Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1900-01-25

While the Republicans were wran-
Cling as to the precise terms in which
they will state their freebooting the
ory, the great Missouri orator and
statesman George Graham Vest, made
some remarks which every citizen of
the republic without regard to politi-
cal affiliations should read and commit
to memory
Foegy Policy.
'sThe friends of the president" said
Mr.. Vest. "and | am not his enemy
| assume that any remarks made about
the Paris treaty or its negotiation is an
attack upon the administration. This
is an unwarranted assumption.
"On his western tour the president
said the whole archipelago had fallen
like ripe apple into our lap. and we
were bound to meet our new duties
as they were presented to us. Were
we to leave them. or We're we. as the
junior senator from Indiana MIR Bev-
eridgel so eloquently told US the other
day, trustees under God TO hold them
as a part of our mission to regenerate
the earthi
Il hardly know how to characterize
the imputation that friends of Agui-
naldo on this floor are giving aid and
comfort to the enemies OF this country
have already said that | consider the
discussion of these resolutions as Of no
consequence, 1t is like calling In
skilled physician after the patient is
dead"
Mr.. Vest called attention to the fact
that mo man could make q stronger
statement against the policy of the ad-
ministration in the Philippines than
the senator from New Jersey [ Mr.. Sew
ELL. and he took II for granted that no
body would call IN question his patriot
ism and loyalty to his country. He
cited statement to MIR. SeweIl in the
senate during the last congress. In
course of which he said he had gone to
the president after the battle of Ma
Mia and besought him. for Gods sake
to withdraw Dewey and his squadron.
and let the Philippines alone .'What
Is the position of the presidents? in
| quired Mr. Vest He directed the
peace commission to take one island
Luzon-and afterward abandoned that
| policy. He has since said the acqufsi-
| tion OF the islands was an act of Provi-
| dence; that we could not leave them
as derelicts The fact is. this whole
| question is in a nebulous and foggy
condition
Il disclaim now any intention that
my remarks should reflect upon nv
country. But deny the right of any
man to muzzIe me and restrain my
right to express my opinion in my own
way. We have the bubonic plague
added to leprosy in Hawaii; we have
starvation in Porto Rico: we have un-
rest and disquiet in Cuba. and we have
war Of indefinite length In the Phil
ippines. Is II treason to say thisY'
Public Documents.
In conclusion. referring to the Paris
treaty. Mr., Vest said:
when that treaty was ratified by
the senate of the United States. every
senator knew then. as he knows now.
that we were paying $2O,0O0.O00 for
war in the archipelago. the end OF
which might come in a month and
might not come in ten years.
81 simply put before the senate and
the country this proposition: Are we
to remain silent. refraining even from
ordinary criticism as to the conduct of
the war, for fear that we are to be de-
nounced as allies of Aguinaldo and
opposed to the authority of our own
country
IL appears to be the general Impres
sion that representatives and senators
can secure. free of cost TO themselves.
an unlimited number Of any speech.
book or document published by the
government printing office. This is
not true. OF every government pub
lication. except speeches delivered In
congress. each representative and SEN
ator has a certain qU /. usually 26 to
each representative and somewhat
larger quota to each senator While
the proceedings OF congress. including
speeches. are published in The Daily
Congressional Record free. If any sen.
ator or representative wants copies of
his speech or of the speech of anybody
else. he must pay for them, and. what
may appear strange. ii costs more TO
have them printed in large quantities
at the government printing Office
which already has the speech in type
as part of The Congressional Record.
than it would to go TO a private print
ing office. have the type set up and the
speeches published
OF The Daily Congressional Record
each representative has u copies.
which are furnished him free and
which he can dispose of as he pleases.
The howl about representatives and
senators selling their books. doeu
ments. garden seeds. etc. and pocket
ing the proceeds is 30 parts lie and
one part truth Occasionally one is
found who does that. hut in ~ cases
out OF 100 senators and representa-
tiyes spend more or less of their own
money to purchase these things for
their constituents after their quotas
are exhausted. Individually, while |
never kept an account of it, l have no
doubt that have spent close to $1,000
tudt way. nave no iued ludl L nave
spent more than many others. Some
have spent much more.
Representative and senators fire.
quently swap books, etc, with each
other-always for the benefit of their
eonstituents-to secure for them things
that they want.
/ have thought it meet aud proper to
state these facts for the benefit of all
concerned. The vast body OF honest
and honorable senators and representa-
tiyes ought not to have their reputa-
tions smirched by the disreputable con-
duct of a few degenerates. Hon. ].
Sterling Morton once published a state
ment that he had positive knowledge |
that some western congressman. de |
feated for reelection" had sold his |
quota of garden seeds for $40. thereby |
casting reproach on every western con-
gresham defeated for reelection that |
year, and the woods were full of them, |
for that was the year when lots of us |
made vicarious atonement for Grover |
Cleyeiands political sins What Mr. |
Morton ought to have done was to pill |
lory the congressional wretch by name. |
That would have been a righteous and |
L.