Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-12-13

Charges President Cleveland with Having
Resuscitated the CIayton-Bulwer Treaty
When 1t Was Dead-vest vigorously
Attacks the Expansion Policy-General
Greedy Tells Few "InteIIigence De-
partment" Secrets Cervers's Location
discovered at Havana.
Washington, Dec. 13.-Discussicn of
two questions. each of interest and i'm
portance ct this time, was bel gun by the
senate at its session yesterday. Ter
ritoriaI expansion and the construction
Of the Nicaragua canal occupied the at
tention of the body during the greater
part Of the afternoon. AS soon as the
routine morning business had been dis
posed Of Vest called up his resolution
offered last week declaring it TO be IN
constitutional for this government 10
acquire foreign territory. except for.
cOallng stations o. some like purpOss,
unless its intention was to confer state
hood upon the territory and citizenship
upon its Inhabitants. Vest declared
that it was a basic principle OF this
government that the powers of the
government were derived from the con-
sent of the governed" and maintained
that the federal government had no
authority either in morals or in the
constitution TO so beyond that prin-
cip!e.
Makes an Issue with Vest.
He held that the principle had been
sustained by the supreme court in vari-
Gus decisions. and that no public man
of prominence and 10 recognized tribunal
had ever been reckless enough to con-
trovsrt ii.
Platt of CONNECTICUT took issue with
Vest, and announced that at some con-
venient time in the near future he
would offer some remarks upon the
resolution. in the course of which he
would eEGeavor to show that the Mis-
souri, senator was wrong in his in
depreciation of the constitution. and in
accurate in his deductions from the law.
Our Hereditary Enemy"
In concluding his remarks Vest de-
clared referring to = colonial system:
1T is an aDpcndage of monarchy. Ii
can exist in no free country, because it
uprOots aud eliminate the basis of all
Republican institutions-that govern
ments derive their just powers from the
consent OF the governed. l know not
what may be done with the glamour OF
foreign conquest and greed Of the mon
ey-malIinE classes Of this country. For
myself. l would RI ther quit public life
this minute-nay. 1 would be willing to
yield life itself-rathGr than give my
consent to the fantastic and wicked at
tempt to revolutionize cur government
and To substitute the principles of our
hereditary enemy for the teachings OF
Washington and his associates"
Morgan Speaks for Three Hours.
Morgan opened the debate on the canal
bill with threc-hour appeal for action
at this session. The whole country.
he said. would be disappointed If con-
EregS did not act. He was willing to
take any measure which would result
in the building of the canal In the
course of his remarks he agreed to ac-
cept an amendment specifically except
ing the canal from neutrality with re-
gard To any country with which the
Omitted States might be at war. One
of the points that Morgan insisted upon
the Strongest was that Great Britain
had violated and killed the Clayton
Bulwer treaty and then that Cleveland
while president had brought it 10 life