Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-01-26
ase. When the House asks the President for

| case. When the House asks the President for
| information about matters which he has not
| communicated. then it il but courteous to lei
him decide whether the information Of which
| he is the custodian can be safely communicated
TO the pubic but when he has taken the initiative
| when he has seat correspondence to Congress.
| when he has felt that the matter has passed
| beyond the reach Of executive action, and must
| now be decided by congressional decision. then
/ we are entitled TO all the correspondence, to
| ell tile information, and there is then no re-
| serve that can be properly pat under the
/ technical and formal language, If not incom-
| patibie with the public service.
| IMPORTANCE OF THE QUESTION.
| Mr.. Speaker, this Is a more important ques-
ton than any question which will probably
arise before Congress during this session. We
are now engaged and have been for years IN
| seeing whether we can tie the nations of the
| American hemisphere closer together.
| The old desire of Bolivar, in some way or
! other by some sort of international agreement,
| some sort OF pact or contract, to bring about a
| union of the American peoples SO as to pre-
serve this hemisphere from European interfer-
enee Is now being attempted to be made prac-
| ticable by the statesmen of the present genera
ton. Republican or democrat each is looking for
| some way by reciprocity or other agreement by
Pan-American congress, or by other associated
meetings of representatives-to get closer to-
gether. Surely, at the beginning of this ad-
verse action. looking not to peace, but to war,
not to communion, but to bloodshed, the
House will not hesitate to take what
ever may be offered to it to obtain
the necessary light If the gentleman
from Georgia Mr. Blount) thinks the resolu-
ton ought not to come up for immediate con-
sideration, will not oppose him, though will
most seriously think IL Is mistake.
WHAT IMPORTATION DID HE WANT?
Mr.. Boatncr Ua-) asked what information
the gentleman had.
Mr.. Breckinridge-Onlyt this information,
that on january 81 dispatch was submitted
by the President, through the American min
lister, to the republic of Chile. On
January % the President communicated a
message to this House that 1t is not unfair to
presume that he had either received an init
nation of what the answer would be, giving
the Chilean government time to answer, and
that if he had had that intimation, We ought
TO know what he has received. II he has de-
SPARED of getting an answer and nothing has
come, or if anything has come, we ought to
know what it Is. That is my frank answer.
Mr.. BLoUST's REPLY.
Mr.. Speaker, said Mr.. Blount GA chair
man Of tile committee on foreign affairs, reply
ing to Mr. breckenridge, whether or not this
House hereafter, in its wisdom and in view
of the gravity of the situation IN the matter
of our relations with Chile, sees fit to con-
slider them In secret session, Mt least. 1t seems
| u
course shall have been considered at all, there
ought not to be thrust upon this House and the
country by any mode OF procedure discus
sion of that situation. lApplauEe on the re-
publican Side
THE WAR OF 1912.
/ remember, and it is familiar to you all, the
course pursued in the war of 1912. message
was sent to the Congress Of the United States,
| the Senate and the House went into secret ses-
sion. the committee on foreign affairs
! resolved upon secrecy of procedure and
the report OF the committee on foreign
| affairs made to this House,
accompanied by declaration Of war and other
measures subsequently in relation to the regu-
lations of privateering; yet nothing was given
to the public. The injunction of secrecy was
never removed until the executive signature
had been affixed to the bill declaring war.
Is there anything in that procedure directed
by the eminent men of those times
to admonish US that either by indirection or by
direction We shall deviate from that deliberate,
rests? Sir, there is a great responsibility
upon this House at this time. l
trust tina. this resolution will
be referred to the committee on foreign affairs
and that every matter touching this question
will be SO referred. Because We have an illus
tration at this very instant how Unexpectedly
to everybody the situation has been brought
to the consideration of the House and the
country.
no DISCUSSION on THE FLOOR.
I presume and l trust that no gentleman
upon the floor of the House will undertake
to discuss the matter pro and con. So
far as any information is concerned
in relation to dispatches received today,
or yesterday. or tomorrow, for one,
| and speaking for the committee on foreign
affairs, assure the gentleman from Kentucky
and this House that they will not be willing to
make any report to this body without exhaust
ing all the information to be had from tie CORE
spondence Applause on the republican side land
beg this House to remember that the line of
safety is the line OF deliberation. You can
| treat this matter as well tomorrow or next
week after deliberation as you can in the pas
sion provoked by instantaneous discussion. 1
beg that we shall be earnest, serious, calm,
nanful in all this matter
Mr.. HERBERT AGAINST THE RESOLUTION.
Mr.. Herbert was recognized for five minutes
in opposition to the adoption of Mr.. Breckin-
ridges resolution. He said: I'VE are in the
midst of very grave crisis. No one can say
with absolute certainty that the situa-
ton is less grave today than it was on
| yesterday. No one can say with absolute
certainty that the dispatch which
| appeared this morning as an Associated Press
| dispatch from Santiago is true. There are
| circumstances connected with that dispatch,
II
which in my opinion render it very doubtful
/ whether the dispatch is true. Suppose that the
| dispatch is untrue and that we pass now the
resolution of the gentleman from Kentucky
What will be its meaning! / don't say that the
gentleman himself intends to cast any such
| imputation, but in my opinion the country
| will look at resolution like that as
| imputinS to the Chief Executive in matter
| of such great concern as his message on vester-
day bad faith to the country and bad faith to
| this House. Are We ready now to do
| that! An attempt to press this resolution
/ to an immediate consideration also carries
| with it some imputation upon the committee
/ on foreign affairs to which this whole matter
| has been properly referred. Is not that CON-
| mittec competent TO consider this whole cues
| ton? think We can trust that committee ard
think. too, ii there lie anything In this resolu-
ton that it viii keep for a few days. at time
| when the issues of peace are trembling
in the balance let us be deliberate. Let Us moi
I now engage in a discussion in which there will
| be on the part of certain gentlemen an attack
/ upon the President and upon the part OF Others
| in defense Of the chief executive. IL tins a
/ time for the House to engage III a discussion or
! that lire? Has the gentlemen from Kentucky
! or anybody else any reasons to give why .
| discussion of this kind, if proper at any time
| ought TO be precipitated now. / trust the
House will not do 1t. but will let it so to the
| committee on foreign affairs, which must
| under the rules, make report within ffteeI
| days