The sun., 1897-01-23
SENATOR'S SARE AROUSED
Three International Questions
the Subjects of Debate.
SENATE TRADITIONS BROKEN.
Questions iOr Secret Session Dis.
cussed In Open Senate.

Ito" on tho senate. ana Forces n Denial
from. senator sherman That He sp4
Secretary Oincy Have mn Understands
Ing That No Action on It shall Rs
Taken This Session senator Hoar Pre-
eipitates II Debate on the Arbitration
Treaty by hebuking Hts Constituents
for CrEine the Senate to Hurry and
Rntiry u-Gr~nt BrItain's interference
In the Nicaragua Canal Question
Provok-s Hitter Speech from srn.
ntor Morgan which May souud tho
Death knoi or the Arbitration Treaty.
WASHINGTON. Jan. 22.In the senate to-day
the Cuban question. the General Arbitration
Treaty between England and the United States,
and the Nicaragua Canal bill we're the subjects
OF series Of the livcliest debates that have
been heard during the present session. They
were portentous, too, OF the ultimate fate Of
these important legislative propositions. The
debates were more In the nature Of rough and
tumble" scraps than discussions in the Senate
usually are. and were made all the more inter-
estIng because they were entirely rpected.
When the Senate met nobody knew that Sem
ator Turpie OF Indiana, whose habitual bitter
ness OF speech has been well Iikeued to tho
venomous hIss Of n snake. would let loose the
walls OF his wrath on the heads of senator sher-
man Chairman Of the Committee on Foreign
Relations and prcmier-to-be of the Mckinley
Administration. and Mr. Olney. the Secre-
tary OF State. Nobody knew either that the
venerable senator Hoar would. with curious
mingling Of invective and scripturai quotations,
chastise his Massachusetts constituents for
daring TO urge him to hustle" and have the
arbitration treaty ratified. and least Of all no
body thought that foreign Minister would
have the presumption to protest against the
passage of the pending Nicarauguan Canal bill,
or that be and the English Government, whom
he 10 supposed to represent, would be openly ex-
posed and attacked by Senator Morgan, the
leader OF the Democratic minority on the
Foreign Relations Committee and the mosten-
thusiastic advocate In the Senate Of the con-
struction of the canal.
All OF these things happened. however, and
all In . comparatively brief space of time. Mr..
Turpe's appearance on the scene. following his
two days Of speechmaking In opposition TO the
canal bill WAS perhaps, the greatest surprise Of
all. because his remarks apparently stamp him
as an advocate Of the Cameron resolution recog.
mixing Cuoa's Independence, when he has all
along been supposed TO be one of Its most Wig
orous opponents q member OF the COMMITTEES
on Foreign Relations. II is the general opinion,
however. that the Indiana Senator has In this
dramatic and unexpected manner announced
his intention Of calling up the Cameron resolu-
ing him an opportunity to resent the attitude
OF Secretary Olney in challenging tho right Of
Congress TO take action with regard to tho
recognition OF n foreign republic in opposition
TO the will OF the Executive. than with the hope
or expectation OF securing favorable action
upon the resolution itself.
But whatever may have been Mr.. Turpis's
motive he succeeded in drawing from Senator
sherman what no one else has been able to OBJ
NaIp sANAW tl.Gs a -
ment circulated in Washington. on high au-
thority, that he and Secretary olney have An
understanding that no action on the Cuban
question shall be taken, either by Congress or
the Executive, during the remaining few weeks
Of tho Cleveland Administration. As Senator
Sherman has now stated explicitly that no such
agreement exists. his words must be accepted As
q statement OF fact, but It is none the
less true that tho Cameron resolu.
tion cannot pass the Senate. and thas
the Cleveland Administration expect to
take no action in the Cuban question. "A Sena-
tor Cameron. the author OF tho resolution. said
the other day. the sentiment Of the Senators
has undergone wonderful change since tho
announcement that Secretary Sherman would
DO Secretary Of state In the Mckinley Cabinet,
and IS the PennsylvaniA Senator has abandoned
his own resolution. It Is not likely that any one
else can pat new life into II.
Senator Hoar Of Massachusetts Is tho last
man In the Senate who until to-day would have
been thought capable OF violating the strict
rule Of the Senate requiring the discussion of
all treaty matters In executive session. and his
daring outrage upon Senatorial tradition was
listened TO by his colleagues with the greatest
amazement. No phase OF the arbitration treaty
can be more deserving Of secrecy than the
propositions discussed boldly by Messrs. Hoar,
Lodge, Allison, Cullom. Gray, Sewell. Hawley.
and other Senators to-day before crowded gal
leries, and II would, therefore, be mere mockery
for the Senate now to close tho doors when the
treaty again comes up for consideration. Sena-
tor Stewart brought the discussion to an end
to-day. because when ho began to pound his
desk and twist the British Lions tail It was
feared that he might quickly get around 70
the orimo Of 20" and "the gold bugs OF Wall
street."
The debate ended as suddenly as II began.
and this fact alono prevented Senator HoaF
from saying what he intended to say. Had op-
portunity been given him he would have made
the formal motion that tho discussoi of the
treaty itself shall take place In open session. A
strong effort Is being made In the Senate -
bring about tho adoption OF Mr.. Hil's motion.
Many Senators think II would be idle now. after
Secretary Olney has made the treaty public be-
fore sending II to the Senate, after tho whole
world has been discussing It in public, and after
Il has been debated without authority on the
open floor OF tho United States Senate, TO close
the doors and thus endeavor to conceal from
the public tho nature OF tho discussion that
takes place within. The friends OF the treaty
will oppose the motion for open discussion, be
cause they fear that this would mean certain
defeat Thoy have strong reasons for this be-
lief. member OF the Committee on Foreign
Relations who Is In favor OF tho general propo-
sition contained in the arbitration treaty said
to-day that there are many things In the instru-
ment that would not stand the light OF public
discussion for one day, and that just as sure a.
the doors ere opened and the debate carried on
In public the treaty will be defeated by an over
whelming vote.
The weapon that will have the most deadly
effect upon tho treaty, however. WAS that aimed
at II to-day in tho third chapter OF tho series OF
sensational Incidents within the Senate cham
Der. This was the attack upon England made
by Senator Morgan In denouncug the right OF