Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-04-07

1
sage Was Delayed = How the
President Disseminated the Infor.
nation That the Message Was
Not Coming.
Washington, April 6--Never in re-
| cent years, if ever, has there been such
demand for admission to the halls of
| Congress as was made to-day
| The people began to arrive at the
! east front of the Capitol as early as 6
o'clock, and Notwithstanding the fact
| that the thermometer registered below
| the freezing point they took their
| places at the doors and held them
I with calm steadfastness and de-
termination OF purpose worthy of a
| most important question. The arriv-
! ais were scattering up to 1:30 o'clock,
but after that hour they came in large
| groups, and by $50 the concerted
| grounds in front of the building were
we'll covered with struggling people
| seeking ingress to TIE building in
which they eventually believed history
was to be made during the day When
the doors were openedsthey rushed
| into the Capitol through the various
| openings like water from swollen
| river. In five minutes time all the
| public galleries were filled.
| On the floor the greatest excitement
| and activity prevailed. The leaders
rushed hither and thither rallying
their forces. Rumors flew about Here
| indignation was rife against the re-
port that the President would ask for
| discretion as to when Intervention
| should take place: there a staunch sup
porter of the President was counsell-
ing calmness. Here a group was dis
| cussing the possibility of an alliance
| between the Democrats and the dissat-
| isfied Republicans; there an appeal to
| group of Republicans was being made
to stand solidly by the President and
party organization. The battle was al
| ready on. In a corner of the Capitol
the House committee on foreign affairs
| was melting. In the old Library Hall
THE "RECONCENTRADOS,"
as the Republicans who have been
urgent for action are called, were dis
| cussing the latest phase of the situa
| ton with stormy words Everywhere
was the militant spirit which comes
! with events which stir the blood and
quicken the pulses.
No more inspiring scene could be
! witnessed than was presented by the
great hall of the House of Representa-
tives just before the House met. Tier
upon tier of people from gallery rail
to wall stretched in unbroken lines
about the pit where the members sat
the gay colors of the gowns and hats
and flowers of the ladies relieving the
sombre black of the garments of the
men. Above the Speakers desk the
festooned silk flag of the American
republic was to the eye the ocular
symbol of the patriotism which throb-
bed in the breast. And opposite the
Speakers chair the great clock with
it's guardian warriors licked away the
! minutes as the vast assemblage waited
the message which carried the for
tunes of the American people.
A MEMORABLE SCENE
was presented at the opening of the
Senate An audience that tested the
full capacity of the accommodations
had filled the galleries hours before
the Senate convened 1t was by no
means an ordinary crowd of gallery
| habitues Members of the znilies of
the most distinguished men in Amer
lean public life were there, prominent
| representatives of the several foreign
| legations occupied the diplomatic gal
| lery
In the private gallery sat Mrs. John
A. Logan, widow of the brilliant
BLACK Jack" who won fame on many
hard fought field and served long in
the body upon which - widow now
looked Accompanying her was Miss
! Cisneros, her ward, who was rescued
from a Spanish prison where she had
| been incarcerated for allegiance to the
cause of the Cuban insurgents. In the
| diplomatic gallery was the distinguish
ed Sir Julian Pauncefote, the ambas-
sador of Great Britain. 1t was the
first time he had been in the Senate
since the Inauguration of Mckinley
and at that time he occupied a seat
on the floor of the Senate
Senator Proctor, of Vermont. was
the first Senator to make an appear
ance on the floor AS he quietly wend-
ed his way through the desks to his
seat the people in the galleries recog-
nized him and a slight ripple Of APP
plause ran through the great crowd.
Mr.. Proctor seemed to be embarrassed
bv the attention which he attracted
and soon afterward disappeared in the
cloak room.
vase of beautiful Easter lilies oc-
cupied the desk of Mr.. Foraker when
the Senate convened.
Ten minutes after the Senate con-
vened consideration of the sundry
civil bill was resumed and with the
EXCEPTION OF EIGHT MINUTES
: consumed by executive session. al
most the entire session was consumed
/ BY the appropriation bill. 1t was prac-
tieally completed when laid aside for
the day.
In the executive session, Senator
Davis chairman of the committee on
foreign affairs, who hask been called
to the White House, stated that the
President had sent for him for the
especial purpose of asking delay and
had shown him as a reason for the re
quest telegram from Consul General
Lee saying that if the message should
be sent in before Monday he would not
be responsible for the lives of Ameri-
cans in Cuba.
No comment whatever was made on
the Senator's communication, and af-
ter it was made the Senate returned to
its legislative work.
At the request of the President,
Representative HOpkins of Illinois,