National Republican., 1885-03-23
SPICY DEBATE IN THE SENATE.


Remarks on Van Wyck's Resolution.
on Saturday in tho senate Mr.. Hawley, ad-
dressing himself to privileged question, com
mented upon what he characterized ns re.
markably interesting debate in the senate on
the preceding day. Some very severe things
had been said which reflected upon the hon.
csty Of senators and Of that of members of
distinguished commission created by the gov
ornmont. Many Of these things said by the
senator from Nebraska (Mr. Van wyck) were,
he had discovered, stricken out Of tho Record,
while some Of the replies which were made
were mutilated. The Record was very nearly
valuoless. Mr.. 1iswlcy had secured the tran.
sCriptiOn OF the reporters notes. aud read from
them several sentences, which, he sud, had
been eliminated nom tho remarks of the
senator from Nebraska One Of thcm was the
expression that the extravaganza OF the mem
bcrs OF the South American commission was
worse than robbery. Another incidentally
compared the action Of the Secretary Of the
Interior in connection. with the Backbone
grant TO robbery. Athlrd alluded to the propo.
sltions brought In from certain committees TO
SIT during the recess, rs subtcrfuges for giving
employment to CLERKS of committees: another
was the statement, III effect, that there was not
q member of the SENATE who would believe
that the head of a department of this govern
inent could be induced to consent to the ratiil-
Catlon OF such Infamous robborles.
Mr.. ltawley said, referring TO the ellmina-
tlon, that If any errors had been made by the
gentleman they should have been apologizcd
for that, If the language was withdrawn, IL
should have been announced to the senate
and there should have been q wiplng out on
both sides of whatever was,disngreoablc. ITo
protested that 1t was not proper that the gon-
tleman should take his manuscript and strike
out what he found he had uttered without due
consideration, and especially when such action
ien the remarks OF other senators without
Justification.
Mr. Van Wyck, in explanation, said that ho
had personally no objection to the publication
OF his remarks, although some of them were
uttered in the heat of debate. It was seldom
that he took occasion to correct the Record In
| this respect. He had taken nothing out OF
any remarks except those made by himself
| and those OF the -senator from Missouri INF.
| Vest, for which he had the lattors consent.
lie had discovered after making his remarks
that the Senator from Missouri felt that he had
been harsh toward the gentleman to whom ho
had referred (Alr Reynolds), and after think
| Ing the matter over ho had told the senator
| that II was iurthcst from his wish to say any
| thing unkind or offensive TO any senator. The
elimination met the appreciation of the sena-
| tor from Missouri (Mr. Nes). lie (Mr. Van
| Wyck) had also spoken to the senator from
| Colorado (Nlr Teller with regard to something
| ho had incidentally said In the heat OF debate
touching him, md with the assent OF that
senator had stricken out the harsh remark.
Mr.. Frye. Would 1t not have been better not
| to have made tho remarksP
Mr. Van Wyck My friend can answer that
in bis own experience. The may fortunately
have occupied position so high that he
never uttered word or a sentiment which he
| afterwards regretted, IL he were without guile
in that direction, let him cast the first stone.
| Mr.. Van Wyck said that II there was any
senator who desired that the Record should
contain every word which was uttered he
would not only consent, but desired II. The
senator from Connecticut had said that there
were some ngsreilecting upon the officers oil
tnls government, SO there were, and so, IN his
MT: Van Wyck's) Judgment, there should be.
Probably when the expenses of this South
| American commission were examined the
first charges in that connection would lie
against the Congress which passed the law 80
loosely drawn, the next against the executive
officer OF the government who approved the
| vouchers
Mr.. Plumb said that he had not fully under
stood the remarks when they were uttered on
Friday, but expected to find them In thu
Record the next morning. lie had found thai
the senator had ellminatedth the remarks which
reflected upon certain prominent gentlemen
lie thought that was well. For II he (Mr
Plumb had made such remarks he would
have taken them out as being unworthy o
the Senate, especially when based upon tn,
foundation cited by the senator from Nebraska
One of the members of the South American
commission was citizen of Kansas. He wa
willing to say for that gentlemen all that tn,
senator from Missouri (Mr. Vest) had saiC
with regard to Mr.. Reynolds, who had beef
tTnduced IN the same way. But what did TN
inquiry that every single step taken by th
commlssion-its visit to New Orleans, TO Sal
Francisco, to Mexico-was by express direC
tlon Of the Secretary of State. The commits
sion commenced where the Secretary told
them to commence, aud left of where h
told them TO leave oil Moreover he was a,
sured that when 1t came TO travelling i
!slie Mexico that an equipment Of the Kind en- n
dispensablc. They had spent no more none
= than private citizens would have spent for tn
same service. They had been characterized q
robbers who had committed theirrobbery with
out running the risk OF the pcnitentiary. il
would repeat that Judge Thatcher and th
other two gentleman OF the commission woul
: bear comparison with anyone In the senate o
! elsewhere; that they would discharge thei
, duty with absolute fidelity.
! Mr. Vest corroborated In substance tho state
{ ment made by Mr.: Van Wyck with rcferenc
, to the latters call upon Mr.. Vestto expires
regret for the Objectionable utlerances an
, the understanding that all of tho remarks @
Mr.. Van Wyck which were injurious and III
Just to Gov. Reynolds and certain remarks c
Mr.; Vest should be eliminated. But Mr.. Yes
had nothing TO do with making the oliminl
tions. This afforded another illustration {
: the roprehcnsible practice which obtaine
, both in the House and Senate of making tn
Record II conduit of what did not occur.
the practice could be reformed or amended
would be IN the interest of Justice and righ
and he might almost say of public doCGncy,
Mr., Dawes asked If II was an unusual thin
u htllltDI W NlllilluN VI hlIlkt OUT vi lll
Record remarks which he regretted hayin
made. He (Mr Dawes had on three occl
slOns Withdrawn remarks which he regTettc
having made, and had never been censure
for II, though he had been CensurCd for ALLOW
ing to remain in the Record unkind remarks.
Mr. Vest said he had known remarks OF
personal and unpleasant character to be elm
mated from the, Record, but it was hardly
sufficient rcparutlon to take remarks of tn
kind made lust Friday out Of the RtcOrd. Th
Record reached very few persons. The r.
portcrs In the gallery and the Associated Pre-
4 sent the information to the millions. Ever
one knew with what avidty the papers too
up and published charges involving Il
personal character of gentlemen us distil
guished as any In the Senate. There ought I
4 b. some rule by which m apology should /
made rs wide and extended as the wron
\ committed.
Mr., Van wyek sid the senator from MI
(, souri, had evidently misunders .ood hin
What h had done Was not inten led as n
X apology, and while admitting that son
n things were said in the heat OF debate, whiC
Il might better have been omitted, lie did NJ
N understand that he stood in position T
curing an aP3ology,, lie e,,l had regretted th
\ marks TO be II sort oi personal injury TO hl
|. sell, aud he had made the suggestion TO hi
, to leave out certain features.
Now it seemed some other senators were III
, willing that should be done. lie had foul
something which he thought was remarkabl,
| Inc expenses OF thc commission TO CGntri
ana SOulh America had been Sb,OOO IN Il
!, months Of October, November, and DeCemb,
u before they left the United States.
y Nine.tenths OF the American people Won
@ think there was something wrong sOmcwher
!, lie Van Wyck) had thought 30 and had su
n 30. There was blame somewhere and must
I be understood hereafter that one ran gre
- risk who should arralSn The government al
It's officers?
MIR. llawey said the senator from Nobrasl
had not stated precisely his (Alr, lIawlcy'
\ ! pOsitiOu, He conceived TINT this habit of |
discriminate slander Of citizens and olllCln
was discrcditnble to ourchnraCtcr ms AmeriC,
people ana detrimental to the best interests
', The government,
II at Is we ourselves, rs newspaper men NJ
y public men," Mr. llawcy said, "who are Il
;, slsling in dGbauChiug tho public COnsCicu
u and dGpreCiatlng the true character and yall
o Of the government
. lfthe senator from Nebraska found he W
wrong on Friday lot him say 81 now. Let hi
moi rl nrlNnlnlN nml sLrlkn his MnrlS nnl of h