The news & observer., 1897-01-29
Mr. Grosvenor Very Personal
in His Remarks.
SECRETARY MORTON'S
PAMPHLET ON "FINANCE" RIDI
oULED BY MIR. DEARMOND.
SESSION or THE SENATE BRIEF
The Bill For An international Monetary
Conference Creates a Lively
and Exciting Debate.


Washington, Jan. 28.-Dhe House
passed the Indian appropriation bill to-
day and entered upon the consideration
of the agricultural appropriation bill, but
all interest in these two measures was
avershadowed by two very remarkable
speeches, one made by Mr.. Grosvernor, OF
Ohio. attacking Ex-Governor Altgeld, of
Illinois, and the other by Mr.. Dearmond,
of Missouri, heaping ridicule ON Secretary
Morton for the recent issue of a pamphlet
entitled. 1.-The Farmers Interest ID
Finance" Mr. Grosvenor's observations
on the Governor of Illinois were called
forth by the latter's speech last week, Il
which he charged that Mr.. Bryan had
been defeated by fraud, and based has
charge particularly on the enormous an
crease of the vote in Ohio, where, he al
legged 10000 votes were illegally cast.
Mr. Grosyenor was very personal IN ms
allusions to Mr.. Altgeld,s laying at his
door much grave responsibility for the
result of the election. He declared that
an appeal ON the stump against Altgeld-
ism never failed 20 arouse the populaee
when everything else failed. lie an
alyzed the Ohio vote and explained the
causes of its increase calling attention to
the fact that the Democratic vote IN the
State had increased proportionately much
more than the Republicans.
Mr. Dearmond replied very briefly 10
MIR. Gqosvenor, but it was his subse-
auent attack on Secretary Morton which
created the sensation. Mr.. Dearmond Is
a Democrat, an ardent advocate Of silver
and therefore his attack ON Democratic
cabinet official who has been most active
on the gold side of the controversy ex-
cited less surprise than it otherwise
would have done.
Mr.. Grosvenor secured the floor when
the House went into the committee of
the whole on the agricultural bill. He
sent to the clerks desk a part of Mr..
Altgeld's remarks and after they had
been read he said:
ssEx-Go Goyernor Altgeld is the last person
in my Judgment who ought to drag from
che rapidly closing waves of oblivion the
story and detail of the recent election.
Whatever happened in Ohio was due to
n large number of factors, no one of
which was more powerful and potential
In the victory of the Republican party
in that State than was the existence as
a leader of the Democratic party of Gov
ernor Altgeld, Of Illinois. There is no
place in all the broad domain of that
magnificent State where appeals We're
made to the conscience and judgment,
deeency and patriotism and law-abiding
sentiment in Ohio where the least diff
Guilty as to that which was possible we
might be coming to WAS not always de-
eorated with the awful example of the
then Governor of the State Of Illinois. /
was present at more than one vast as
semblage Of the people Of that State and
when all else failed to arouse an out
burst of tremendous enthusiasm it al
ways followed the declaration that one
Of the things that we were aiming at was
to. purge the fair record OF Illinois of the
mime in office of Altgeld. He is was, who,
in the Chicago convention demanded, as
we adj understood-as was published and
declared eyerywhere-the introduction of
those planks of the platform that arrayed
hundreds of thousands OF Democrats in
dependent of the question of the tariff
and of the currency against the Demo
cratic party Why, it is not very strange,
Mr.. Chairman, that that gentleman
should feel some degree of responsibility
for the results and some degree of sore
ness as he looks back over the miserable
record in politics which he himself has
made"
Mr.. Bromwell (Rep., Ohio followed in
further substantiation of Mr.. Grosvenor's
statements. These two speeches drew
somewhat sarcastic response from Mr..
Dearmond Dem, Missouri, who had
read from the clerks desk an editorial
from the Washington Post commenting
on the vast increase in the Ohio vote last
fall. Some such publication, he said,
might have fallen under Governor Alt
geld's eyes and furnished the inspiration
of his remarks. But, he said, he had no
desire to defend Governor Altgeld.
Mr. Dearmond stated that what he had
said in reply to Mr.. Grosvenor had been
simply incident to his real purpose in ris-
ing. 1t had already been noised about
that the Missouri members intended to
make an attack on Secretary Morton.
and the members crowded about him to
hear him. With biting sarcasm and rasp-
ing irony, he scored the Secretary of Ag
riculture, taking as his text a recent pub
fcation issued by the Secretary and sent
aver the country under a frank entitled,
s.The Farmers Interest in Finance"
The pamphlet reviewed the silver agi-
tation to show that poverty and illit-
eracy'' characterized the States which
Da0 DeeH lOFShloSi III tlS ucAuahu AoA IAC
restoration Of silver.
Mr.. Dearmond asserted that the de-
mand for silver came chiefly from the
farmers, whose interest the Secretary Of
Agriculture was supposed to look after,
and asked eontemptuously what excuse
there was fer issuing TO them this
eIander ii.s tTnYesty on facts"
No oHe toes Secretary Morton seri-
ously ns adsys. The world was no
longer int, scd in his views on finances,
although Il light look with expectation