The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-02-10
A NOTABLE SPEECH
SENATOR GORMANS FAREWELL
TO THE SENATE
Day of Excitement in the senate =
Feeling Among enator Intense
Several Speeches Mad on Ia Subject
of Expansion-The McEnery ResoIu.
tfon Discussed and Laid Over
SENATE.

Washington, February 6.-This was
a day of excitement and severe strain
in the senate The fact that the treaty
was to be voted upon AND that the re-
suit was hanging in the balan~s serv-
ed to keep senators on both sides OF
the chamber at a high tension. When
the senate convened at moor more mem
: bers were present than have been In
attendance upon any session OF the SEN
ate since it assembled in December.
Senator Allen, populist, of Nebraska,
addressed the senate in the morning
in favor of the ratification OF the treaty
but in opposition TO expansion.
Senator Clay, democrat, of Georgia,
occupied a few minutes in explaining
why he proposed to support the treaty.
Senator German, of Maryland, fol-
lowed with a notable speech.
After the ratification of the treaty
the senate inopen session took up a
Joint resolution offered by Senator Nc
Emery, democrat, of Louisiana, de-
claring a policy for the Philippines and
an effort was made to adopt it, but
the debate occupied so much time that
the resolution went over till tomorrow.
Senator McEnery's resolution, which
ne asked the senate to vote upon before
passing upon the treaty is as follows:
THAT by the ratification Of the pend
ing treaty Of peace with Spain it is
not intended to incorporate the lnhaDl-
tantS of aid islands into Citizenship
of the United States, nor is 1t intend
ed to permanently annex said Islands
as an integral part of the territory OF
the United States. But it is the in
tention of the United States to eStaD-
lish on said Stands a government SUIT
able to the wants and conditions OF the
inhabitants of said islands to prepare
them for local self-government and In
due time to make such disposition or
said islands as will best promote the
interests of the citizens of the United
States and the inhabitants Of said is
lands"
Senator Allen objected and the reso-
luton went over.
Senator Allen then addressed the
senate upon the several resolutions re-
lating to expansion, He devoted the
first part of his address to a personal
explanation, brought out by a state
ment made concerning him and his &C
tion with respect to the treaty. Among
the statements made by the neWSpa-
pers in question was that Senator AL
len today would e%nlighten the senate
as to the political significance of Sen
ator Germans position with reference
to the treaty.
Il have at no time" said Senator AL
len, promised to enlighten the coun-
try concerning what Senator German
is DIN or OpOS to do. l DO not
know, or am l concerned in knowing
what Senate Germans intention may
be-" He then paid a personal tribute
to Senator Germans ability and pa
triotism as a statesman. Referring then
to the statements which have been
made as to the actions of some of the
democrats in the senate opposing the
treaty because of their opposition 10
Hon.. William Jennings Bryan n the
f,-4L@ c+atoponrt fh0t Snnotnr Allnn
proposed to take these democrats to
task, Senator Allen said:
Il am not the keeper of the con-
science of Mr.. Bryan. I do not pre-
tend to represent him here or else
where. and any u~tterances to the con-
trary are entirely ~unfounded. l am the
personal friend of Mr.. Bryan, and l am
also his political friend. 1 may say of
him that I regard him as the superior
i'm knowledge and capacity of any l1v-
ing American statesman. History will
rank him with Webster and Clay as
one of the greatest statesmen our cOun-
try has produced. [ regard him as q
brilliant comet in the political sky, as
were Webster and Clay in their time.
I know him to be not only able and pa
triotic, but absolutely sincere in all his
words and actions. He is not a dema-
gogue as the g~roundlings and the hum
bugs would have the people believe"
Senator German rose to close the de-
bate in open session. 1t was expected
that he would make some notable ut
t%erances, and neither the senators nor
the people in the thronged galleries
were disappointed.
my attitude on this treaty had been
known for many months, he SAID. 1t
was known and freely expressed to one
of the peace commissioners befrOe he
went to Paris. Since the completion Of
the negotiations, which resulted in the
signing of the treaty I AVE had no
reason to change my opinion heretofore
formed.
"In all of my public life presidents and
their cabinets have had no terrors for
me. I hav opposed them even when
they were of my own party when l
believed they were wrong"
Senator German said that he had
been opposed to the ratification of the
treaty and the annexation of the Phil
ippine islands because those islands
contained a population and a people
who could not be assimilated into our
own population without degrading the
American people. He believed that
the adoption of the scheme of treaty
ratification would be more disastrous
to this country than anything which
has happened from the foundation of
the government to the present hour.
Senator German n Senator AL
len for the kind words heh1d aid Of
him and then quoted a statement from
Senator Wolcott's speech of last week
concerning the next presidential cleo
ton which he said made certain refer
ences to him. "Well, now" he contin-
ued, 81 suppose that a fair judgment,
a charitable judgment, would enable
me to say that the senator from Col
orado, of all the senators on this floor,
would be the only n capable of max
ing such an utterance while we were
considering such a great question"
At his point Senator German was
interrupted by a man in the gallery,
who cried out several times in a con
stantly increasing crescendo: "Wha
do you mean? What do you mean?'
Confusion reigned or both sides OF
the senate and in the galleries for a
moment, but this was dissipated by
laughter, when it was realized that the
poor fellow who caused the Interrupt
ton was not RESPONSIBLE for his ut