Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-12-10
AMBASSADOR BAYARD
A Resolution for His Impeachment
Offered.
A SENSATION IN The HOUSE
Representative Barett's Speech
advocating the Proposition.
A LIV E L Y D E B A T E

d
member from Massachusetts,, arose in his
place and offered articles of Impeachment
against Thomas F. Bayard, ambassador of
the United States at the court of Great
Britain. Mr.. Barrett's motion for impeach-
ment was preferred in the following form:
The Impeachment Resolution.
II do impeach Thomas +. BGyard, United
States minister to Great Britain, of high
crimes and misdeameanors on the following
grounds:
Whereas, the following report Of speech
delivered before the Edinburgh Philosophic
Institution by Thomas f. Bayard, minister
of the United States of America at the court
of Great Britain, IS Published IN the London
News under date of November 8, 1S95
The opening address CT the Edinburgh
Phiiosophic Institution was delivered last
night by Mr.. Bayard, minister Of the Unit
ed States of America, who selected for the
subject ''IL.iividual Freedom the Germ Of
National froSl ess and + trmanence." In h s
own country, he said, he had with assei the
Unsuitable growth of that 1orm Of state
socialism styled protection. which he be-
neved had done more to foster class legis-
lation and breed inequality OF factions to
corrupt public lite and Danish men of inde-
pendent mind and character from the pub
lie councils to lower the tone OF national
representation; blunt public conscience
create taise standards in the popular mind :;
to familiarize it with reliance upon state
aid, and guardianship in private affairs
divorce ethics from politics, and place poll
ties upon the low level of a mercenary
scramble, than any other single cause.
step by step, and largely owing to indi-
vidual enterprise and independence had
heen oppressed and the energy of dscov-
cries and inventions debilitated and dis
couraged. 1t had unhesitatingly allied itself
with every policy which tended to COM
mercial supremacy; thus it had done much
to throw legislation into the political mar
ket, where jobber and chatter took the place
or statesmen 1t was incorrect to speak of
protection as a national policy. for that it
could never be. because it could never be
ether than the fostering of special interests
at the expense of the rest, and thus over
rule the great plea of equality before the
Law, and that sense OF justice and equity in
the administrs ton of sovereign power, which
was true cause of domest tic tranquility and
human contentmert. Individual energies
and manly self-reliance were necessarily in
volved, and the belief in the mysterious
powers of state aud a reliance upon them,
took the place of individual eXertion, fos-
tered TIE growth of state socialism, and
personal liberty ceased to be the great end
of government.
and whereas such reflections on the
governments policy and people of the
United States by an ambassador of the
United States to a foreign country and be-
fore foreign audience is manifestly in
serious disregard of the proprieties and OBJ
legations which should be observed by an
official representative of the United States
abroad, and calculated to injure our ma
tional reputation,
BE it resolved by the House of Repre-
Sentatives that the committee on foreign
relations be directed to ascertain whether
such statements have been publicly made.
and If So to report to the House such ac-
ticn by impeachment or otherwise as shall
be proper in the premises For the purpose
of this inquiry the committee Is authorized
to send for persons and papers,"
4 Tilt With MIR, CriaD.
A parliamentary tilt developed between
Mr.. Barrett and ex-Speaker Crisp over a
point of order made by the latter against
privile ged character. but was terminated by
Speaker Reed overruling the point of order
and holding that the motion was privleg-
ed. Mr.. Barrett's motion was then taken
up for consideration, and Mr.. Barrett pro-
ceeded to address the House upon it's
merits. He is the successor in Congress of
DR.. Everett of Boston. Years ago he was
Washington correspondent of Boston
newsr aper, was subsequently an editor. and
was for many years speaker of the MaSSa-
cEusetts Legislature. He is fluent and
ready talker, and held the attention of the
House from the outset. There was an un-
usually large attendance of members, the
gravity of the proceedings holding them in
their seats on both sides of the House I'M
til the close.
Mr.. Barrett's Remarks.
1T is not my purpose said Mr.. Barrett,
ito detsin this House many moments in
the consider alton of the resolution which
I have presented. In common, l think l
may say, with every right-minded citizen
of the United States, l have read with
feelings of dismay and humiliation the re-
pe:.ted insults and eXcesses in language
committed toward this government and this
people by the present ambassador of the
United States at the court of Great Britain.
Ike resolution offered by my colleague,
f.,l omit ,1xr fIN
extract which have had read, but also an
other statement made by the ambassador,
in which he refers to the American people
as unruly and turbulent peoples needing
the strong hand of a certain man. to Wit,
Mr.. Grover Cleveland, to keep them IN sub
mission.
Il am, however. pleased to- see, Mr.
Speaker that Mr. Cleveland himself does
rot accord with that view of his duty.
Having left this Congress and the people
OF the United States during the past four
days without the restraint Of that over
ICling hand. he does not, | assume, be-
l:eve that the statement made by his am
bessador is in any way correct. Q4augh-
ter) But, Mr.. Speaker, this statement of
the ambassador which 1 have had read is
in violation of diplomatic usage, is in vio-
l&ton Of the printed instructions given to
him by the Department of State when he
left these shores, and is in violation of
| every patriotic impulse which man who
takes the commission of this country in his
hands is in honor bound to respect. l have
no doubt that the question will be raised
on the other side as to precedent for this
proposed action, and | reply, Mr.. Speaker,
that in all the history of this country there
is no precedent.
No Exact Precedent.
There Is no precedent because no minis
ter of this country in a foreign land, up to
the current political year, has ever felt
called upon, before a foreign audience and
under a foreign flag, to insult the ma tion
whose commission he bore. applause on
the republican sde) There is, however, ons
precedent VIII CHI, while not exactly applying
to this case does apply in principle SO eff
fcctiveiy that l snail refer 20 it on this oc-
cas.on. Gong back some sixty years, we
find that during the administration of An
drew jackson, after prolonged con troversy
in regard to the composition of the cabinet
as it then existed, the previous Secretary o.
| State, Mr.Martin Van Buren,, was nominate 81
| by the president Of the Senate as our m n
| lster to England. When that nomiua ton
came up in the Senate a long and bitter de
| bate occurred upon it, and it touched sc
| closely the springs OF American life and
! American principle that. some time sub
sequent thereto the debate (Which lad oc.
CURED in executive SESSION. was made Tub
| lie. The charge alleged against Mr.. Var
! Buren was that, as Secretary of State, in