The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-01-15
MKENNA'S NOMINATION
As Supreme Court Justice Arouses
..A.>.. q Long Discussion. ........
ACTION POSTPONED FOR A WEEK.
Senator Allen Wants Further Time
to Investigate etheAttorneyG Generals
Legal Status Senator's, Including
Allen, Denounce Religious Attacks.

Aekal 6GdJuS SeHAJOFS9
Allen, Denounce Religious Attacks.
Washington, Jan. 15.-Almost the en-
tire four hours of the executive session
of the senate yesterday were devoted
to the indirect consideration of the nom-
ination Of Hon. Joseph McKenna, now
attorney general, to be associate JUS
tice of the supreme court The discus
sion was the result of an effort on the
part Of Senator Allen, of Nebraska. to
secure postponement for two weeks.
In the end a compromise was reached
deferring consideration until next Fri
day, on the condition that the Nebraska
senator should agree to vote on that
day. The Hawaiian treaty was not
touched upon during the session.
The.debate upon Mr.. McKenna's NOM
ination was precipitated by Senator
Hoar, chairman of the committee on
judiciary, who called up the nomina-
tion and asked for immediate action.
In doing this Mr.. Hoar spoke briefly Of
the opposition to Mr.. McKenna. saying
that the judiciary committee had inves-
tisated most of the charges made and
had reached the conclusion that they
"Sie "iLNOul louliudllpJis IlS osiiu l1ldt
the greater number of charges had been
made by the members of the American
Protective Association, and that as they
were founded solely upon the fact that
Mr. McKennaw was Catholic in religion
they had not been deemed worthy Of
serious consideration. MIR. Hoar dwelt
at some length upon this point. excos
Rating any men who would attempt to
inject question of religion into con-
troversy over a mans fitness for office.
He said that such an effort was entire-
ly un-American and unpatriotic. and
should not for a moment receive the
consideration of fair minded men.
Senator White, of California, also de-
nounced the effort of the A. 2. A. to in
terfere with the course of the senate in
giving proper attention to a question
the determination Of which should de-
pend upon considerations of fitness and
Justice as between man and man, rather
than upon an appeal to bigotry. preju-
dice and false claim of patriotism. He
spoke of the A. P. AS as fools who
could not be properly characterized in
the senate" He had no patience, he
said with men who held the opinion
that Catholics must necessarily consult
the pope or some other high functionary
of the Catholic church in every import
ant transaction of their lives. and
added that he was convinced that the
American senate would not beinf1uenced
for a moment by such representations
as an order of the character of the A.
p. A. would make.
It was here that Mr.. Allen interposed
an objection to immediate action. He
declared that the senate should have
more time for consideration than had
been given to it. He called attention
to the Importance of the office to
which Mr.. McKenna had been named,
saying it was place which he would
occupy probably during the remainder
Of his life, and that the senate and the
American people had right to de-
mand that the charges should be sifted
to the bottom. He said that so far as
the opposition of the A. P. A. was con-
cerned it did not influence him in the
least, and he agreed with. all that had
been said as to the impropfiety of any
interference with q matter of this char
acter on account of religious prejudice.
There were other charges, he said,
which were to his mind far more seri-
GUS, and to prove that such was the
case he read at length from letters and
newspapers attacking Mr.. McKenna's
record as an attorney and jurist on the
ground of want of legal attainments.
The greater part of Mr.. Aliens speech
was devoted to reading these docu-
ments. He called special attention to
an attack made by the bar of the Pa
cific coast, which he said was deserving
of more scrutiny than had been given
it. He also stated that he had under
stood that the charge Dad been made
that large corporations had been in
in securing Mr.. McKenna's
He thought this also should |
be looked into more thoroughly than |
the senate had had an opportunity to
do. Mr.. Allen disclaimed any intention
to father any Of the charges made, but
secure time for their proper investiga-
tion. He added that he might himself
vote for Mr.. McKennas confirmation.
1t was the intention of the house
managers to proceed with the diplo-
matte and consular appropriation bill
yesterday, but owing to the excited
condition of affairs in Havana, and the
wildly exaggerated reports anoat, they
decided to avoid the possibility of open
Ing up Cuban debate by relinguish-
ng the day to the committee on claims
in charge of bills of the private cal
andar. Before this order was entered
upon the agricultural bill was passed.
Most of the day was consumed in a
ilibuster against bill to pay the pub
ishing house Of the Methodist Episcopal
Church South, at Nashville, Tenn,
;2SS, 600 for the seizure and use of the
of that corporation during the
var.