The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1896-05-13
A SOLEMN WARNING.
SENATOR VEST DENOUNCES lHE
DOMINATION OF oFFlCEAOLOERS.

i've vote of 81 to 6, the Senate today
inaugurated an investigation, to be
conducted by the Senate Committee
on Finance. into the facts and circum
stances connected with the sale oil
United States bonds by the Secretary
of the Treasury during the last three
years. The six adverse votes were
cast by Senator Caffery of louisiana,
Faulkner of West Virginia, Gray OF
Delaware, Hill of New York, Mitch.
ell OF Wisconsin and Palmer OF Hi,
nois, all Democrats. The resolutions
directing the investigation IS very ex
plicit.
The debate had been animated. and
at times sensational, throughout the
early hours of the day. Mr.. Palmer'S
opposition to the resolution and his
reference to snap conventions
brought on a heated colloquy with
Mr. Vest aud Mr.. Cockrell.
II suppose this resolution" said
Mr.. Palmer, because | regard it as
an illeeitimate means Of procuring
material to affect and intlame the
public mind
The Senator went on 10 say that he
did not suppose any Senator, eXcel t
possibl y the Senator from South DA.
kota (Pettigrew,) questioned the inte-
gritty of the Secretary of the Treasury.
The Secretary's judgment. perhaps,
might be disputed; the correctness of
his acts might be questioned, but there
was 40 question of integrity involved.
Mr.. Palmer reviewed the platform ut
teranc5s OF the parties. Citing the old
adage, the world do move" Mr.. Pal
mer said the country had moved since
the platform declarations of 1892 and
it was evident that the financial pianks
at Minneapolis and Chicago would
not satisfy the people in the coming
elections In mentioning Mr.. Cleve-
lands return to the White House in
1893, Mr.. Palmer said the President
had called to his aid that able states
man, that pure and honest man, J. G.
Carlisle"
Mr.. Palmer asked if free silver
would bring about fifty cent, sixty
cent, seventy cent, eighty cent or
ninety cent dollar.
Mr.. Butler, (Pop. of North Carolina
said he would answer the question by
reading from speech by Senator
Hill, known as the Elmira speech.
He was proceeding to read at much
length Mr.. Hills early views on the
metals, when Mr. Palmer refused to
yield no longer, saying: Il asked a
plain, distinct question, to which |
have received great amount Of
wind, and I decline to yield further. J"
At another point Mr Palmer refer
red to the cowardice of candidates for
the Presidency and Tor Congress in
not being specific in their financial
views, and in this connection he Sen
ator had an article read from the desk
arraigning Governor Mckinley for
his "Janus-faced" attitude on finance.
"And yet added Mr.. Palmer, ''all
indications point to the fact that the
subject of that criticism will be the
candidate for the Presi.
dency."
A Senator across the aisle whisper,
ed to Mr.. Palmer the substance of the
bulletins from the indianapolis con-
vention, whereupon Mr.. Palmer add
ed: ''In fact l understand that the
to him has broken down"
Mr.. Palmer was drawn into not
colloquy with the two Missouri Sena-
tors, Mr.. Vest and Mr.. Cockrell. The
former wanted to know what Mr.. Pal
mer meant by reference to snap
favoriue silver.
II mean" replied Mr.. Palmer, "the
held last year in Nilsson.
ri and Illinois.
What was the snap feature of the
Illinois convention2'
IAN unnecessary convention is
snap convention" declared Mr.. Pal
mer. These conventions were called
to commit the Democracy in advance
to the free silver dogma.
Mr.. Cockrell answered sharply that
the Missouri convention was one of
the most representative gatherings
ever held. 1t was called because the
Remocracy was being misrepresented
and an attempt made to commit It to
gold.
Mr.. Vest declared that the Missouri
convention was response to the peo
pie. The people led and, added Mr..
Vest, ''the people assembled in con-
ventions and any man who tries to
stop them will be crushed. Manhood
aud decency will no longer permit US
10 stand here and be accused of ad
vocating 'unsound money, and Of as
sembling snap conventions
At this point Mr.. Vest branched off
nto sensational recital of personal
history. He spoke of the order just
made public by which this admins
ration extended civil service reform.
I was one of the tenets of this school
hat the patronage of the government
hall not be used to influence politics
Mr.. Vest went on to tell Of the Presi-
tents removal of United States Dis
riot Attorney Benton of Missouri.
When he (Mr. VesD first read this
he started Immediately
or Washington and asked His Ex-
what had led TO the perpe
ration of this outrage, the removal
# man of unimpeachable character
md ability. The President brought |
,ut a newspaper paragraph, charging
Colonel Benton with pernicious &C
ivlty. He had shown the charges to
,e unfounded and the President was
ust enough to revoke the order, after
irving to the public a letter openly |
ecturing Colonel Benton against any
in politics while serving
he government.
Mr.. Cockrell interrupted at this point
o ask as the recent Michigan Demo
ratio convention at Detroit, declaring
hat Federal officials had gone there
S delegates instructed for silver and
lad voted against silver,
Mr. Vest, proceeding, said he referred
o the Presidents letter to Colonel
'enton warning him aginst 'dabbling
Il, !