The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1892-02-09
Private John Allen Speaks.


hope | may have the attention of
the House. The. great strain to
which thirteen men have been sub
jected for the last few days on the
Committee on Foreign Affairs has
prompted me to offer this amend
ment to increase their number from
thirteen to seventy-fve. laughter
We have no right, sir, in my humble
Judgment, to impose so much res
possibility upon thirteen men.
Laughter.
While the gentlemen composing
that cOmittee have borne up brave
ly in the great crisis through which
we have Just passed and have seem
ed fully alive to the gravity of the
situation, yet, Mr.. Speaker, thirteen,
YOU will remember, is an unlucky
number; and | do not want any un-
lucky things to happen when we
come to deal with foreign affairs.
Now. Mr.. Speaker, l suppose that
in ordinary times of peace | should
never have thought of making the
proposition; but have been promp-
ted to do SO by the feverish excite
ment and war feeling to which we
have been subjected for the last
few days. Laughter I understand
that there has hH. some criticism
on the fact that 80 prominent u
figure as in American politics has
not spoken out and declared for
war before this. Il do not know, sir,
but that it would be proper for me
to state the reason why my views
upon the question of our rela-
tons with Chile have not appeared
in public print, and why
| have not given voice to warlke
feelings beforex this. Laughter.
Sir, something more than thirty
years ago I went to war, and after
thirty years Of reflection and delib-
'crttion have>eoncluded probably
T was rather basty. Great laughter.
My experience in that war, sir,
has never daunted my courage, but
it has .,made me decidedly more
cautious. Greatrlaughter. 1 want
to say now that,I do not intend to
reflect on ANY of my Confederate
brethren who have rushed into this
war with zeal that | think is some
what precipitOus. (Laughter.) There
are some of them who seem to feel
that their reputation for patriotism
and loyalty to this country is little
shattered, and they want to repair
it. Laughter, But, sir, as for
myself, my reputation for patriotic
devotion to the Government is so
well enthusiastically years of public
service and my, courage in battle
has been SO weltattested on many
fields chat / need not
rush into the newspapers and de-
clare war to establish myself.
(Renewed Laughter.) But | say, that
this should be "a great, cOnserva-
tive committee.
Now, sir, 1 for one do not mean
to intimate tkatlhe Foreign Affairs
Committee has not been equal to
the emergency in the present
instance. | amnot going to censure
them; but | simply mean to say that
in times like these through which we
have just passed the responsibility
is too great to impose on so few
men, and they nigh be hustled into
war with as much haste as the
Presidents war message was hus-
tied in here. Laughter.
Now, sir, recurring to the cor
resp0ndence to which we listened
to-day, between our Government
and Chile, will say that l never
would have spoken on this subject |
until there was a satisfactory set
Element. | did not wish to embar-
ras either of the parties. Laughter.
But now that the matter seems set |
tied | do wish to suggest that while
| am not as familiar with diplomatic
correspondence between nations
probably as the~Tres ent Secretary |
Of State, Mr.. Blaine, nor with eti-
quette governing in such cases, l |
DO know, Mr. Speaker, the code of
honor that governs gentlemen in af- |
fairs of this kind, having lived most |
or my life under that code having
fought duels, and having conducted |
much correspondence that resulted |
N satisfactory settlement. Great
Laughter.)
Most of the men that I have kill
ed sir, have killed under that code.
,Laughter.l And do not see why
the same polite rules should not pre-
vail in the conduct of an affair of
honor between nations, and | must
say that this affair with Chile has not
been conducted in accordance with
the code. In Mississippi, when one
gentleman institu1ss a correspond
ence with another looking to the
amicable settlement of a misunder-
standing, and brings him down to
the point at difference, and finally |
sends him his ultimatum Laughter
if that man were to rush into print |
and publish the correspondence be-
fore his adversary had time to an
swer the ultimatum, he would be a
persona non grata in that State.
Great Laughter.
Here the hammer fell; but unani-
nous consent was given TO Mr.. AL
LEN to proceed
Mr. AITEN Whom INV timo nv |