Red Lodge picket. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1889-1907, 1896-01-04
Republicans Have Nominal Cen :
tro| Of United States Senate.
THE POPULlS1S Held AL0OF
Wh> the Test Of Strength Came They
Made No Response to
the Roll Call.

patton Of the vote Oh reorganza ton,
and the galleries were we'll filed with
holiday spectators.
Senator Peffer presented resolutions
from several G. A r. posts in Kansas,
Offering their services to the United
States in the event of war with Great
Britain.
Senator Chandler, who has been wag
ing war against the interstate COM
merce commission for not putting a
stop to pooling arrangements, intro
duced a bill to enlarge the interstate
commerce commission, and modify and
increase the scope of its powers.
Senator Brice offered resolutions in
structing the secretary of war to make
an examination Of physics and hydraul-
les of the great lakes and to report on
the feasibility and cost of raising the
level Of the lakes by a series Of dams.
Senator Chandler offered a resolution
calling on the committee on naval af
fairs to inquire into the prices paid by
the United States for armor plate, as to
whether they We're reasonable, as to
whether they We're in excess of the
prices charged foreign governments, as
to whether the prices had been in
creased by reason of new patent proc
esses, and whether the navy depart
ment could expedite the granting of
those patents, and whether any officers
of the United States We're interested in
these patent processes.
Senator Lodge then took the floor to
deliver an address on the Monroe doc
trine. Before he began Senator Mitch
ell Of Oregon, chairman of the repub-
lican caucus committee, gave notice
that at the conclusion Of Senator
Lodges remarks he should ask the SEN
ate to take UP the question Of reorganz-
ing the committees.
THE MONROE DOCTRINE,
Senator Lodges address was listened
to with attention by the senate. He
gave very interesting sketch of the
history of the Monroe doctrine and told
how it was vitality involved in the Ven
ezuelan boundary line controversy. He
followed this with brief relation Of the
pending dispute between Great Britain
and Venezuela, which he said had now
reached a crisis affecting most gravely
the honor the interests, the rights and
the we'll settled policy of the United
States. If England, with no authority
but a disputed claim, seized territory
and declined arbitration upon it, her |
action, he declared, did not differ from |
Selling and holding new territory in !
tie Americas by right of conquest. If |
she could seize territory under a claim |
which had grown larger with each sue |
ceeding year. there was nothing to pre-
vent her taking indefinite regions in |
South America. The senator referred |
to the claim made on Venezuela bI |
Great Britain for reparat atiOn on account |
of the arrest by the authorities of th4 |
former country of British subjects on
the disputed territory. But the ques-
ton of reparatOn, he declared, must
not be mixed up with the acquisition Of
territory If Venezuela, paid the in
demnity fixed and demanded by Great
Britain, she acknowledged in so doing
that the disputed territory is British
territory and made the whole case void.
We had, he continued, neglected too
long our foreign policy and the great
interests of the United States which lay
beyond her boundaries. We want the
matter of boundary dispute settled by
arbtra ton, because if it is settled 9TH
erwise it will be a blow to the welfare
and dignity Of the United States.
He did not believe the people Of Eng
land had the least desire to engage in
hostilities with the United States any
more than we sought or desired hOstili-
ties with them.
1--WE have" said Senator Lodge, "seen
British forces at Corinto. We know ths
attitude they assume in Venezuela.
They are attempting to take land on the
Alaskan boundary. They have just de-
nounced the modus vivendi and re
opened the perilous dispute Of seal fish
cries. 1t is not by accident that these
events have all occurred, or all come to
the acute stage within the past year"
The senator closed by expressing the
belief that the questions between Eng
land and the United States would be
peacea bly, settled, but it was very clear
that such settlement could only be
reached by action on the part Of con-
gress and the president, which should
be as firm as it was temperate, and
which should maintain the Monroe doc
trine absolutely and at all hazards
wherever it justly applied.
Senator Lodge occupied the floor al
most two hours. When he finished, Sen
ator Mitchell Of Oregon presented the
resolution for the reorganization Of the
senate committees.
Senator German in brief speech, de-
veloped the tactics Of the democrats,
evidently to show that if the senate was
it could be done only by
an alliance of the republicans and pop
ulists He said it was well known when
the senate had met that neither Of the
great parties had a majority.
eve know On this side" he continued,
"thAt we did not have a majority and
we are not yet certain that the other
has That can only be determined by
vote. If they have, they are entitled
to control the committees and the coun-
try can understand that they are in con-
troll and responsible for the legislation
in this chamber
Senator German therefore demanded
the yeas and noes. which were taken.
The populists, Allen, Butler, Irby,
Peffer and Stewart, declined to vote.
Senator Tillman was paired against
the resolution and Senator Kyle, the
populist from North Dakota, voted
against the resolution. This action of
the populsts eliminated the populsts as
a factor and the resolution, which gave
the republicans control Of the commit
tees, was adopted by strict party vote
Of the members Of the old parties-3O
TO 29 AS soon az the vote was announc-
ed, Senator Allen felt it incumbent up
On himself to make an explanation Of
the attitude of the third party men.
He wanted the senate and the country
10 understand that though small in num-
Der they constituted the nucleus Of a
orga nized party, completely
in principles and sympa-
thies. When the senate convened,
of the members professed to be
n favor of the free and unlimited COIN
age Of silver. Letters had been sent
20 all of them with a view to organizing
,he senate on silver lines With the ex-
seption Of two or three there was no
.esponse The populists, therefore, {
Senator Allen said, decided to take no J
,art in the question as to who should