The herald., 1896-02-25
THE FFTY-FOURTH CONGRESS
A Pension Given to Secretary
Gresham's Widow
THE RECOGNITION OF CUBA
b Nest Earnestly Adv,,cSted By Senator
Mefgaa
white Of califsrnia Offers an Amentiment to
the Pending Cuban Resolu .ioa-Pr
ceedlngs In the htMsa

Associated Press Special Wire
WASHINGTON, Feb, 24.-GtLll niger of New
hampshire, chairman of the q ,mmittes on
pansions, rose TO . uestioSi of personal
privilege when the senate Asse nbled today,
end in vigorous language DE- nounced the
publication in the New York Sun purport-
~ TO report the action of the senate pass
ND number of private pens ion bills last
Tuesday. It had been asserts d all records
had been broken by the ''sena te mill," 12O
bills being passed in an hour. with little or
10 consideration, q few me mbers being
present. etc. Gallinger declar ed this was .
tissue Of misrepresentation sixty-ssven
hills were passed in two hours and three
auarteru, and the total increa SO was $12,-
O72 year. The senator was very caustic
aeucsrning the violation of journalistic
pzivilsge.
Hoar of Massachusetts, said each pension
bill passed inspection of the senate and
house committees, greater in number than
Tie membership of the supreme court or
oourt Of appeals.
Hswley of Pennsylvania said it was i'm
.
into occasional error. He fully upheld the
1acts presented by the chairman of the PEN
sion committee, but asked if there was not
Quito prevalent feeling against large PEN
4sn expenditures.
Mr.. Gallinger called up the bill granting
Q penslon to the widow of the late Walter
G. Gresham, a. brigad6er-gsneral, at 5000
poe month, with an amendment reducing
She amount to 500.
furpie, Democrat of Indiana, spoke in
support of the amendment, but he said the
choice of Mr. Gresham az secretary of
0tAAn took the country by surprise. Mr..
Gresham had never been known as MEM
wa regarded az a marked departure from
established usage. At the outset he was
threatsnsd with isolation. but his bon
hemno won him personal friends, while
his substantial ability and tact command
Cd respect. Turpie spoke OF the difficult
ties in the Hawaiian and BrinG sea COM
plicatious and the tremendous labor in
viewed therein-labor greater than that
falling on the shoulders of any secretary
Of state during tue war. A love of justice
was the absorbing motive of his life, polit-
ical and social distinctions disappearing
before this controlling trait of his charac-
ter. The senator reviewed the secretary's
career - . soldier, statesman and jurist.
At the conclusion of Turpie's remarks
the bill az amended at 500 was passed
without division.
The resolution of Mr.. Lodge directing the
finance COMMITTEES to inquire into the cir
cumstances of bond issues during 1884,
95-96 was taken up.
PETER moved an amendment broadening
the resolution and directing that it be
made by q special committee of I'VE sena.
tors.
Lodge moved to lay the PETER amend.
ment on the table.
L l.
but Mr.. Lodges motion to table it cut of
debate, the Massachusetts senator remark
ing that the express purpose was to pre-
vent lengthy discussion.
Il shall find an opportunity to give my
views OH the subject" inIerjected Hill.
The motion to table was defeated--yess
Is, nays "a.
The vote in detail was as follows:
Yeaa-Republicans: Aldrich, Allison,
Chandler, Cullom, Frye, Gear, Hawley.
Lodge. Morrill,. Quay, Sherman, Wstmore /;
Democrats: Bacon, German, Gray. Palmer !;
Populisfs: none,
Nays Republicans: Baker, Brown. Bur.
rows. Cameron, Cannon. Carter, Davis,
Hansbrough, Mantle, Perkins, Pritchard,
shoup, Teller; Democrats: Bate, Berry,
Caffery. Chiffon, Cockrell, Gordon, Harris.
Hill. Lindsay, Martin, Morgan, PAscoe,
Roach. Turpie. Vest, Walthali, White |;
Popnlists: Alien. Butler. Jones of Nevada,
PETER.
Mr.. Hill said he voted against tablipe
the resolution. As he thought it desirable 10
discuss II. He regarded the Lodge resoIu-
tion as desirable in form and giving due
courtesy to the secretary of the treasury.
But he did not consider it the province OF
the senate to investigate everything
brought before the senate. 1t was desir-
able to look into the motives inspiring
these various resolutions. Requests for
information were one thing. but formal in.
veetigations were another and more serious
question. An investigation carried to the
public an implication of irregularity. Be.
fore such an investigation was inaugurated
there should be something definite and
tangible. ''It is not because this is Demo
cratic secretary of the treasury that l Cd.
pose this investigation said Mr.. Hill.
with great vigor. II would oppose it if INV
worst political enemy occupied the chair oi
the secretary"
He opposed it, be said, because this in.
vestisation was based on idle rumor and
sensational newspaper gossip. 1t voiced
the walls and complaints of disappointed
bond bidders
IF this investigation is begun there will
be no means of stopping an investigation
OF every trivial rumor. If there is anything
IN the recent bond sale requiring investi.
gation," said Mr.. Hill, ''there should be q
formal resolution stating just what was
charged, in order that the result might be
compared with the expectation. As the
resolution stood now it was stab IN the
dark it was an attempt to ipsinuate what
the author (Mr. Peffer) OF the resolution
was afraid to state boldly"
Mr.. Hill referred to q recent speech by
Mr.. Allen (Populist of Nebraska) in which
the latter spoke of himself as a farmer.
''Yes, q farmer. and Democrat" inter.
jected Mr.. Allen jocularly.
"If the senator is no better farmer than
he is q Democrat responded Hill, stheu
pity the crops raised in Nebraska
At this point o'clock intervened, setting
aside the bond resolutions and bringing ur
the Cuban question which is the regular
order.
Morgan resumed his speech in support oi
the eeolution to recognize the Cubans as
bsIligerents.
The senator reviewed the policy of ths
United States regarding Cuba since the
time of President Adams. The latter
prophesied that within fifty years Cuba
would be a state of the United States anc
thereafter Webster, Clay, jefferson anc
other statesmen uniformly urged the &C
quieition of Cuba by the United States.
Morgan said the atrocities of the Spanisf
in controlling the Cubans were almos
without parallel in history. In the las
war not only had $4,000 Cubans beer
killed In battle but $4,000 prisoners haC
been put to death 1t was most shocking
holocaust. The senator said he had paused
tn Wonderment to think that the United
States had stood silently by at this awful
slauehter Of $4,000 prisoners instead o.
moving sword in hand and driving tbs
bpAniArds from the island.