The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-03-20


fore recommends the adoption of the following resou
tions;
Resolved, That the House cordially recprocates
the wishes of the Liberal Mon members of the Ger
man Parliament for closer union of the two nations.
and recognizes their graceful appreciation of its sym
pathy with those who mourn the death of Dr. Iasker
Resolved, That the House accepts these resou-
tons and directs that they be spread the journals
Mr.. Guenther declared his belief that the citi-
Zens Of the United States, whether native born
or naturalized, were not III favor of submitting
to affrOntS national dignity, not even by the
most powerful of nations, without resenting
them in a most decided manner He was OPP
posed TO the apologize tone of the resolutions
adopted though he was heartily in favor of those
now under consideration.
Mr.. Cox. of New York, thought the House
was now trying to show itself thankful to one
portion of the Reichstae how big portion he
did not know. 1t was trying to get down before
a small number. after having been thoroughly
insulted by the blood and-iron minister who
ran the big part of the Reichstag. 1t
was thanking the people of this particular
organization for thanking it, and was
compheating the matter in such way as to lose
all the dignity, all the pluck, all the American
ism that belonged TO this Congress. Here was
the House discussing how it might best put its
mouth in the dust below this blood land iron
Chancellor Lasker was a type of a great class
of men. He was q friend of labor, in the largest
sense of the term. He Mr.. CoX had favored
the resolution of his colleague MIR. Hiscock. |
1t was dignified, honorable and consistent, and
was referred to the committee on foreign affairs
for consideration The result that the
House preferred to dig under before the Chan
cellor and make PepuhhcaniSm and democracy
both combined together a farce if not undigni-
fed buffoonery He hoped the House would
take no step backward, for he Would not lower
one stripe of the flag or blot out one star.
Mr. Brumm said the House was trying to
carry water on both shoulders Talk about dig
nifty. Dignity, in his judgment, was to be hon
orable heroic and brave, and not play the part
of coward, simply because Chancellor might
torsooth, say the rules Of etiquette had not been
strictly followed
Mr. Deuster regretted the TASTY action of the
German Chancellor He knew that to place be-
fore the Reichstag the resolutions of the Ameri-
can House of Representatives did not in any
way imply his Endorsement of the senti
ments therein expressed. His assumption of the
role Of master was unfortunate only for himself.
The Parliament and people of Germany are in
possession of the letter and spirit of the resou-
tons in spite of the action Of the Chancellor.
Mr.. Deuster commended the action of the De-
partment of State. He said DR.. Lasker had ex-
pressed himself as holding the highest regard for
Bismarck, and differed from him only on the
tariff question.
Mr.. Phelps took the floor to close the debate
The two problems presented to the committee
had been how to obtain an apology from Chan
cellor Bismarck, and how to escape the necessity
of receiving back the resolutions. Both Of these
had been solved The Chancellor Of the German
the cordial regard of his people, and his grateful
willingness to transmit the resolutions so far as
they referred to personal sympathy, if he had
not been prevented by an expression of political
opinion. This apology solved one of the prob
lens. The second was, how to escape the neees-
sity of receiving back the resolutions
which had been sent Here came
to the rescue the skillful engine
of the Department of State The resolutions
were as courteously rejected as they had been
sent by the Secretary of State. This let the
committee out of the dilemma and its task be
came simple. Could anything be more honora-
bic. satisfactory ana dignifed than the resolu-
tons reported While the formal authorities of
the two countries were building path by which
the House could walk out of the slough of de-
spond, the Liberal members of the German Par
ness and their hearty good wishes for this eOun-
try. The pending resolutions were a reciprocal
ton of those good wishes. Thanks TO Bismarck,
thanks to Frelinghuysen and his skill thanks to
the committee ON foreign affairs the dignity of
the House had been saved. The German Chan e
celor, for the first time in eighteen months, had
entered the Reichstag in order to play the
new role of comPlaisant and apologetic
gentleman. The gentleman from Texas had
seen the dimensions of his fame grow from the
confines of his State to the circumference of the
world. The American minister has been in
vited to state dinner possibly to eat American
pork. aid the only thing that could give the
House any moment of sorrow was that the fiery
knight from Colorado had been so shackled that
he could not tell the House that the white dove
of peace which it sent out had returned with the
old olive branch Had not the members right,
in mutual felicitation. to ring down the curtain
ON this international episode?" [Applausel.
The resolutions were then adopted without a
division.