
takes more than 60,000 bushels. Twenty
years ago 500 bales of cotton would have
paid it; now it takes 1,700 bales to get
$50,000. The annual >■alary of Congress
men is $5,000. Twenty years ago 50
bales of cotton would have paid it; now
it will take about 177 bales, and yet
Congress seems resolved to reduce the
i cfirri nev,*’’ (LnioneTze silver, and keep
up the salaries. This is a very hopefui
■ view of the promised reform, and a de
sire that justice be done the people is
, conspicuously prominent in Congressional
movements.” £
§*** / . •
The Herald (Myrtle Springs. Texas)
says: The Allliance is educating the
people. It has turae<Jpout already some
of the most speakers in Tex is,
men who.but for the Alliance training
would have delved and dug with lu-ty
limbs unhonored, and died in poverty
and ignorance,, nnsuug*. Now many a
farmer lad can discuss ecom mical ques
tions with senators and representatives;
and of farmers are far better
posted and more capable of Tittnining
practical results than are their congress
men. #Fhe politician that now counts on
fooling the people, at. least the Alliance
portion of the people, reckons without
his host. Alliance men, boys and wo
man, too, have cut their wisdom teeth.
The Alliance demands are on the right
side of every great question now forging
to the front in politics. Is not that suf
ficient justification for making them?
Does any suppose there would be nnv
stir in the great and dirty pool of politics
on these questions if the farmers had
taken the advice of the politicians, and
stayed betweeu plow handles? Not a bit
of it, but these weathercocks up at Wash
ington feel the wind blowing. Secretary
Foster says increase the currency. He
heard that from the Alliance. Secretary
Rusk says do something for the farmers”.
He heard that in the Grange. Speaker
Crisp says finances shall have full con
sideration. He heard that from 80,000
Georg a farmers. Senator Turpie says
United States senators must be elected by
the people. He read that in our plat
form. President Harrison says the gerry
mander is a dang' rons* menace to free
government. He has read the plank
about tqual justice to all. There is not
a popular demand but that the Alliance
is on the right side.—Unionist (Hender -
son, Ky.)
*
* *
ON THE RIGHT LINE.
A bill has been introduced into the
House of Representatives bv Mr. John
stone, of- outh Carolina. It is a model
one for the purp le, short and plain, but
clear and unequivocal. The following
is the full text of the bill:
“A bill for tbe redemption of the
bonded debt of the government and for
the enlargement of the volume of the
currency.
Section 1. That the Secretary of the
Treasury be, Hnd is hereby, authorized
and directed to purchase, from time to
time, with such funds as may come into
the treasury, the outstanding bonds due
by the government at a sum not greater
than their market value: Provided,
always, That he shall not pay for any
bond a sum greater than the principal
and interest that would lie paid by the
government therefor were sad bond al
lowed to run to the m iturity thereof.
Sec. 2. That the secretary of the treas
ury shall, at each purchase of bonds
ni'de by him as is hereinbefore directed,
replace the amount expended by the
treisury in making said purchase by is
suing notes of the government of like de
nomination, form and appearance as the
treasury notes now issued and in circula
tion.
Sec. 3. That all purchases by the treas
ury of the bonds of the government oth
er than is directed by this act shall, on
and after the passage thereof, cease.
Sec. I That the Secretary of the
Treasury f-hall cau>e to be coined all gold
and silver bullion which now is or shall
hereafter come into the possession of the
government, which coin shall be held in
the treasury as a fund for the redemption
of the treasury notes herein ordered to be
issued.
Sec. 5. That all acts or parts of acts
‘nconslslent with this act are hereby re
pealed.
This measure, if passed, would be a
heavy blow to the bondholders and oth
ers who desire a small volume of money
in order that they iniy apply tha power
of money to oppress by its scarcity.
#
* *
AMERICAN LAND OWNED ill iiA 'LUOADA
AND FOREIGNERS
The '*<■<. t nt and -Until fGothri" *
-ays; * Ci ngress has granted to railroads
in the last twenty-fiv years 172,000,000
icres of our people’s land. This makes a
territory equal to France and England
combined. But this is not all. Congress
has gianted to twenty-nine alien absentee
mn dords 20,647,000 acres. Here we
have in he i ossession of twenty-nine
foreigners a territory equal to Ireland.
Not only this. The native landlordera
make an equally formidable array. Col.
Murphy left an estate of more than 4,000,-
000 acres; the Standard Oil Company
owns more than 1,000,000 acres; ex-Sen
atorDor-ey nominally holds 500,000 acres;
Mrs. Disston has 2.000,000 acres, and
Colonel Church, of New Y’ork, collects
from 180 farms, averaging 500 acres
each.
Not only this. The total number en
gaged in agriculture in the United States
is 7.670,493, of these only 2,984,3U6 are
nominal ownets of their holdings. The
rest are tenants and labnreis under great,
landlords. These figures give us the lead
of all nations in possessing the largest
tenant farming class in the world. Let
us not forget, amid our proud boasts of
universal freedom, that deeply rooted and
rankly growing in our free soil is the
deadly upas-tree of landlordnm. The
outrageous fraud < unbodied in the Max
well grant, of which much has been said
and written, was the crowning trump of
stealing from a whole nation. The for
eign holders of this great tract of public
land have stopped at Nothing to perfect
their title through the agency of the
law. And the half is not told. There
is over 15,000,000 more of acres of the
people’s land given away which are not
enumerated in the above sch* dule. Just
think of it. This vast tract of land
nearly equal to the aggregate area of the
great states of North and South Dakota,
lowa. Kansas and ttic Indian Territory,
including Oklahoma, or more than the
aggregate area of Verm nt, New Hamp
shire. Connecticut, Delaware, Rhode Is
land, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Penn
sylvania, New York, Ohio, II inois, In
diana, Maine, Maryland and West Virgin
ia—a territory that today supports a
population of 30,000.000 people. And
these parties who gave away this vast
area of land tell you that if you will only
vote their tickets they can give you all
the relief you need.”
* *
PRESIDENT POLK ON THE PADDOCK BILL
AND THE CONGER BILL,
A representative of tbe press had a con •
versatiou recently with Colonel Polk,
president of the National Farmers’ Alli
ance and Industrial Union, at his office in
Washington, D. C. In the course of the
interview President Polk was asked if he
had examined the various bills now
pending before congress, on the subject
of food products. Hfe replied:
“I have not with any degree of care.
Indeed, lam not specially interested in
any particular bill on the subject, unless
it be what is known as Paddock’s pure
food bill, which, from its general charac
ter, comes nearer to my idea of the legis
lation that is proper and needful. Asa
principle, I am opposed to so much spe
cial and class legislation. It entails
heavy expense, and is generally in the
interest of syndicates and capitalistic
combines. Take, for instance, the oleo
margarine bill, which costs the country
immensely. As soon as that was dis
pel® of, here comes a fight between two
great syndicates ou the subjeet of lard—
the one endeavoring to prevent the other
from utilizing cotton seed oil in some of
its forms as su article of food. When
this shall have been disposed of, then
another fight, long and expensive,
on some other branch of food
products will be precipitated, and
all this expense which is paid by pro
ductive labor cou'd be avoided. This, I
say, is special legislation that is needless,
demoralizing and vicious in its tendencies
and effects. My idea is that congress
should enact one general law that will
embrace and cover the whole subject. It
should suppress by stringent and severe
penalties interstate commerce in all food
products that are deleterious to health,
and require all compounders to put on
each package the name of the proprietor,
date, and all the constituent parts of the
package, and secure honest and fair deal
ings by adequate penalties. I have given
the Paddock bill only a casual reading,
and I think it in fairly good shape as it
passed the senate, but I see the house
committee is now considering an amend
ment which it appears to me confers
questionable powers on the Secretary
of Agriculture, who is entrusted with
its execution. It proposes to invest him
with police and legislative powers which,
in my judgment, should be clearly de
fined in the act itself. A general bill,
properly guarded, would end all these
special acts, and save to the country the
immense amounts expended in efforts to
adjust contests for personal gain and ad
vantage. What is known as the Conner
NO 5
lard kill is one of the special measures of
the above character. It has made its re
nppearauce this year as the Brosius lard
bill, and the tax- payers of the country
should make known to congress their
earnest protest against this wasteful and
unjust system of legislation. And they
would do it in emphatic terms if brought
to their attention.”—National Economist.
CENTRAL RESCUED,
And Placed in the Hands of the Geor
gia Directors, #
A CONDITIONAL DECISION BUT NO PERMA
NENT RECEIVER WILL BE IN IT.
A dispatch of Monday afternoon from
Macon says: At five minutej to 3 o’clock
the Central railroad case was decided in
a conditional manner by Judge Pardee.
The decision is that the road shall be
placed in the hands of the Georgia di
rectors as temporary receiver, and that
the 42,000 shares held in New York shall
not be voted.
The decision is regarded as a happy
termination of the case, one that will
place this magnificent property where it
belongs and take it from the hands of
the wall street manipulators. Major
Bacon concluded his masterly argument
for the complainants and ns he took his
seat Judge Pardee and Judge Speer,
without leaving their sat>-, held a short
consultation which lasted but a few
minutes, and when Judge Par
dee straightened up and began to talk
every one in the crowded courtroom bent
forward to hear h:s decision. In refer
ence to the claim that this court did not
have jurisdiction in the case, he decided
against it, as this was an iustance where
the minority stockholders had come into
court asking that their property, which
was being wrecked by the majority stock
holders, be protected.
He thought there was no necessity in
passing upon the validity of the lease at
this time, us the property was in the
hands of the court
In referring to the 42,000 shares of stock
held by the Wall stre> t crowd Judge Par
dee decided that it could not be legally
voted as it was held by a competing com
pany as he felt satisfied that so long as
this voting power was held by a foreign
company, the court could control the vot
ing power, the holders of the stock
and retaining the right to sell it or to
draw dividends upon it, recognizing tho
large interest- held outside the minority
stockholders, the court did not feel dis
posed to damage the property, but it felt
that the minority stockholders had rights
that must be protected.
The court had come to the conclusion,
said Judge Pardee, that a modified re
ceiver would protect the minority stock
holders, and yet would not have the
(fleet of damaging ihe property.
Judge Pardee then stated that if it
would be satisfactory to the attorneys on
both sides the court would sign an order
enjoining the Central Railroad and
Banking Company from voting the forty
two thousand shares of stock held by the
Richmond and D>nville in future elec
tions, directing the property to be turned
over to the Georgia directors of the com
panv. who should hold it out and manage
it for the court as temporary receivers
until the court was ready to dispose of It,
with tho understanding that the court
would dispose of the property as soon as
soon as the legal board of directors could
be chosen. The judge announced that
an election would be ordered as soon ss it
could be legally held.
The attorneys on both sides express
themselves as perfectly satisfied with the
order which the court Indicated would bs
passed.
GENERAL ALEXANDER RESIGNS.
After tbe court adjourned the board of
directors of the Central met, a full board
being present. General E. P. Alexander,
president, tendered his resignation. Mr.
M. H. Comer, of Savannah, was elected
as director to fill the vacaooy caused by
the failure of General Sorrell to qualify.
General Alexander’s resignation having
bccu accepted, Mr.Comer was nominated
t) fill tho vacancy of ihe president of the
board and was immediately elected. The
election of Mr. Comer was well received.
He is one of the ablest financiers
in the state and it is understood that his
election was in accordance with the
Wishes of a large Dumber of the creditors
of the road. It is understood that the
changes ia the board will result in a re
organizariou of the company and will
greatly enhance the value of the stock.
Active steps will be taken at once to put
on foot a plan to take the road out of the
hands of the receivers and put it on a
solid financial basis.
Other changes will probably be made
oi the board, and a mnch more cheerful
o ltlook is shown already for Central se
curities.
.
WHAT AN AUTOPSY REVEALED.
Tha Late Walt Whitman’s Langs Were
Almost Entirely Gone.
A Philadelphia dispatch of Bunday
says: An autopsy on Walt Whitman
disclosed the fact that the poet had died
with his organs in a state of disease that
should by all laws of medicince have
killed him years ago. His left lung was
entirely gone, while of the right there
was but a breathing spot left. Hia heart
was surrounded by a large number of
small abscesses and about two and a half
quarts of water. The pain ia his left
side that has been diagnosed by tome
physicians as an internal eanoer, was
fo*Bd to have been caused by peritonitis.
The brain was found to be abnormally
large, and in a fairly healthy eondiUesu