The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1897-02-03
CLEvELAND--O TREATY.
An Attempt to Tie the Hands of the
United States for Six Years.
Mr.. Donnelly's Speech in the House
on the Occasion.
I'VE copy the following from the
Penny Press of Jan. 20, 1S97.-P. J. S.

| on the OcCdSlOn.
We copy the following from the
| Penny Press Of Jan. 20, 1S97.-P. j. S. |
| When the clock of fate, or destiny, or
Providence shall strike the hour for the
| enternal retirement from the gladatorial
| arena Of Hon. Ignatius Donnelly one of the
| great features Of the political landscape in
Minnesota will disappear from the sight of
| men. Mr.. Donnelly is distnctively a pro-
duct of Minnesota. His courage, energy
and force are borrowed from our northwest
ern blizzards. His rotund figure, his broad
and kindly but combative features and his
cheerful readiness to enter into any species
of intellectual combat, are all of them born
Of the healthy breathings of our Minnesota
ozone. The racial bravery of his Celtic blood
belongs to him by Inheritance, but forty
years of northwestern environment has
taught him how to use his powers to the
best advantage.
Yesterday was Mr.. Donnelly's day in the
house of representatives.. The resolutions
introduced by him relating to the pending
arbitration treaty in the senate Of the
United States was the subject under consid-
Grafton. AS soon as it was known that Mr..
Donnely would speak to these resolutions
every man about the state capitol who
could spare the time found his way either
onto the floor or into the gallery.
1t is needless to remark that Mr.. Donnelly
did not disappoint either his admirers or his
opponents His vocal cords We're in perfect
tune, his tongue as fluent and his intelec-
tual faculties in as good order as ever be-
fore in his political career. For more than
hour and a half the Dakota county
statesman poured forth a strain of wit,
sarcasm humor and eloquence, which put
the house and galleries into roars of merri-
ment, or brought his auditors to their feet
with hearty cheers of Endorsement and ap-
oIat lie r,1a h., of
public men as indicating the nationality
and racial blood of our cosmopolitan Ameri-
can people was greatly enjoyed, but when
he came to dwell upon the subject of the
historical prosecutions inflicted upon the
world by British insolence and selishness
he surpassed all former records even of his
own eloquence in invective and acrid de-
nunciaton.
1t is needless to say that Mr.. Donnelly
does not believe in the sincerity of Great
Britain in the boasted desire of that bully
among the nations to enter an honest COM
pact with this country in favor of the
future arbitration of all differences which
may arise, and thus preclude the possibility
of war. He knows the record of English
diplomacy in history, and that knowledge
teaches him that the hon is forever as
sneakng and cowardly as the coyote when
seeking his prey, and is only fierce and ter
rible when 1t has presented to its claws
and it's fangs animal weaker than itself
Judge Hicks. of Hennepin, would prove
himself to be It wise as well as a discreet
statesman by letting Mr.. Donnelly alone
The judge does not seem TO appreciate the
fact that Mr.. Donnely is entitled to the
respect Of his fellow representatives, or
the further fact, in spite Of the sage s
political idiosyncrasies, that he possesses
the esteem and confidence of his associates.
In his remarks as to the services and the
splendid record of the American soldier
T,1TU irlfr 1,a6 1rt1- r,f
| the house and of all who heard him. but
| the covert sneer and taunt thrown into the
| teeth of Mr.. Donnelly to the effect that he
did not take arms during the civil strife
was unjust, untlmely and exceedingly i'm
| pertinent. The judge forgets that he to-
| day talks to a generation that only knows
| OF the war through the dream of history.
| and that whether soldiers of that day were
brave, or citizens were patriotic is merely
| question of Veracity as to the men who
| repeat the story. Anyhow, no young man
| is justified in believing implicitly in the
| courage and patriotism of any man of that
| period simply because he himself asserts it.
| The work of the soldiers of '61 today
| speaks for itself through the pages of his
tory. 1t is neither brave, polite nor wise
to cast inputationS upon the motives or
the actions of the men-now growing old
who survive from that period. Those who
fought and those who remained at home
nau motives lOI l1itlI dCiiOiIS, dilu IL Is 100
late in the nations history to assail those
motives During the war Mr.. Donnely
was a very useful citizen. That he was not
q soldier does not prove, or even hint that
he was not both brave and patriotic. All
who knew him in those trying times re-
member that he was both brave and patri-
otic and that the soldier in the field had
no truer friend or more loyal supporter in
the state and in Washington than Ignatius
Donnelly.
Mr.. Donnelly's reply to the warlike and
boastful ex-judge was timely and complete,
and should teach Mr.. Hicks lesson
provided he is not too obtuse to compre-
hend the fine points OF MT. Donnelly $ sar-
castle utterances.
Altogether. the debate was good natured,
though somewhat personal. 1t was also in
teresting and highly instructive to the large
number of listeners. The effort OF Mr.. Don
nelly particularly showed that the super
cilious sentiment that 1t Is wicked, vulgar
and un-Christian not to favor the pending
treaty with England is all rot and bosh.
II was clearly demonstrated that the treaty
is q mass of insincerities like all the diplo-
matte history of Great Brtaln-the hlstori-
cal pirate, bully and bruser among the
nations of the earth.
PRINCIPLES OF F-GONERNMENT.
Mr.. DonnelIy spoke as follows
Nr SDeaker-I do not propose to deliver
an Grafton upon this occasion, but the
magnitude of the interest at stake leads
me to believe that some discussion should
be had
The principle underlying our Union is
that of self government. Capacity of the
neople to think and rule themselves. /
have no sympathy with that servle senti-
ment that would abdcate our duties here.
We have the same right to advise and in
struct the representatives of the state in
the United States senate that our own
constituents have by petition, letters and
public meetings to advise Us as to their
wishes Neither do l think nor do l be-
lieye in that sentiment which has been
suggested in the course of this debate
tnat our seaators in Washington know
great more upon this subject than we do.
They are representing the people, but they,
both of them, at one time in the past
served on this floor, and l do not think
that it was observed that they We're sepa-
rated by any planetary distance by their
associates here. The fact of being Unit
ed States senator does not necessarily en-
dow a man with all wisdom good
many years ago l a candidate for the
United States senate myself, and change
of five votes would have given me the
position l feel very confident that if those
five votes had come over to me 1 would
not have known much more than did the
day before they were polled. Neither do
I thirk that our senators in Washington