The record-union., 1898-01-15
M'KENNA NOT
YET CONFIRMED.
His Nomination for Associate JUS
tice Of the Supreme Court
Comes Up for Discussion in Executive Ses-
sion Of the Senate.
After Several Hours Of Debate Con-
sideration Of the Appointment
Was Deferred Until Next Fri
day, the Agreement Being
Reached That q Vote Will be
Taken on That Date.

Taken on InaC OaLe.
| WASHINGTON, Jan. 14.-Almost the
entire four hours of the executive ses-
sion Of the Senate to-day were devoted
| to the indirect consideration of the
| nomination of Hon. Joseph McKenna,
now Attorney General, to be Associate
Justice of the Supreme Court.
The discussion was the result of an
effort on the part of Senator Allen
| Pop) of Nebraska to secure a post
ponement for two weeks. In the end
q compromise was reached, deferring
consideration until a week from to-day,
| on the condition that the Nebraska
Senator should agree to allow a vote
| to be taken on that date.
| The Hawaiian treaty was not touched
| upon during the session.
The debate upon Mr.. McKenna's NOM
kfnation was preeipitated by Senator
Hoar, Chairman of the Committee on
Judiciary, who called up the nomina-
| ton in accordance with his notice of
yesterday and asked for immediate &C
ton IN doing this, Hoar spoke briefly
| of the opposition to Mr.. McKenna, say
| ing that the Judiciary Committee had
| investigated most of the charges made,
and had reached the conclusion that
they We're without foundation. He said
that the greater number of charges had
been made by the members of the
American Protective Association, and
as they had. been founded solely upon
the fact that Mr.. McKenna was Cath
Ole IN religion, they had not been
deemed worthy of serious consideration.
Mr.. Hoar dwelt at some length upon
this point, excoriating any man VINO
| would attempt to inject a question OF
| religion into a controversy over man
fitness for Office. He said that such an
effort was entirely un-Amerlcan ana
unpatriotic and should not for a mo-
ment receive the consideration of fair
minded men.
Senator White of California also
spoke Of the effort of the A. P. A. to in
terfere with the course Of the Senate
in giving proper attention to ques-
| ton, the determination Of which should
| depend on the consideration of lisAess
and Justice as between man and man,
rather than upon an appeal to bigotry,
prejudice and false claim Of patriot
ism. 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 Catho-
lies must necessarily consult the Pope
or some other high functionary Of the
Catholic Church in every important
transaction of their lives, and added
that he was convinced that the Senate
would not be influenced for a moment
by such representations as an order OF
the character of the A. P. A. would
make Mr.. McKenna's confirmation
should depend entirely upon different
considerations.
AS for himself, while he did not con-
tend that Mr. McKenna was a giant in
his legal attachments, still he believed
him to be an honorable man, compe-
ktent lawyer and a just jurist, and he
should support his confirmation.
1t was here that Allen interposed an
objection to immediate action. When
his request for two weeks delay was
met with refusal, he took the floor and
proceeded to give his reasons for the
request, which were in the main that
he wanted and he thought the Senate
should have more time for considera-
ton 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 a place
which he would occupy probably dur
ing the remainder of his life, and that
the Senate and the American public
had a. right to demand that the charges
should be sifted to the bottom. He said
so far as the opposition Of the A. T. A.
was concerned, it did not influence him
in the least, and he agreed with all
that had been said as to the inpropri-
ETY. of any interference in matter of
this character on account of the relig-
ious prejudices or predictions.
There were still other charges which
were to his mind far more serious, and
to prove that such was the case, he
read at length from letters and news
papers attacking Mr.. McKenna's rec
ord as an attorney and jurist on the
grSund of want of legal attachments.
The greater part of Aliens speech
was devoted to reading those docu-
ments He called especial attention to
an attack made by the bar Of the Pa
cific Coast, which, he said, was deserv-
ing of more scrutiny than had been
given it. He also stated that he had
understood that charges had been
made that large corporations had been
instrumental in securing McKennas
nomination. He thought this matter
should be looked into more thoroughly
than the Senate had had opportunity
to do.
Allen disclaimed any intention to
father any of the charges made, but
asserted that his sole purpose was to
secure time for their proper investiga-
tion He added that he might himself
vote for Mr.. McKenna's confirmation
but said that before doing so he de-
sired to be convinced that the asser-
tons made derogatory to Mr. McKen-
mas character as a jurist were without
foundation.
1t was 4.30 in the afternoon before
the agreement was reached for con-
Guiding the McKenna matter at the sit
ting on next Friday. and by general
consent the Senate postponed consid-
Grafton of the Hawaiian treaty until
next Monday.
Denver's New Postmaster.
WASHINGTON. Jan. 14.-Among the