The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-01-31
SENATE.

ate today Senator Mason, Of illinois,
announced that tomorrow morning he
would ask for a vote on his resolu-
tion, declaring it to be the policy OF the
United States not to attempt TO gov
ern the people Of any other country
without the consent OF the people
themselves.
Senator Mallory, Of Florida, who had
been waiting for nearly three quarters
of an hour for an opportunity to be-
gin his announced speech on the vest
anti-expansion resolution, was then rec
ognized. lie said that in the very face
of the declaration Of our disinterested-
enss in Cuba we propose to take Porto
Rico and the Philippines. He thought
we ought not to be Inconsistent That
we could not afford to be inconsistent.
We could not, therefore, afford to take
the Philippines, although in the case
of Porto Rico the case might be fairly
regarded as different. The Philippines,
he said, were 1000 miles from our
shores and inhabited by a people with
whom we could have nothing IN COM
mona people who were seml-parpar-
Gus, if not absolutely savage. he point
GU Out SOlllC VI IS
confront this country in the attempt
to pring those unwilling people into
subJecIlon. He entered at TINS point
upon a constitutional argument, IN the
course of which ne quoted from argu-
ments made in opposition to the Vest
resolution and presented his reply 10
them. He complained that II the treaty
of peace should be ratified the lnnaDl-
tants of the Philippines-from 7,OOO,OO0
to 10, 600, 900 in number-Would nave the
~, 011 wy N nd -
compete with our own labor and IL
they did not actually come here they
would nave the right to send their pro-
ducts here to compete with those OF our
own labOrerS.
Senator Mallory said that it had been
maintained in thisd debate by those who
ssumed the negative of the declara-
ton made in the Vest resolution that
the have confidence in the American
people, implying that those who advo-
Gated the resolution had not that con-
fdence The American people, in es-
tabIishing his government" aid he,
~''exemplitied their ideas with respect
to the majorities. They knew that ma
~jorities sometimes become t~yrannical
and, therefore, hedged them about with
constitutional restrictions
In conclusion, Senator Mallory said
he la quoted from the u~tterances OF
Washington, Jefferson, Sumner, Thur
man and other great statesmen or the
country IN support Ol Ills COHlelllOIl
tina the policy which it was proposed
now that the United States should en-
ter upon was not only dangerous n
fraught with consequences we knew
not of, but was an absolute menace to
the republic itself.
At the conclusion of Senator Mai
l~ory'ssspeech, at 2:30 o'clock, p. m, the
senate Wsat into executive session.
At APO oslock the senate resumed
business in open session. The pension
appropriation bill was taken up at the
instance of Senator Perkins, of Cali
fornia, in charge of the measure, and
it was read. The bill a~ppropriates
$145, 233, $50.
Senator Sullivan, of Mississippi, Of
fered an amendment providing that
no pension should be paid to any per-
son as a dependent pensioner under the
act of June 1890, who has an income
of $3.50 annually; and, further, that a
dependent pensioner must Affirmative
ly establish the fact that he has not
an income of $3.50 before he can draw a
pension.
Senator Callinger, of New Mamp-
shire, chairman of the pension commit
tee, said hat at first blush he was in
clined to favor the amendment. He
believed congress might we'll place
some restriction upon the granting of
pensions TO applicants. His commit
tee had not considered the proposition
presented so he was not quite prepared
to say that it ought to be adopted. He
pointed out that a widow having an in
come of $96 was not eligible under the
act of 1890 to obtain a pension.
Senator Perkins made the point of
order against the amendment that it
was new legislation, and the point was
sustained.
Senator Butler, of North Carolina,
offered his amendment providing for
the payment of pensions to confeder-
ate, as we'll as to union soldiers. He
delivered a speech in supper of it.
Senator Buffers speech developed, as
he proceeded, into quite a remarkable
utterance. After presenting an analy-
sis of the compact of 1877 he declared
that mot a single southern soldier was
a rebel or a traitor" He maintained
that the great fratricidal conflict was
forced upon the south and that the peo-
pie Of the south simply defended their
personal and constitutional rights.
Under the compact of 1877 the southern
states undoubtedly, in Senator Buffers
opinion, had a right to withdraw from
the union. He was inclined TO think the
compact was not right, but it was a
ompact and ought TO be and ought TO
nave been respected"
Senator Butler said that his own
state of North Carolina fully and COM
pletely recogniZed-the right OF South
Carolina to withdraw from the union,
out decided herself not to withdraw.
1t was not until forced to defend her.
self did North Carolina vote to with
draw, together with her sister south
ern states. This, Senator Butler said,
was true of a majority of the south
ern states. They had been forced by
the northern states to take up arms
in self-defense.
Every gun fired by a southern SOL
dier," declared Senator Butler, was
fired in self defense of the constitution
al rights of the southern states and in
defense of his home and friends"
Further along Senator Butler said,
speaking of the civil war: 1T was a
most unnecessary war. The southern
states did not desire the war. They
asked only to be allowed to exercise
their constitutional rights and with
draw peacefully from the union. The
south was right and history will SO
record. The south knew she was right
at the time and she knows it now. 1t
is the duty of the southern people not