The times., 1898-06-14
HOT WORDS In THE SENATE.
The Clarke fof Lobbying Preopi-
tafes an Acrimonious Debate.

The Clarke iof Lobbying Preoipi-
tates an Acrimonious Debate.
The Lodge resolution calling Tor an In
vestieation- ,ntol the charges tina. 35 per
cent of the claim recently allowed by Con-
gress TO thal Methodist Book Concern,
South had been paid to lobbyists, preclpi-
tated rather heated debate in the Sem
ate yesterday afternoon. So general was
the discussion that the matter not
concluded when the morning hour closed.
and 1t went over antil today.
Mr.. Bacon Of Georgia, who took part
in urging the passage OF the claim through
the Senate. made statement in which
he said that he had never heard of any
lobbyists having anything to do with the
claim, and that he never had the slightest
intimation that anyone was laboring in
behalf of the measure for pay. Just few
days before the vote was taken in the
Senate, he said, the senator from Indiana,
Mr.. Fairbanks, told him that he wanted
TO vote for the bfll but that he had been
informed that large proportion of il was
to be applied in paying the services Of
men who had been here laboring for its
passage. Mr.. Bacon stated that he then
said he did not believe there was any
truth in the report, but that he would in
vestigate IT, He thereupon inquired of the
Tennessee senator's. and at their sugges-
tlcn saw Mr.. Stahlman, who is accused
OF having received the $10S 600. Mr.. Ba-
con said that Mr.. Stahlman told him with
emphasis that there was no contract to
pay any sum for the prosecution of the
.t.,;
such as were incident to the prosecution
Of all claims to be met. What the amount
was Mr.. Stahlman did not mention, but
Mr.. Bacon said he gathered from his man
ner that the amount was inconsequentiai.
The discussion was further participated
in by Messrs. Hoar and Bate, when MIR.
Chandler took the floor md made a speech
that ruffied the waters, which, up to that
time had been apparently smooth and uD-
disturbed. Mr.. Chandler took the ground
! that the Senate had been deceived and
that the Methodist Book Concern ought
to refund the money II the charges were
true. Mr. Chambers speeches frequently
have sting TO them and yesterday that
| sting seemed TO irritate Mr. Pasco. At
| the time the original bin was before the
| Senate il was intimated that attorneys
| fees were playing a prominent part IN
| the matter and il was Mr. Pasco who
read d telegram in the Senate denying
| the correctness Of the rumors that had
| been spread. In the course of his re-
marks Mr.. Chandler asserted that it was
| unwittingly through Mr.. Pasco that the
! Senate had been deceived and TO this
| language Mr. Pasco took exceptions Mr.
| Chandler reiterated his statement that
| while 1t was true that the senator's who
| had been communicated with by the Of
| ficers OF the NJ. E. Church South and
/ their attorneys had been deceived. IL was
/ equally true that through tn senator's
/ the United States Senate had been grossly
! and outrageOusly deceived.
Mr.. Pasco sought to interrupt Mr.
| Chandler but the New Hampshire Sem
! ator declined TO yield at the moment and
| Mr. Pasco5 with much indignation-a
4 frame of mind in which he rarely pre-
/ sents himself TO his colleagues-walked
/ down the aisle and insisted that Mr..
Chandler recall his statement and put
/ him in the record fairly. Mr.. Chandler
dsclined to modify his statement more
/ than he had done but disclaimed any in
/ tention of rejecting upon the senator
! from Florida. The discussion between The
two senators evidently left Mr.. Pasco
I smarting Under what he imagined to be
misrepreSentat1ou of his position. while
MI Chandler centended that he had not
( misrepresented The situation and assert
I ed that he proposed TO let his remarks
remain as they had been uttered.
Mr.. Bacon. with some warmth of ex-
preston. asserted that it was unworthy
of the senator from New Hampshire to
! seek TO put such an accusation upon the
senator from Florida or anyone else
Every senator who had been identified
| with this claim had. he believed acted
in the utmost good faith.
Mr. Chandler replied that he had not
I sought to place the responsibility for the
/ Senate's action upon Mr.. Pasco but that
had it not been for the assurances that
came from him and o.her senator's that
the whispered charges were untrue the
bill would not have passed.
| Again Mr.. Pasco insisted that Mr.. Chan
/ dler was wrong in seeking TO identify
him with any guarantee to the Senate.
/ He had simply submitted certain tele-
grams he had received. THE statements
made by the senator from New Hamp-
shire said Mr.. Pasco. vehemently, .are
utterly without foundation and the sena-
| tor from New Hampshire knows it,
The exact opposite is the TRUTH" re-
/ torted Mr.. Chandler "and / propose that
| that statement of mine shall stand. 1t is
incumbent upon those senators who were
! acting honestly and who were deceived
and who led the Senate into doing this
thing, to do something. The facts in this
! case ought TO come out and the blame
! fall where il belongs.
Mr.. Tillman denounced the attacks that
! had been made upon certain senator's He
| declared that had it not been for the as
| surarces given the Senate the Lodge
/ amendment limiting attorneys fees 10
1 s. 900 would have been inserted. That
amendment would have prevailed anyhow
/ had it not been for the high sense of
honor of some of the senators who said
I that to add such an amendment to the
/ bill, after the assurances that had been
! given would have been an insult to the
whole Methodist church and every person
/ connected with the bill before the Senate.
| '"rhe thing TO do said Mr. Tilman, 'is
! not to attack senators nor make the
| church pay back the money, but to make
| these lobbyists, this thief, this liar. Stahl-
NAL, disgorge.'
| MIR. Teller, in short but earnest speech
said he believed the claim of the Book
! Concern was an honest claim, and that it
had legal claim against the Government.
The voting of the money by Congress was
not an act of charity. but the liquidation
of just debt. He had passed upon the
calm twenty years ago, and he believed II
was one that should long ago have been
Allowed. If the resolution was sent 10
the committee for Investigation the COM
mittee would get at the truth, and the
credit of the church would not be injured
unless the facts We're such that it ought
to be.
The talk that had up to this time been
going on about lobbyists and all that sort
of thing aroused Senator Morgan OF AID