Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1892-01-27
MORE LIGHT WANTED.
The House Desires Further InfOrma-
ton from the President.
Mr.. BRECKENRIDGES RESOLUTION
Asking President Harrison TO Present 10 Con-
grss ANY Further Information he May
Have Received from Minister Egan or
Other Sourcs-The Matter Referred.

lie mind is allaYed as to the probabilities
of war, it is hardly likely that the peo-
Piles, representatives will settle down TO
the more sedate consideration OF routine
legislation.
In the House to-day the feverish anx-
iety for the latest information was
early manifested in the resolution OF
Mr.. Breckenridge, of KY, calling upon
the President for all additional dis
patches not contained in communication
OF yesterday; and while that resolution
was finally referred to the committee
on Foreign Affairs, it was only done az
ter the assurance OF the members OF
that committee that the resolution
would be reported back without delay
in case it's adoption seemed necessary
to secure all information at hand on the
subject.
There was manifested throughout the
entire discussion of this question in the
| House to-day an almost beseeching de-
! sire on the part of the members OF the
| Foreign Affairs Committee TO retain
within its Jurisdiction control of the
Chilean situation and exercise in an un-
tramelled manner all the prerogatiyes
1
| there was quite as plainly manifested
the desire of the House in general to
know all that diplomacy knows in this
hour of the nations crisis, and while
| the Foreign Affairs Committee finally
! received the custody Of the resolution,
the debate sufficed to give stern warn
ing of the intention of the House to
guard jealously all its prerogatlves and
! be the supreme tribunal in the final con-
sideratiOn of the CdSlCS belU.
Precedents, rules and legislative for
mula excite but little reverence from
the members Of the House, who regard
the situation as one Of too great gravity
to warrant the wasting Of a minutes
time in deferential courtesy to the Com
mittee on Foreign Affairs.
Mr.. Breckenridge asked for the i'm
+ mediate consideration OF the following
, resolution:
RcsOlued, That the President Of the
United States be respectfully requested
10 inform the House whether any
answer has been received from our Min
lister to Chile, Patrick Egan, Esq, or
from the government of Chile to the dis
patch sent by the government OF the
United States to the Republic Of Chile
on January 81, and If so, from whom
such answer was received and at what
time, and that he will communicate TO
the House all the correspondence be-
tween the government Of the United
States, its Minister to Chile and the
Chilean government not communicated
to the Congress with the message here
tofore sent in.
Addressing the House on the resolu-
tion Mr.. Breckenridge said: Congress
has recently received a message from
the President concerning question Of
war or peace under circumstances
which in the nature Of the
case must be grave, or the President
would not have sent any message at all.
"NOw ii appeared possible that the
Chilean government did send an answer
TO a dispatch, repeated in the message,
that the President had sent.
Congress knew the fact to
be that on January 21 q dis
patch was sent to the Republic Of Chile.
He did not now criticise the President
for not waiting until an answer had
been received, or until time for such an
answer had elapsed before sending the
| message to Congress. He did not now
make any criticism, either on the haste
with which the message was sent, or on
the language Of the message pending
consideration by that Republic Of its
action on the dispatch Of January 2l.
| 1t must be remembered, however, that
the language of that message to Con-
gress could have been communicated to
the authorities of Chile, and might, il
no answer had been made to
| the dispatch OF January 81
affect the nature of the answer that
that government would feel called on to
make. Therefore it was not too great
a presumption to indulge in that Pres
ident of a great and free people, deal
ing with free but feeble people, would
not have used such language pending
the consideration by Chile Of its answer
to that dispatch.
'It was not too great pre-
sumption to indulge in that grave
emergency like that would have called
| for due consideration and ample time if
the President had not had some intima-
tion of what the answer would be. 1t
was scarcely credible that the language,
he would not say insulting, but so Sc
we're, used by him would have been used
| II he had believed that friendly and
sufficient response would have been
made to the dispatch of January 81. IL
was, therefore, not impossible that he
NAV have had some intimation Of what
the answer would be, and yet it was in
| such an unofficial and informal manner
received by him as to justify him in not
using it in his message. Applause on
Democratic side.
1.-The power is granted alone to Con-
gress TO declare the war the President
| has put upon US. We must face it and so
decide that, on the one hand, the honor
and the dignity Of the American people
shall be upheld. No man in this House,
no matter from what part he comes, nor
| from what section he may hail, but will
at all hazards, protect the humblest
seaman that wears the American uni
form, or guard, at whatever expense, the
honor aud glory Of the American peo-
ole. TGreat applSusel. 1t will be re-
ceiyed by every honorable man in all
the country that the honor, the glory,
the dignity OF the republic, the safety
and security of its sesmen are safe in the
hands of this Congress; but, on the
other hand, war should be only as a
last resort, especially so when the war
must be with srepublic, like US, anxious
Tor liberty, desiring to maintain consti-
tutional freedom, seeking progress by
means of that freedom, and with the
gravity greatly increased by the fact
Il -, +baf rapuhlic ia in the midst of
great internal trouble, having just
overthrown dictator while seeking for