The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1895-12-10
MORGAN IS SARCASTIC
ALAB SENATOR PAYS HIS
RESPECTS TO ENGLAND'S
AMBASSADOR.
BERlNG SEA TRIBUNALS AWARD

ic;sed the Settlement OF the President
...InduIges in some Plain Talk
About Sir Julian Paancefote and the
English People.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 9.-The feature
of the Senate to-day was speech by
Senator Morgan, of Alabama, chairman
of the committee on foreign relations,
and a member of the Bering Sea trib-
unal, upon a resolution offered by him
last week instructing the foreign rela-
tions committee to investigate the
question of the liability of the United
States for the seizures of British ships
in Bering Sea in 1890
Mr. Morgan took the position in the
last Congress that the settlement OF
the President, was neither wise nor
proper. His remarks on that occasion
were the subject of some sarcastic
comment from the British ambassador
here in the latter's official correspond
ence with LorClTkimberly. That CORE
spondence was printed recently from
the British Blue Book, and most of Mr.
Morgan's speech to-day was devoted to
paying his respects to Sir Julian
pauncefote. He quoted from Sir Ju-
lian's report to Lord Kimberly that
Republicans, Populists and forty-four
Democrats had voted against the appro
priation and his comment attributing
the action of the House to the "neces-
sity of party expedieney" Mr.. Nor
Gan declared comtemptuously that it
was getting to be the fashion abroad
TO attribute everything that did not
please them to the ..infiuence of party
u oh n4a II
Iian's comments as unjust and of
fensiyen in the case of the House.
But not content with these refiec-
tions on the House." said Mr.. Morgan,
..he refers to Senators by name in
gratuitous and insulting manner. He
does this under the cover of the British
flag"
After quoting Sir lnlian's comment
on his (Morgan,s) characterization of
some of the alleged British claimants
as ..recalcitrant and rascally Ameri-
cans he declared that the British am
bassador's structures were based on the
mistaken notion that the British nayi-
CATION laws should cover violations OF
United States statutes.
Crimes against the deealogue could
not. he said. be found in the Koran He
denounced the action of the American
marauders in Bering Sea who had
placed themselves under the protec-
ton of the British flag as guilty Of sur
reptitious piracy. He did not object
to the English Ambassador criticising
his course. either as Senator or as
member of the Paris tribunal in his
private communications TO his gov
ernment. but he emphatically protest
u Aa4 he ha1 no rio
criticism to the American papers IN
pamphlet and thus forestall reply.
Mr.. Morgan was exceedingly ironical
in his reference to the indiscriminate
nature of the claims England had
bundled together and asked us tosettie
for +" lump sum"
The proposition TO pay lump sum,
he said. ought to be too revolving to
lie on the Christian stomach of the
English Ambassador.
The correspondence laid before the
House. Mr. Morgan said. demonstrated
that there was no negotiation over the
alleged claims and evidently little in
vestigation. England had simply
jumped at the lump sum proposition
made by Secretary Gresham for the
settlement of claims that had neither
justice nor morality beyond the asser-
ton set up, but palpably false, that
the award of the Paris tribunal made
it obligatory upon the United States to
satisfy any claims for damages which
Great Britain might make.
Mr.. Morgan insisted that it was the
clear duty of the Senate TO construe
the action of the President in an at
tempt to ride down the power of the
Senate in negotiating for the settle
ment of an international controversy
without its advice or consent.
At the conclusion of his speech, which
occupied two hours, Mr.. Morgan asked
a vote on the adoption of his resolution
instructing the foreign affairs COM
mittee to examine into and report the
liability of the United States to Great
Britain for the seizures. The resolu-
ton was then read and is as follows:
Resolved, That the message of the
President, received by the Senate on
February 13, 1895, and his message read
in the Senate to-day (meaning Decem-
ber 81, relating TO the payment by the
United States of the claims of Great
Britain arising out of the Bering Sea
controversy, be referred to the Com
mite on Foreign Relations, with in
structions that said committee exam
inc into the question of such liability
to Great Britain and the amount of, If
any liability on the part of Great
Britain or Canada arising out
of said controversy, and that said com
mittte shall have authority TO report
by bin or otherwise"
The resolution was adopted without
a dissenting voice, and the Senate went
into executive session, and confirmed
the nomination of Rufus III. Peckham,
OF New York, to be associate justice
of the Supreme Court of the United
States; also w. f. Faison, of North
Carolina, to be solicitor of the State
Department. The Judiciary Commit
tee has agreed to report favorable the
nomination of judges Springer. Kill
gere, and Stuart.
Among the bills introduced in the