The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-22
CALLED DOWN SENATOR CALL
rtr FLORTDIAN OVER ANXIOUS TO
TREAD ON SOMEBODY'S COAT.

son,tor Hoar Reminds Him That the
s.uote is Not a Constantly Loaded
Cannon for Somebody to Touch on
Of His DiscretiOn-The Call ResOlu-
ton in Reference to Two Arrests
in Cuba Finally Referred to Com
mittee.
washington, Jan. 21.-In the routine bus
mess of the morning hour in the Senate
today. a Service pension bilr' was re-
rorted to the Senate from the committee
IN pensions, without any recommended
lion and was placed on the calendar.
resolution was offered by Mr.. Cali,
dem. of Florida, requesting the President
of the United States to inquire into the
arrest and forcible removal of Mark c.
rodriguez. a citizen of the United States,
on board of the United States mail steam
or Olivette in the harbor of Havana on
Jan. Is, and also into the arrest of Louis
S Somellan and his sons in Havana, and
if no just cause of such arrests exist.
that the President shall demand their i'm
mediate release.
Mr. Hoar. rep, of Massachusetts, said
that if any action on the subject were
to be taken at all, the better form would
be to ask the President in the first place
for such information as the state depart
ment had.
Mr. Call suggested that the state depart
ment might not yet have received any in
formation on the subject, as his own came
from telegram received by him last even
ing-and which he read to the Senate.
Mr.. Hoar remarked that there seemed
to be a notion, in some quarters, that the
Senate of the United States was a con-
stantly loaded cannon, for any single
member of the Senate to touch off, at
his discretion. He thought ii best to go
little more slowly" in all these cases.
Mr.. Call consented to modify his resolu-
ton so as to make II one OF inquiry mere
". He added that the arrests of American
citizens in Cuba contrasted with the ar
rests Of the subjects of Great Britain and
other European powers; and that the pro-
lection of the American flag really
amounted to little or nothing.
Mr.. Sherman, rep, of Ohio, chairman of
the committee on foreign relations, said
that the resolution would be setting an
example that might give the government
great deal of trouble. He moved the
reference of the resolution to the COM
mlttee on foreign relations, and said that
that committee would meet tomorrow.
Mr.. Call said that If there was any de-
sire to have the resolution referred he
would make no objection. He did not see,
however, why the Senate should not act
on Information given to it as to the ar
bitrary arrest of United States citizens in
foreign countries. He wanted to show the
pie OF his own state that, so far as he
was concerned, he was prepared, as a
senator to demand the protection of
american citizens in foreign countries
without refernce to the action of any other
department. of the government.
Hr. Hoar remarked that whenever such
information, received by a senator, was
communicated to the state department,
steps were at once taken to cable an in
curry into the facts. Why this one case,
which had come to the knowledge of the
senator from Florida should be singled
out and be made the means of applying
a spur to the President or Secretary of
oIaa,[e' or the Senate, he. could not say.
Inc resolution was referred to the COM
HI{.ee on foreign relations and then Mr..
Cdll directed attention to q resolution Of
!sreq by him last week and which was on
Ine wee Presidents table, calling on the
state department for the reports of the
there.
Mr.. Sherman suggested that the resolu-
tlon also be referred to the committee on
foreign relations, which would report on
l1e subject in a short time He remark
ca mat the publication of such consular
reports would be a betrayal of official
confidence, and might expose the writers
70 much danger. 1t seemed to him that
ene state department ought not, under
any circumstances, to make public what
Is said by consuls in time of war, which
would naturally attract attention and
would probably endanger the lives of the
CVhsuls. The resolution was referred to
me committee on foreign relations.
Mr. Pugh's resolution-relating to the
payment of United States obligations in
SuVer-was then laid before the Senate
put II went over for the day.
AT the close of the morning hour the
bohd bill came Up as the unfinished bust
ness, but it also went over for the day
ana business on the calendar was pro-
Ceeaed with and about sixty-five bills tc
Willch no objection was made were passed
IADout twenty-five were private pension
DIS and half a dozen were bridge bills.
.;At $50 o'clock the Senate adjourned un'
III tomorrow