Evening journal., 1891-02-11

Ahe fehhsyiNahta Congressman Reviews
the killing ofBarrundia and Denounees
Mr.. Tracy for Publicly Reprimandinr
the Commander Of the Ranger.
WASHINGTON, Feb. lin the house the
committee on coinage, weights and meas
ures was granted leave to sit during the
sessions Of the house The bill for pub
lie building at Dallas, Tex, which was We
toed by the president was reported back
and the bill passed over the veto. The leg
islative appropriation bill was carried into
committee Of the whole and in the general
debate Mr.. Dalzell (Pa.) made a long speech
in defense Of Commander Reiter's position
in the Barrundia affair and in criticism IT
Secretary Tracy's order relieving Reiter
MIR. DalzelIs Speech.
When the Barrundia case was revive ~
Mr.. Dalzeil he said the public repri ind
administered upon Commander Reiicr hv
the secretary Of the navy was unwau. ted
and unjust A naval officer had beer d,s
graded by public reprimand withou 'ti
intervention of court martial. Ills meg
was the case Of every officer in the ser zee.
Gen Barrundia had been a notorleus
Guatemalan. charged with the commission
of murder and the embezzlement OF public
funds, as well as of high treason. He had
come voluntarily within the iurialiction
of his own country AZ "A time that he was
resting under these charges Barrnndia
was killed on the steamer Acapulco bv
officers undertaking to arrest him, which
officers he undertook 20 murder At that
time two United States ships Of war. the
Ranger and the Thetis, lay in the road. old
Commander Reiter being the commanding
officer. lie had not interfered with the
arrest.
Secretary Tracy's Reprimand.
The day after the killing Reiterhad been
| detached without any reason being as
signed for the detachment. Three months
afterward the secretary Of the navy had
| addressed him q letter. which was printed
in the public press before it was received
| by Commander Reiter. II was thus np.
parent that the letter was written by the
| secretary Of the navy, not to Commands
Reiter alone but TO the general public Mr.
Dalzel would not, he said. sto0p to criti
else the the secretary's language and tone.
| his logic aud rhetoric; but whatever the
language and tone, whatever that logic
and rhetoric, the letter had becomean open
public reprimand OF q naval officer of here
tofore unquestionable courage and fidelity
TO duty
II had placed a stigma on his name and
a blight ON his career It took from him
his dearest possession and from his chill
dren their richest inheritance. 10 Com
mander Reiter's demand for "A court mar
tial came the reply that his demand showed
his ignorance Of naval discipline Couid
10 BE- that an honorable officer. who had
faithfully served his country for MANY
years, was TO be degraded and disgriced
by the dictum of an official whose career
began yesterday and might Gn the muta.
tions Of politics. end tomorrow II il
could be so il was high time that there
should be some legislation on this subject
The Secretary Scored
He (Mr Dalzeln did not deny the power
of the secretary OF the navy TO express his
disapproval Of the act Of an officer. but he
did deny the power Of the secretary TO ad
minister a public reprimand in time Of
peace If Commander Reiter mcrited pub
lie reprimand he merited dismissal from
the navy. No secretary of the navy could
administer punishment, the effect Of
which was dismissal, without the inter
vention of a court martial
He (Mr- Dalzol) stood on the bold, de
liant ground that the secretary OF the navy
had exceeded his power when he published
his letter to Commander Reiter and had
done a wrong that called for redress. For
Commander Reiter to have complied with
the rule laid down 10y the secretary Of the
navy would have been 10 violate the gen
eral practice among the Spanish-American
states and the well recognized principles
of international law
Mr.. Lodge Defends Mr.. Tracy.
Mr.. Lodge Mass came 20 the defense Of
the secretary. The argument in defense
of Commander Reiter had been an able
one, but he did feel, as an American citi
zen, that the conduct Of the American rep
resentatives at San jose was a subject for
regret The course they had taken was a
mistaken course He (Mr. Lodge) could
quote numerous cases in which reprimands
had been administered publicly w execE-
} tive officers. lt was clear from precedents
that the secretary Of the navy had acted I'm
accordance with well established practice
Mr. Lodge thought II would be painful
idea TO every American citizen that such ~
transaction could have occurred on an
American ship. No one questioned that it
was the right Of Guatemala or any other
3 state 70 take man against whom civil or
criminal process was issued from mer-
chant ship. But Commander Reiter had
no information that such was the case
AS a matter of fact Barrundia had been
arrested under the authority Of the United
States minister Why was il that Guate-
: mala took such pains 20 get the authority
I of our Minister He dared say that Bar
3 rundias character was none OF the best.
but when he sailed under the American
e flag Barrundia was entitled to the right OF
asylum from Commander Reiter. He be-
: lieved that as a question OF naval policy,
when there might be differences Of opinion
as TO the character of the man who sought
an asylum, an American officer should not,
fold his hands and stand by unmoved
, while an afray was in progress in an Amer
J lean ship near to him.