Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-01-31

duty resting on the United States gov
eminent to vindicate its rights and char
aeter
Delph said if he were asked he would
say that congress should direct
the president to insist on res
toration by the German government
of the statu quo at the time OF the Wash
iEgton conference, and notify the Ger
man government that the United States
would not allow the Samoan islands to
pass under the control of any foreign ma
ton, and that their independent auton-
omy must be maintained. He saw no
good reason why, if necessary and If re-
quested by the Samoan people, an Amer
lean protectorate should not be estab-
lished over them, and that, he said,
would be an entirely different thug from
Intervention as pTacticed by European
powers on the continent of Europe.
Mr. Reagan referred To documents
that have been published on the subject,
and declared that no American citizen
could read the correspondence without
feeling humiliation to see the rights of
United States brutally overridden and
Trodden down by German subalterms
while the German prime minister was
protesting friendship and a desire to
maintain proper relation with the gov
eminent of the United States. His pur-
pose was, he said TO call attention to the
fact that the proposed amendment was too
feeble to yindicate the rights of the
American people in the matter He had
been sorry to hear the senator from Ohio
(Mr. Sherman) say yesterday that his
proposition was limited to the extension
of the good offices af the United States.
Good offices, Mr.. Reagan exclaimed, to
people already conquered and subju-
gated by Germany and we propose now
to appropriate $500 900 for that purpose!
If we mean anything, let us signify it by
our action We believe that we have
rights which have been violated. We
should assert these rights as becomes
great and powerful nation. We
should not be pretending TO
apologize for the fact that we have as
sumed relations to Samoa. If congress
was possessed of Bismarck IS force Of viii
the trouble would be quickly settled and
without war. But if we hesitate, if we
vacillate, if we show that we have rights
but will not vindicate them, we viii GER
tainly lose what rights we have in Samoa
L am not in favor of war. 1 know too
well the calamities of war.
But the humiliation of great
nation in the face of an arrogant
L
the president power to determine what
our rights in the matter are, and power
TO assert those rights in way that could
not be mistaken If we do this, we may
expect to maintain our rights and see
restoration of statu quo. l would sug-
gest an addition to the pending amend
ment of the words 'and for the protec-
ton Of the rights of American citizens
residing in said islands, and to preserve
the neutrality and independence of their
people, then we viii have said some
thing. But if we do not put in some
such declaration, we leave the president
exactly where he is now, in a position
where he regards himself as powerless to
yindicate the rights of the United States
At the close of Mr.. Reagan IS speech
the senate, on motion of Mr.. Riddle
berger, who said that he wished an exec
utive session ''for great purposes, -
presumably the British eXtradition treaty,
proceeded TO executive session, and when
the door reopened adjourned.
1t is understood the entire afternoon
secret session of the senate was consumed
in discussion of the British extradition
treaty, but no conclusion was reached or
vote taken.
THE HOUSE.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 30.-The Oklahoma
bill was brought to the attention of the
house by Mr.. Springer of Illinois, with
motion TO go into a committee of the
whole for its consideration.
Mr. Finley of Kentucky raised the
point of ''nO quorum.
Call of roll followed and the motion
was agreed to-yeas 1874, nays "a, Mr.
Dockery of Missouri being assigned to the
presidency of the committee.
When the committee rose it reported
the bill to the house
Pending votes the house adjourned.