The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-15
FIGHT ON M'KENNA TO FAIL.
THE A. H. A. ALLEGED TO BE AT
THE BACK OF IT.

Further Consideration of the Nomi-
nation Postponed for IL Week on
an Agreement That n Vote Shall
Be Taken Next Friday Senator
Hoar Speaks tn Defense of the At
tOrney General and senator White
of CaIif0ria Promises to Vote for
Confirmntion-POstp ement Made
at the Request of Senator Allen.
Washington, Jan. 14.-Almost the entire
four hours of the executive session of the
Senate to-day was devoted to the con.
sideration of the nomination of Joseph
McKenna, present Attorney General to
be associate member of the United States
Supreme Court. The fight was over an
effort on the part of Senator Allen, Pop.
of Nebraska. to secure postponement
for two weeks. In the end a compromise
was reached, deferring consideration un-
I'll a week from to-day on condition that
the Nebraska senator should allow vote
to be taken on that day.
The Hawaiian treaty was not touched
upon during the session.
The debate on Mr.. McKenna's nomina-
ton was precipitated by Senator Hoar,
chairman of the committee on the judi
ciary, who called up the nomination in ac-
cordance with his motion Of yesterday. and
asked for immediate action. On doing
this Mr.. Hoar spoke briefly of the opposi-
tion of Mr.. McKenna, saying that the ju-
dietary committe was investigating most
a ~.
conclusion that they were without founda-
ton. He said that the greater number of
charges had been made by members of the
American Protective Association, and
that as they had been founded solely upon
the fact that Mr. McKenna was a Cath
Ollie in religion they had not been deemed
worthy of serious consideration. Mr.. Hoar
dwelt at some length upon this point, ex-
coriating any man who would attempt to
inject a question of religion into contro-
versy over a mans fitness for office. He
said that such an effort was entirely un-
American and unpatriotic and should not
for a moment receive the consideration of
fair-minded men.
Senator White of California also spoke
of the efforts of the American Protective
Association to interfere with The course Of
the Senate in giving proper attention to
question, the determination of which
should depend upon question of justice and
fitness, as between man and man, rather
than on an appeal to bigotry, prejudice
and false claims of patriotism. He spoke
of the American Protective Association
as being fools, who could not be properly
characterized in the Senate. He had no
(, t.4ll 4 ~
opinion that Catholics must necessarily
consult the Pope or some other high func-
tionary of the Catholic church in every
important transaction of their lives, and
added that he was convinced THAI the
American Senate would not be influenced
for a moment by such representations as
an order of the character of the American
Protective Association would make Mr.
McKenna's confirmation should be de-
pendent entirely upon different considera-
tions. AS for himself, while he did not
contend that Mr.. McKenna was a giant
In his legal attachments, still he believed
him TO be an honorable man, a competent
lawyer and jurist, and he would support
his confirmation.
1t was here that Mr.. Allen interposed
an objection to immediate action. When
his request for two weeks delay was met
with refusal, he took the floor and pro-
ceeded to give his reasons for the request
which were, in the main, that he wanted
and he thought that the matter should
have more time for considera tion than had
been given to 1t. He called attention to
the Importance of the Office for which Mr..
McKenna had been named, saying IL was
a place which he would occupy probably
during the remainder of his life, and that
the Senate and the American public had
a right to demand that the charges be
sifted to the bottom. So far as the OBJ
of mi aof Au.
ISOLATION were concerned, they did not
influence him In the least and he argued
that religious questions had no bearing
on the matter, and to prove that such was
the case he read at length from letters and
newspapers attacking Mr.. McKenna's s rec
ord as an attorney and jurist on account
of want of legal attainments
The greater part of Mr.. Aliens speech
was devoted to the reading of these docu-
ments. He called special attention TO an
attack made by the bar OF the Pacific
coast, which, he said, was deserving Of
more attention than had been given II.
He also stated that he understood the
charge had been made that corporations
had been instrumental in securing Mr..
McKenna's nomination. He thought that
this matter should be looked into more
thoroughly than the Senate had yet had
opportunity to do.
Mr.. Allen dlsclaimed any intention TO
father any of the charges made, but as
serted that his sole purpose was to secure
time for their proper Investigation. He
added that he might himself vote for Mr..
McKenna's confirmation, but said that be-
fore doing so he desired to be convinced
that the assertions made derogatory to
Mr.. McKenna's s character as jurist were
without foundation. II was 4:40 o'clock in
the afternoon when an agreement was
reached for continuing discussion of tho
subject at the session on Friday, and the
Senate postponed consideration of the
Hawaiian treaty until next Monday.
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