The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-01-21
NELSON SPARS WITH TlLLMAN.
REMARKS by SOUTH CAROLINA
SENATOR RILED HIM.


TilImnn Called to order by the
Chair-CHIifornia's Senators Ex-
plain Their POSitIon-TiIIman Says
the Nicarnuga Canal Bill Is Moth
ing But steal.
Washington, Jan 20.-The Senate was in
session for five hours and a half to-day.
but the session was practically barren OF
results.
Mr.. Nelson, Republican, Of Minnesota,
spoke in opposition to Mr.. Vests anti-ex-
pansion resolution and Mr.. White Demo-
crat Of California, made personal ex-
planaton of his position with respect to
the instructions given the California sena-
tors by the legislature of that state, as
to voting on the pending peace treaty.
Mr.. Nelson's address was a constitu-
tional argument in support of the right
of the United States government TO ac-
quire and govern foreign territory. He
maintained that il was no longer an un-
settled question that this country had the
power not only to acquire foreign territory
by discovery, contest or treaty, but also
to govern territory so acquired. That
question. ne said, had been settled by de-
cision Of the Supreme Court, and was
scarcely longer open to debate. He refer
red to the territory that had been acquired
in the past by the United States govern
ment and declared that in no single case
had the people of the territory acquired
been consulted or their consent secured.
Question of Citizenship.
In the course of the debate, he said the
contention was being made that the people
OF the territory proposed to be acquired
were not tit for citizenship in our repub-
| lie. Admitting that that contention was
! correct 1t was quite as true that the peo-
! pie of much territory hithero acquired
! by this country were unfit for citizenship
| at the time the territory was taken into
| the union. Had we applied the reasoning
| that was now being advanced against the
acquisition of territory TO the people of
! Florida and the Louisiana territory when
| they were admitted into the United States,
! they scarcely could have passed muster,
! as it was well known that they were not
| fitted for citizenship.
without Representation.
Mr. Nelson then entered upon an elabo-
! rate constitutional argument, citing nu-
merous authorities in support OF his posi-
tion He maintained that the arguments
! that taxation without representation was
! tyranny and that governments derive their
! Just powers from the consent of the gov
| erned were true only i'm limited extent.
| A majority of our people, he said, were
| without direct representation. Women,
| minors and imbeciles were without repre-
sentation in our government, and had to
| bear their share OF taxation.
In response to question by Mr. Mason
| Of Illinois, Mr.. Nelson said that no man
could say truthfully that the rights OF
| Englishmen had been destroyed, or even In
! any sense impaired by Great Britain's
scheme Of colonization. Further replying
| TO Mr.. Mason ne declared that the United
! States. our own magnificent government,
was the product of the colonization plans
of Great Britain, and demanded to know
whether Mr. Mason would desire to blot
out that great work of England
TnImnn stirred Him Up.
Mr.. Tnlnlan of South Carolina, inter-
| riIpted MIR. Nelson, and referring to the
| contest between Sweden and Norway and
| the practical severance of their relations,
iuouIred why the Norweglans at home
wanted liberty, while those of the United
states do not desire to give liberty to the
F'iliplnoa.
This reference to Mr.. Nelson's Norwe-
gian birth aroused him.
Il am a citizen of the United States,
MIR. President" he replied. II am not
representing either the people or the gov
ernment of Norway, whose rights and
liberties ] am satisfied are greater than
those of the people Of South Carolina"
Uaughter)
In his discussion of the situation in the
Philippines, when Admiral Dewey arriv-
ed at Manila on the memorable LIST of
May, Mr. Nelson pointed out that the ISL
anders were in a state of practical slav-
cry under the dominion of Spain. Agui-
naldo had abandoned them, he said, ON
the payment to hIm by Spain Of a paltry
thirty pieces of silver" which in this
case was TO be $4,000, half OF which
amount the insurgent leader had already
received. lie was to leave the people and
leave the country to the tender mercie5
Of Spanish cruehies.
The Acme of Cruelty.
Mr. Nelson maintained that il would be
the acme of cruelty for the United States
government 10 desert the Philippines I'M
this time of their need
eve are there" he said, ito give them
n just, free and good government and to
keep them out Of the clutches of the great
Powers of the earth. II is our duty thus
to protect them, and it would be the
highest cruelty for US to leave them at
the mercy Of any Powers who might
choose to attack them"
Mr.. Tillman called attention to Mr. Nell
sons use of the word slave In his refer
ence 90 the Philippines, and asked the
latter If he appreciated that those peo.
PIE were Of the same class as those slaves
whose rule and domlnat ton Mr.. Nelson
and his party associates had forced upon
the white people of the South
you are undertaking." said Mr. TIL
man, 20 annex and make a component
part OF this government 10000 900 Of the
colored race one-half OF whom or more,
are barbarians of the lowest type. It
IS the infection into the body polite of
the United States of that vitiated blood.
that debased, ignorant people, that we oh
ject to-
Tnlmnn Called to Order.
At this point the hour of o'clock ar-
rived, and the chair laid before the SEN
a te the Nicaragua Canal bill. Mr. Morgan
after some persuasion, yielded to permit
Mr.. Nelson to conclude his speech After
the Minnesota senator had proceeded for
a time he was again interrupted BY Mr..