The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-01-27
OPPOSITION TO DYNAMITE.
Action Of the United States Senate on
the Resolution Of Mr.. Bayard.
After Brief Discussion a Vote Is Taken
and the Resolution Adopted. Only One
Senator Voting in the Negative.
THE SENATE.
Passage of Mr.. Bayard's Resolution Denounc-
inc the Dynamifers.

from Rhode Island.
The Chair laid before the Senate the creden-
tials of ]. D. Cameron, reelected senator from
Pennsylvania.
The Chair also laid before the Senate me-
mortal from the Legislature of Kansas, remon-
strating against the establishment of cattle
trail across or through that State. Referred.
Mr. Plumb from the committee on public
lands, reported a substitute for the House bill
FORGETTING part of the lands granted Iowa in aid
of railroad construction.
Mr. Plumb wished immediate consideration.
Mr. Bayard said he hoped the Senator would
not interfere with consideration of the resou-
ton offered by himself Saturday, meaning that
relating to the dynamite explosions in London
The Chair said the resolution would be laid
before the Senate when the proper order of bust
ness was reached.
Mr. Plumhs bill was then taken up but its
reading was interrupted by objection from Mr.
Harris. After further morning business, Mr.
Bayard called up his resolution of Saturday and
made short speech upon it. He said he was
better satisfied after the lapse of a day, in ask
ing the Senate now to adopt this resolution be-
cause the body had. this morning, had opportu-
nifty to affirm deliberately what naturally aud
instinctively prompted the expression on the
ilized, cruel and barbarous attempt to destroy
in another country, human life, and with it
buildings dedicated to government of laws, in
the vain hope, possibly, to gain relief from
suffering by thus overthrowing law itself
in its very citadel 1t seemed eminently
proper, Mr.. Bayard added, that the law
making body of the American people should ex-
press its antagonism to the spirit which, by de-
stroying law, would necessarily destroy all hopes
of liberty, that could only exist under law.
Rid0lpllprpaP n0ved hat ha
the committee on foreign relations.
The yeas and nays were ordered on the ques-
ton of reference and Mr. Riddleberger ad-
dressed the Senate in opposition to the resolu-
ton. He wished for more information on the
subject He had no sympathy with dynamters,
but would not vote for a resolution which might
be interpreted into an expression of sympathy
with Irelands enemies. It was known here
that there was war, absolute, between England
and Ireland, so far as Irishmen without country
could make war.
Upon yea and nay vote the motion to refer the
resolution to the foreign relations committee was
defeated--yeas 2, nays 55-only Senators Riddle
berger and Van Wyck voting in the affirmative
REMARKS OF MR. RIDDLEBERGER.
Mr. Riddleberger moved that further consd-
GRAFTON of the resolution be postponed until next
Wednesday. He declared the Senate had not
sufficient information upon which to base action
of this kind This body was asked to vote in a
way which would be interpreted as meaning
sympathy with England and against Ireland.
The resolution now before the Senate expressed
the indignation of the Senate at the blowing up
of certain buildings in England, because for
sooth, they were buildings in which the laws of
England were made-laws which guaranteed lib
erty TO the subjects of Great Britain. That rea-
son was sufficient to Mr.. eberger. We
could not. he said be expected to approve all the
methods of the Irish people; but while we were
ourselves preparing and experimenting with dyn-
amite to blow vessels out of the water and
drown people in the ocean, 1t scarcely became us
to say that people who did not constitute
government and could not make proclamation
of war, should not use the same instru
ments of war that we would use under
the same circumstances. Put any of us in
country where we could not exercise the God
given right of owning foot of land, even though
earned with the sweat of our faces, and then see
what methods we would employ He did not
mean to justify the method but he would not
vote for any resolution that might be distorted
into an expression of sympathy even common
fellowship with country that knows nothing
but cruelty, and gives none of her subjects the
exercise of that liberty that we on this side of
the Atlantic believed to belong to every people.
Only short time ago the houses of Congress
had heard of judicial opinion rendered
''over yonder," furnishing some Irishmen,
in which the judge violated every
principle of common law. every principle of the
bill of rights, every principle of Magma Charta,
every principle of the constitution, in determn-
ing questions of fact for the jury, and no express
sion of Indignation had been heard in the Senate
then No; if an English Judge having al Irish
man on trial before him could say to the jury,
''These are the facts" without eliciting any ex
preston of indignation on the part of the United
States Senate, he Mr.. Riddlebergerl must beg
to be excused from expressing sympathy for the
blowing up of buildings in which laws were made
that were administered by such judges. 1--WE
are neutral here, he continued, that some
senators think we ought not to dig a ditch
(alluding to the Nicaraguan canal) without the
consent Of England; so neutral that we could not
give an opinion about anything regarding Eng
land except an adverse opinion about poor
struggling Ireland Although Ireland's natural
increase Mr.. Riddlebergef continued, had been
equal to that of England, there were not by g.
00o 600 many inhabitants in Ireland to-day as
twenty years ago. Such was the result of op-
preston. Any resolution that might be passed
here would be construed as resolution of sym
pathy and fellowship with a government of
cruelty and tyranny. The resolution before the
Senate he regarded mere expression of sym
pathy with the British government and he would
not vote for it.
REMARKS OF MR.. HoAR.
Mr.. Hoar said the senator from Virginia
seemed to treat the occurrence in London as if
it were a warfare adopted by the Irish. people
against England. He (Mr. Hoar) had among his
constituents many persons of Irish descent-in-
telligent brave manly people. He thought he
was justified in stating that tho doctrine
expressed in tho resolution was their
doctrine as it that of other American
people Making war upon unoffcnding women
and children repugnant to these citizens
as to any other people He saw that her
Majesty's American representative had said that
America had been remiss in her duties in some
respects. America could not undertake to deal
with mere violent expressions, and if 1t did, those
things would be more dangerous in their repres
sion than in their expression. He believed the
United. States in the future. as in the past
would perform all her duties in this respect. He
would vote for the resolution not as an apology,
not an expression of sympathy, but as an ex-
preston of adherence for such crimes.
The explosions of Saturday shook the founda-
ton Of every capital in Christendom. There is
something worse in society than dynamite, and