The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-02-11
KILLING OF BARRUNDIA.
COMuaNDER RETTER ELOQUENfLf
DEFENDED IN THE HOUSE.
Mr.. Lodge Champions the Secretary or the
Navy-The Naval Appropriation Bill Dis
cus.ed and Amended I'm the senste-se'erai
Ellis Passed by Both Houses.

WASHINGTON. ID. C., FEB. lO-lne Rouse
to-day passed bill increasing to 800 a
month the pension Of the widow Of General
| Custer.
Leave was granted TO the Committee on
Coinage. Weights and Measures to sit during
the sessions Of the House.
The Attorney and Pension Appropriation
bills were sent 10 the conference.
Senate bill was passed for the transfer OF
army officers on the retired list from the
limited 10 the unlimited list when they attain
the age Of sixty-four.
Bill providing for an extension of the public
buildings at Dallas. Tex, az "A cost OF :ZOV.OQ
was reported back The bill was vetoed 10y
the President. The committee recommended
that il be passed over the veto. The bill was
passed Yeas lil nays. %. the necessary
two-thrds voting in the Affirmative.
The House then went into a Committee ot
the Whole on TIE Legislative Appropriation
bill.
COMMANDER REGrER DEFENDED.
I'm the general debate. the Ranundla case was
revived by Mr.. Dalzcn. OF fcnsylvnm. VINO
defended the action Of Commander heiter.
The public rcprimand administered upon
Reiter by the Secretary of the Navy was. he
said. unwarranted and unjust. \ naval
officer had been degindedfby puDhc leph-
mand without the Intervention Of count
martial His case was the case of every oilcri
of the service but higher than that, the case
involved the conduct of ON officers m respect
TO foreign powers. General Bauunda had
been "A notorious Guatemalan and the eluueL-
Zlcr of public fund, well rs high treason.
He had been comparatively within the lurls-
dictiOn of his own country 40 time Whrh ne
WAS resting under these charges baliuh'ua
was killed ON the steamer Acapulco hr officers
4 sfsIf t.fI %
undertook to murder. At that time two
United States ships ct war, the Hanger
and the Ihetis lay IN the Roads,
Commander Reiter being the commanding
officer He had not lnt'ltered with the ar
rest 'rhe day after the klllilg Renter had
been detached without amy reason being as
signed for the detachment. Three months
afterwards the Secretary of the Navy h.I
addressed him "a letter. which was printed
in the public press before Ii Wy7
received by Commander Etier.. 10
was thus apparent that tEe letter
was written 10y the Secretary 81 the
Navy. not 20 Commander Relter alone. tut ihr
public lie (Dalzell would not stop % crit
els the Secretarys language and tone, ms
logic and rhetoric. and whatever nh" language
and tone. whatever that iOgic and rhetoric, tie
letter had become an open public rcpnmand
Of naval officer of heretofore unIucsuonaOle
courage and fidelity TO duty.
TIE SECRETARY tLliltlolD
It had placed a stigma on his name and
blight on his career II took from hum ms
dearest possession and from his children their
richest Inheritance. To Commander Kritcr's
demand for "a cOurt-martlm came reply that
his demand showed his ignorance oI the naval
discipline Could it be that an honorable of
ficcr who had faithfully served his country
for many years was 10 be degraded and dis
graced bv an official whose career
fft
If il could be- So. It was high time that there
shouldb be some legislation on this subject. lie
DalZelD did not deny the power of the Sccre-
tary of the NAVY % impress I'm, diSapprOyal Of
the act of an officer: but he did deny the
power of the Secretary 20 administer public
reprimand IN time of peace. II Rclter merlted
public reprimand he mertcd dismissal from
the navy. No Secretary of the Navy should
administer punishment the effect of which was
dismissal without the Intervention Of "A court
martial
He (Ir. Dalzeln stood on the bold, defiant
ground that the Secretary OF the Navy had
exceeded his power when he wrote and pub
lished his letter to Reter. The Secretary
not only exceeded his power. but he had done
a wrong that called for redress. For Com
mander Reiter 10 have complied with the
rule laid down by the Secretary Of the Navy
would have been to violate the general
practice among the Spanish-Amerlcan States
national law.
THE SECRETARY DEFENDED.
Mr. Lodge, Of Massachusetts, came TO the
defense of the Secretary of the Navy When
he heard the news OF the killing of Barundia
on an American ship he felt % shock Of surprise
and Indignation that such Il bloody occur
renee had taken place under such clrcum-
stauces He had been i'm common with other
American citizens ready 10 suspend ludg-
ment. Those facts were now be-
fore Congress. The argument IN defence OF
Commander Reitcr had been an able one but
he did not feel as an American citizen. that
the conduct of American representatives, 40
San Jose was "a subject ior regret. The course
they had taken was mistaken course. He
(Mr. Lodge could quote numerous cases nm
which rcprimands bad been administered
publicly by executive officers. u was clear
from precedents that the Secretary of the
Navy had acted in accordance with well
established practice.
CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE BILLING.
After reciting the circumstances Of the kill
ing of Bauunda. Mr. Lodge sad that he
thought 1t would bee painful idea 10 every
American citizen that such transaction as
that could have occurred on AN American
ship. No one questioned that il was the right
Of Guatamela OF any other State % take aman
against whom civil or political process Wa. Is
sued from a merchant ship. But Commander
Relter had no information that such was the
case. As a matter of fact Bauundia bad been
arrested under the authority If the United
States Minister. Why was it that Guatamala
took such pains 10 get the authority Of our
minister. Bauundia's character was none of
the best. but when he sailed under the Amer-
can flag it was question Of the right Of asyium
And Barrundia was entitled 10 the right OF
asylum from Commander Reter tie believed
that as "A question Of naval policy when there
might be differences q opinion rs 10 the char
acter of the man who sought AN asylum. an
American officer should not fold his hands and
stand by unmOyed while an ARRAY was IN pro-
gress and an American ship near Ia hlm.
Without dsposing OF the BILL the commit
tee rose and the House adjourned.
senate.
In the Senate to-day. House bill 20 estab-
lish the customs district Of Tennessee. with
the substitute constituting Nashville Tenn,
port OF delivery. passed.
House bill 10 revise the wages If certain
employees IN Government Printing Office
passed with substitute providing that all
night employees De paid twenty per cent. IN
addition 10 amount paid for H., labor. A
conference on the substitute was asked for
The Naval Appropriation bill WAS then taken
up as reported. The billappropriates s3l $40.
After a long discussion relative 10 the merits
OF the land and floating batteries the ruling
pf fhp hill WAS proeapI.d with and fhas.