The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-01-10
CIVIL sEavICE DowrKD
The House In Committee Of the whole
Strikes. Out the ApproprIatiOn-Anti.
Imperialism Argued I'm SENATE and
House
SENATE.


Washington, January 6.-Immediate-
ly after the senate convened today the
| resolution offered yesterday by Senator
| Hoar, of Massachusetts,, calling On the
president for information as to the in
structions of the commissioners who
negotiated the treaty OF Paris, together
with all correspondence and reports re-
lating to their work, was laid before
the senate.
| Chairman Davis, one of the commits
s~ioners, desired that it be referred to
the foreign relations committee, but
Senator Hoar insisted hat the senate
had as much right to such informa-
ton as the members of the foreign re-
Iations committee and that the presi-
e should determine whether the
senate should have it.
The resolution was adopted in secret
session.
In support Of the resolution offered
sometime ago by Senator Vest, of Mis-
souri,, in opposition to expansion, Sena-
tor Caffery, of Louisiana, delivered an
extended speech.
Senator Caffery pointed out that the
government of the United States was
formulated by it's founders in order
that a social and governmental fabric
of their own might be c~rystaliZed into
form Of law. He aid that the sword
and councils of Washington made him
the savior of his country; that his SUI
preme patriotism and wisdom eminent
ly qualified him to establish this gov
mn II hold fhof Nochirr ;-
his counsels and teachings was opposed
to the acquisition Of foreign territory
for despotic government. He referred
then to that expression of Jefferson
that governments can only acquire
their just powers from the coEet of
the governed, declaring that thy Irin-
ciple announced in that sentence Kirk
ed Jefferson greater than king, /nce
of ~potentate. 1--WE have he~ard,"> said
he, "some startling doctrines as to the
power of the United States to establish
governments in foreign territory ac-
quired by the United states announced
on this floor" He declared that these
doctrines were more arbitrary than
any which had ever before been heard
in the United States congress-. They
conferred upon congress a supreme
power-a despotic power, unlimited and
unrestricted. He quoted from the
SDctCu u OSIdlOT Ildtt, Ol connecticut
to which his address was an answer,
that part of the Connecticut senator's
statement of the powers of the United
States in which he maintained that the
right to acquire foreign territory was
inherent and without limitation and
that the power to establish government
in such acquired territory was inner
ent and a sovereign right. Here"
said Senator Caffery, "the Did PROPOSE
ton is advanced that the right to gov
| ern is broad and imperial and without
limitation by our constitution.
eff the argument advanced by the
senator from Connecticut be true Int
| sound then the individual rights of
| man are to be held by the United States
under a congressional deSpotism. Our
| constitution knows no despotism, it
! sedulously provides against despotism;
| but right here is a %despotism of the
most fragrant possible character"
At the conclusion of Senator Caf-
| fery's argument, Senator Morgan, Of
| Alabama, announced on behalf of the
Nicaragua canal committee the accept
| ance in a modified form of the amend
| ments offered by Senator Berry before
| the holidays, to the pending canal bill.
| The amendments were not passed upon
by the senate.
At 3:45 o'clock p m. the senate went
i lnCO executive SeSSlOu dIu Ct o.oU
o'clock p. m. adjourned.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
The anti-civil service reformers scor-
| ed a victory in the house today. The
| legislative, executive and judicial ap-
preparation bill was taken up for con-
sideratiOn and when the appropriation
for the civil service commission was
reached Mr.. Evans, republican, of Ken
lucky, made a motion to strike it out.
| This motion has been made annually
for a dozen years or more, but has in
variably failed; but today the oppo-
nents of the law laid great stress on the
fact that they could not get a direct
vote upon the proposition and were
therefore compelled to seek it's nullifi-
cation in this matter. Even these ap-
peals failed to bring out the full
strength of the opposition, though the
motion to strike out was carried by a
narrow majority-67 to 81. This was in
committee of the whole, where no
record is made of the vote.
Mr.. Moody, republican, of Massachu-
sets, gave notice that he would de-
mand a record vote in the house, where
the friends of the civil service law ex-
pect to reverse the decision.
/ During general debate on the bill,
Mr.. Swanson, democrat, of Virginia.
delivered a speech on anti-imperialism.
The administration which could hardly
be driven into a war for liberty had,
he said, within a few months become
greedy for conquest. The liberators of
| the Cubans were to become the despoil-
ers of the Philippines. He contended
| that it vas unconstitutional for the Unit
| ed States tor undertake a colonial sys-
| tenn and cited the bred Scott decision
| in support of his contention. He dis
cussed the social, political and econom-
| ic effects of the e~nneXation of the
Philippines. He declared it to be his
| opinion that the main support Of the
! imperialistic policy came from those
who were seeking an offensive and de-
| fensive alliance between the United
States n Great Britain. The trade
advantages we would obtain from the
annexation of the Philippines would
not begin to justify us for the expense
! the requisition would entail. We are
throwing away great trade possibilities
on our northern border by restrictive
/ 10 VIC an6 vpf We nron0SaI RI roach ont