Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-03-28
ARMY BILL IN THE HOUSE
MR. LENTZ CHARGES THAT TROOPS
WE'RE DETAINED IN PHILIPPINES.
Mr.. Marsh Replies With Heat, Deny
ing Statements and DenOunc-
ing the Democrats.

During the DEBATE OH lHt army VII III
the House yesterday afternoon Mr.. Lentz
of Ohio made a long speech on the
Philippine question. He produced an ar
lay of allegations that the soldiers in the
Philippines had no heart in the war against
the insurgents and desired to return home.
He challenged the Presidents statement
that the volunteers had willingly remained
after their terms of enlistment expired
He read letter from Assistant Secretary
of War MeilSlejohn in reply to request
for the discharge of a soldier denying the
request and saying the department was
flooded with such applications. He read
a letter from one of the medical officers
serving in the Philippines calling attention
to the frequency with which soldiers were
being incapacitated by self-inflicted
wounds, and suggesting the ACCESSIBILITY OF
boards such as investigate cases of deser-
ton He also mentioned the reports con-
corning the alarming frequency of insan-
ity among the soldiers. Some OF these re-
ports, he said, We're so INDUSTRIOUS that he
refused to believe them without further
substantiation.
Mr.. Marsh Replies.
Mr.. Marsh Qll) replied to Mr.. Lentz.
He spoke with great heat. The speech, he
| said, was characteristic of the gentleman
| from Ohio. In the absence of facts bril-
One complaint had followed another, he
said, until the gentleman from Ohio had
! earned the sobriquet 1.-THE great solder
| No vituperative enemy of his country, he
| said could have uttered more diabolical
| sentiments.
| Il DESIRE he continued, with flushed
| face, and emphatic gesture, ito character
| ize his speech from beginning to end
| disgrace to the American Congress and a
| violation of all the decences of this House
| He has misrepresented his country, mis-
| quoted history and miSStated the position
| Of this side of the House. He has ex-
| hausted his whole vocabulary in unjust
| and false accusation against his country
| And l make these statements" said he,
| looking at Mr.. LentZ, upon my RESPONSE
| bility as q member here and a gentle
| man outside of this House. One of the
| beautiful things about the Constitution,
| he went on, sarcasticaly. lis that no man
| can be punished under the law for words
| spoken in debate here. So the gentleman
from Ohio goes scot-free notwithstanding
the false charges he has made
| Mr.. Lentz interposed at this point to chal-
| lenge Mr.. Marsh to show the falsity of the
| official documents from which he had
| quoted.
Mr.. Marsh replied that he had gone as far
| as he could in his characterization of Mr.
| Lentzs remarks If he had any language
| at his command more emphatic he would
| have used it.
| Denounces the Democrats.
Continuing, he denounced the course OF
the democratic party, which, he said If
time of peace was hell for war" and in
time of war was hell for peace" He main.
tanned that our title to the Philippines was
as complete as was our title to Florida ant
it was as much our duty to suppress re-
bellion there as in Florida If the Presi
dent should withdraw the army from the
Philippines and allow the islands to pass
out of our possession, he said, he would b,
| subject to Impeachment proceedings.
| Mr.. Tongue {0regon) spoke briefly of tht
| record of the I'd Oregon, which saw service
in the Philippines. During the course OF
his remarks he made an allusion to Pick
ett's charge at Gettysburg.
A moment later Mr.. Johnson CIV. Va.} go
| a round of applause from both sides of tn.
| House when he said he was the only mar
on the floor who had been in that charge.
The general debate was then closed, AM
| the clerk began to read the bill for amend
ment under the five-minute rule.
Speaking to pro forma amendment, Mr.
| Steele Gnd.) sent to the clerks desk an,
, had read letter dated San Juan. Marcl
| II. 1860, from W. X. Lands, brother o
Representative Lands of Indiana, express
ing surprise at the tempest raised in tn
United States by the Porto Rican TART
bill. The letter said the 10 per cent tariff
was not obnoxious to the people of POrt
Rico: that the only clamorous, out-and-ou
free trade people on the island were thos
who had bought up the sugar and Tobacco
. on the island
! Mr.. Williams uN) taunted the republi
: cans of Indiana, saying they were in des
pc rate straits because of their votes on tn
Porto Rican bill
Mr. Steele replied that he was in no dis
! t1ess; that he had voted for the BILL tina
he believed it was humane measure, an
| he stood by it.
Mr. Underwood (Ala.), Mr.. sparkma
I | (Fla) and Mr.. Lacey Iowa) also mad
| speeches under the five-minute rule.
At $40 pm. the House adjourned.