Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-02-04
Why Senator LindsaytWill Not Leave
the Senate.
DEMAND OF KENfBCKYIS LEGISLATURE
He Denounces 1T as a Usurpation
of Power.
PACIFIC RAILWAY MATTERS

|
was decided that when the Senate adjourn
today it be until Monday next
A bill providing for the erection of a
public building at Beaumont, Texas, at a
cost not to exceed 100000, was passed.
Mr.. Platt IN. W offered a resolution,
| which was referred to the committee on
military affairs directing the secretary of
| war to return to the seventh regiment ar
| tillery formerly the 18th N. Y. ". IL the
| flags Of the regiment.
A bill authorizing the construction of two
bridges across the Choctawhatchee river. a
| navigable stream in Dale county. Ala. was
passed.
Mr.. Lindsay then took the floor to sneak
on the resolution OF the Kentucky Iegisla-
ture' ASKING him to resign. He said:
Senator Lindsay's Speech.
with relations existing between q sena.
tor ana his constituency this body has gen.
orally no concern. But there are excen-
ronaI cases In which a senator may be tus-
Ineo IN calling attention to transactions.
seml-omcial in their character which If
ieIt unexplained might create the imnres
sion mat ne stands officially charged with
conouct which would render him unworthy
Tor his fellow-senators.
l hold IN my hands a paper purportinp
10 De an official copy of a resolution ra,
G 1 adopted by the two houses of the
Is due to myself and to the senate sham ~ ~
fully understood" o'-A w
He then hqd the resolutions read at tho
clerks desk. and tontinued: "
ME th1s processes to reouest INV ros
1gnation, 1t is couched in lan1naaa 80,
olsresards the ordinary amenities Of life
ana Is, In effect. demand that l shall SIR.
Iehoer my piece In order to create a va
nd fh,rC
one holding political views in harnonn
Win the author and promoters of the res.
olution l desire to protest against this
usurpation Of ungranted power, and mas
nuen as tue resolution has been made a
matter or record on the journals of the two
houses of the state legislature, to which
nave no access, propose to give # a
pace on the records of the Senale and In
Ihat connection to make such comments as
l Deem necessary and proper under the cir
cumstances. ~ VA
1T is to be observed that in the arraien-
ment which precedas the resolution there is
no charge tkat l have ever disobeyed the
expressed will of the people of Kentuckv
Ihere Is no charge that any act of mine
as senator is subject to animadyersion or
complaint: no intirfatidn that l have ever
gwen a vote which did not reflect the views
OF majority Ct my constituents, or that
l have at any tifhe failed to look after
their interests, orIhavt been wanting in
any duty owing to therii or to the country.
OF that am now Opposing legislation which
| majority Of the people of Kentucky re-
gard as essential to the. public welfare, or
that my personal conduct at any time or in
any respect has been to the slightest degree
incompatible snr;p with the high position Of an
by the silence of the afraignment in these
regards the resolution 'affirmatively implies
that my conduct as. senator is free from
an blame ana open TO no criticism, even by
those who are evidently moved by the spir.
tele Of nsster political Prescription and in
The Complaint.
THE substance of the complaint is tina
I am opposed to the free and unlimited
coinage of silver at the ratio of 16 to l, and
| that I opposed the election Of the nominees
| Of the late Chicago convention, and by so
doing betrayed the trust reposed in me by
my constituency. l shall not discuss the
presidential campaign of 1886. 1t Is not
necessary to do so to meet the charge that
l betrayed the trust of my constituents by
opposing the election of the Chicago nomi-
nees. My constituency Is made up of the
people of Kentucky, and that people voted
against those nominees. and twelve out of
thirteen of the electoral votes of Kentucky
were registered against than. II to be OPP
posed to the free coinage Of silver and in
FAVOR of maintaining the parity of our gold
and silver dollars is to be deemed a be-
trayal of trust, then may be pardoned for
calling attention to the history of current
politics in Kentucky from 1893, when I
was first elected to the Senate. up to the
tlme OF my second election.
Record on Silver.
L was elected to fill an unexpired term
In February, 1893. In August of that year
Congress met in extra session to consider
| the proposed repeal of the purchasing
clause of the act of July IA, 1890, commonly
called the Sherman law. In October 1898,
met
the bill providing fer the free coinage of
silver at the ratio of 18 to 1. i voted
against an amendment providing for the
re-enactment4 of the Bland-Allison act I
voted against the amendment providing for
the Tree coinage OF silver, upon condition
| that the government should receive in the
way of seignforage the difference between
the market and coinage value of silver bull
lion. In the discussion of the bill declared
tEat l would vote for no amendment which
merely experimental with a change of ra-
| ITO or that did not provide reasonable safe
guards to insure the maintenance of the
parity of gold and silver dollars
| Ihose votes and that declaration were
| known to all the intelligent people Of the
! state OF kentucky. In the month follow
I Ing the adjournment of this extra session
| the general assembly charged with the duty
| of selecting my successor was chosen. 1t
| convened In January, 1894. My name was
| the only one presented to the democratic
| caucus, and when the election came to be
held l received the vote Of every demo-
| cratic member present. My views on the
| silver question were as well known then
as they are known today: They were then
the views of an overwhelming majority Of
the democrats of Kentucky and of an
overwhelming majority of the republican
party in that state. I stand today pre-
cisely where I stood when received that
unanimous ENDORSEMENT by the democrats
OF Kentucky. If those who were in accord
with me four yeaEs ago are not SO today
1t Is because they, have changed their
opinions. while have remained steadfast.
l criticise no one for changing his opinions,
| but protest against being denounced as a
betrayer of my trust BECAUSE my views re-
main unchanged. xs rs
Self-seeking Rolittsal Changelfngs.
| II deny the right of self-seeking political
changelings, whoi werel with me in oppo-
sition to free silver when free coinage was
unpopular. and are ,against me now when
free coinage seemA to meet democratic ar-
| prevail in Kentucky. to sit in Judgment on
| my democracy. or to call In question my
fealty to the constituency represent. I
| will remind thosej fwh0lvoted for the resO-
luton that am not the mere agent of the
/ Kentucky r. r eYercfSe