Birmingham state herald., 1897-01-12
MILLS GROWS ELOQUENT In Advocating Liberty for the
 Struggling Cubans. DEFIES THE CONTINENT And Scoffs the idea of Interference of Titled
 Heads in American Affairs. RESOLUTION NOT YET ACTED UPON The Pacific Railway Funding Bill Hangs High and Dry on the Shelf-Presi-
 dents Message Accompanying
 General Arbitrat o Treaty.
RESOLUTION NOT YET ACTED UPON


 Washington, Jan. 11--Senator Allison (rep. Col), appeared in the chamber to- day for the first time this session, taking his seat just as Senator Mills (dem. Tex), was complimenting him on his eminent qualifications for the office of secretary of state in MT. McKinley's cabinet. MT. Allison smiled benignantly at the sugges- tion, but gave no further sign as to how far 1t coincided with his own views.
 resolution on the subject of viola tipn of the eight hour law on the part of contractors with the navy department on work in Brooklyn, N. Y, was the subject of a resolution offered by MT. Allen (pop. Neb.). He was informed by MT. Chand- Ter (rep. N. H.), a. former secretary of the navy that the law only applied to work done directly for the government, and not to work done under contract. The resolution went over until tomorrow.
 The house bankruptcy bill was made a special order in the senate for Monday, Jan. 25.
 A senate joint resolution authorizing the secretary of the treasury to solicit proposals and to contract for the erection of a government building at the Tennes- see Centennial exposition, without pub lie advertisement, was introduced by MT. Bate (dem Tenn.), and passed.
 An argument was made by MT. Proctor (rep. Vt), in favor of a proposed consti- tutional amendment, making the presi- dential term six years and making the President ineligible for re-election also making the term of representatives in the lower house of congress three years.
 Then the great feature of the days ses- sion was begun with speech by MT. Mills (dem. TeX.), in support of his joint resolution introduced last Thursday de- claring that the expediency of recogniz- ing the independence of new govern ment belongs to congress; recognizing the independence of the republic of Cuba, and appropriating $10,000 for the salary of minister to the new republic
 Much of his speech was argumentative and was supported by precedents in the cases of the Spanish-American republics and of the republic of Texas but the principal part of it, and that which at- tracted the greatest attention, was in severe criticism of the President and sec- retary of state and in angry denuncia- tion of the Italian and Spanish states men who had ventured to suggest an in- terference by European powers with the government of the United States, in case of the recognition of Cuba. In the course of his invective he derided Italy as power whose symbal of grea tness was monkey and an organ grinder.
 Several other senators took part in the discussion, but only on the question of the exclusive power of the President to recognize foreign powers.
 The resolution went over without ac- tion, MT Bacon, of Georgia, giving notice that he would speak upon it on Wednes- day.
 MT. Mills began his speech on the Cuban matter at 1:30 p. m., with thirteen dem- ocratic senators and six republicans in their seats. He spoke without notes, in lznh hifrl, lynx lo n i'm a nj which it is so difficult to maintain in long continued address. The public gal 1eries were about half filled.
 At the outset Mr. Mills assailed the po- sition assumed by President Cleveland in his annual message on the Cuban ques- tion, and when interrupted by MT. Gray (dem. Del) who asked whence the sen ator derived one particularly pungent ex- tract he was reading, Mr. Mills answered that he was reading from the message of President Monroe.
 Mir Mills had numerous books spread out on the two desks he occupied for the time being.
 Mr. Mills drew into the controversy Henry Clay, Andrew Jackson, and made a point on the recognition of the inde- pendence of Texas, whose representative am," he said, but immediately corrected himself by adding, "one of whose repre- sentatives have the honor to be-"
 He asserted with much emphasis, after cedQlnR d0 GXlTdCl ITO0l ITeSiuSHl JdCh- sons message on the Texas question, that the power to recognize foreign govern merits was in the province of congress and did not rest with the executive.
 To this MT. Gray retorted by reading the concluding sentence of Andrew Jack sons message, which said that while he thought expediency might vest this mat ter in congress he did not express any opinion on the subject.
 MT. Hale (rep. Me.) then came into the ksNx, interjected into MT. Mills speech, to which he submitted with good grace for a time, but finally asked Mr. Hale to wait "an hour or SOL till he got to the end of his speech, and then to answer him in toto
 MT. Hale promised not to interrupt fur ther, but within five minutes propounded from his seat three or four more ques- tions, which went far to break up the continuity of MT. Mills argument
 MT Mills quoted the action of congress in 1864 in regard to the French interven- tion in Mexico when congress by vote of 126 to practically administered a reproof to those great statesmen so dear to the republican heart--Abraham Lin coin and William H. Sewarda-and as- serted that congress had the constitu- tional right of recognizing foreign gov- ernments, but that the time and method of so doing belonged to the executive de- partment. He raised laugh on the floor among democrats ana repuDncanS alike by saying that among those who voted for this resolution were MT Merrill, of Vermont, the master of the senate and MT. Allison, of Iowa, who according to newspaper report, was to be the next secretary of state. and no more capable man could be found on the republican side.
 Warming up as he approached the end of his remarks MT. Mills said with much bitterness of tone he did not envy MT. Cleveland the compliments he was re- ceiving from Castelar and Weyler at the same time that these officials were de- nouncing the senate and house of repre- sentatives of the United States.
 Mr. Mills repudiated with horror the in- i. dignation the statement of s4the Presi- dent that the people of the United States looked with admiratdon upon the efforts