The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-03-11
SENATOR LODGE ANGRY
TOOK THE SPANISH MINISTER TO
 TASK FOR REMARKS

He Said That No Representative of a For
 eign Government Should Resort to tho
 Newspapers to Air Their Grievances-An
 Earnest Protest Was Entered Against
 Such Action.
 Washington, March 10-The senate galleries were thronged with spectators when to-days session opened.
 As soon as the journal of yesterday was read MT. Lodge, rep. of Massa- chusetts, rose to a question of personal privilege in relation to the statement of the Spanish minister through the newspaper press. That statement ac- cused him (Mr. Lodge) of having read to the senate a report which had been imposed upon him and which he said was malicious and fraudulent mis- representation. He held in his hand copy of Fl Liberal of Madrid, in Whlch the interview with General Weyler was published and he would have the arti- cle printed in the Record in spanish, so that it might be seen that the transla- tion which he had made of it was cor- rect The Spanish word "limpiar meant to clean, to clean out; and he had given it the translation of ''exter- minate.' That was what the Spanish minister complained of. He (Mr. Lodge) could understand the sensitiveness of the Spanish people-a people who had ;,, h1yn HiGGinafp1 great empire. But he did not think there was any excuse for the diplomatic representative of Spain taking the course which he had taken. That min ister had been referred to in the debate yesterday as historian; but his state ments were eX-parte. It was a very we'll established custom and fact that debate in the senate and house were domestic matters with which no for eign nation had any concern. The prop CT channel for diplomatic representa- tive to make representations on any subject was through the state depart ment, not through the newspapers. If an American diplomatist were to criti- else in an European country the de- bates of the representative body of that country in the newspapers, he would be sent home. He protested against hav- ing a diplomatic representative using as a channel for communication the newspapers of the United States to crit icise language uttered in debate in the senate of the United States. The con- stitution protected every senator and representative for language uttered in debate. That was one of the earliest or1c nf ho f~andnp, nf the Eno- fish speaking race. He protested against any criticism on the part of a foreign minister. He knew very well what any other country in the world would do under similar circumstances.
 MT. Gray, dem, of Delaware, regret ted that the senate did not pursue the even tenor of it's way undisturbed by emutes in Madrid or in other Spanish cities. Why, he asked, should the sen atelay asideits business and discuss the interpretation or the translation of newspaper article in Spanish between the senator from Massachusetts and the minister from Spain? It was quarrel upon point-no-point.
 Mr. Teller rep, of Colorado, said that 1t had been the unbroken rule in diplo- matic affairs that the agent of a foreign government shall not interfere with domestic affairs. There should be no comment made by any foreign minister of parliamentary proceedings in the country to which he is accredited. He thought that if war had become fragrant in Cuba the Cubans were entitled to cer- tain rights, but that the recognition of those rights was no cause of offense to Spain; and Spain had no right to complain of it. She might feel hurt just as the American people felt hurt when some foreign governments early recognized the belligerency of the southern confederacy. But that was not a cause for war.
 MT. Hoar, rep, of Massachusetts, re- marked that Spain would have no right to regard concurrent resolutions as binding the American people. The dec Iaration of the senate of the United States was like the declaration of indi- vidual senators, and had no quality of authority.
 MT. Chandler, rep, of New Hamp- shire, said that the matter complained of by MT. Lodge was entirely unbecom- ing in a minister from Spain to the United States. That communication ought not to have been written. He asked MT. Gray whether, if MT. Bayard had addressed a communication to the London Times criticising remarks of Lord Salisbury, MT. Chamberlain and others in the British parliament, he would not think that a very improper proceeding?
 MT. Gray explained his view that the Spanish minister had violated diplo- matic usages, but allowance should be made for him. He (Mr. Gray) felt that magnanimity and forbearance on the part of the American people and the American government toward Spain would strengthen the attitude of those who really felt that Cuba ought to be free.
 MT. Frye, rep, of Maine, called at tention to an incident where foreign minister pursued 8 course the opposite of that which the Spanish minister pur- sued in this matter. The senate com mittee on commerce had had before it a bill which he (Mr. Frye) thought would effect German trade interests. As the German government or people had no agent or attorney to represent it's interests before the committee he had written a note to the German ambassa- dor asking him whether he had any thing to say about the bill. The Ger man minister replied that he could not with DrOOriPTV address the committee or