The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-04-03
SENATE

the sens I today Staid sticklers for
senatsriu decorum literally held their
sides AID shouted with laughter, while
the crowded galleries Joined in the
laughing tumult, which not the faint
est effort was made to restrain. Sen
ator Pettus, of Alabama, the oldest
member Of the body-his age being
only a few months short of four score
years-delivered the funniest speech
heard within the senate chamber in
many years. 1t sparkled with wit and
dubbed over with humor. Its sar-
casm was keen, but not bitter, and
even those who were the victims of it
could not but enjoy its perfect good hu-
NOR and its unalloyed fun. Throughout
il all, Senator Pettus was as solemn as
if he were delivering a funeral grafton.
Senator Proctor, republican, of Yer
mont, delivered a fOrceful argument in
support of free trade with the island
Of Porto Rico. Considerable
was made with the Porto Rican meas
ure during the day, most of the COM
nittee amendments n several offer
ed by senators being disposed of.
Senate Proctor in his speech ap-
proved the civil government feature OF
the pending bill and regretted hat on
account of the tariff provision he could
not vote for it. AS to the free trade
proposition creating a precedent for
the Philippines n Cuba, he said it
will be time to cross those rivers when
we reach them, and he predicted the
crossing then would not be difficult.
Congress-, he said, is a creature of the
constitution and not the reverse. He
said:
Porto Rico and it's people came I'm
dor tho cnrrarafuntu N Th1 Iv-,N@l
States by force of the treaty with
Spain, and L think that all will agree
that If any part of the people of the
island, levied war against the United
States or adhered to our enemies, ETC.,
they would be guilty of treason; but
treason is an exclusively defined con-
stitutional crime, and it cannot exist
on the island unless the constitution
that defines it is in force there.
The people believe, as the president
did when he wrote in his annual mes
sage, that our plain duty is to abolish
the customs tariff between Porto Rico
and the United States
w levy this tribute upon a people
who are in the direst poverty and
distress, resulting in a large part from
our very action in taking possession of
their island and destroying the exist
ing markets for their products and
opening no other, and to this is added,
by the hand of the Almighty, the ter
ribie destruction of the tornado"
Senator Pettus then spoke, first dis
cussing constitutional features of the
measure.
From this time forward Senator Pet
tus' speech was personal in it's appli-
cation. Il was very much entertained
by the senator from New Hampshire
CMr. Gallinger) yesterday" he said,
when he informed us that he was not
a lawyer, and he proved it to us, not
OniN hV asserting If hnt nv his argyll
ment- Lawyers Know that when you
come to read a decision of a judge you
must take all he says on a subject;
that it will not do to take a sentence
here Il another there. but that is
exactly what the senator did in quot
ing Justice Bradley in the Mormon
church case"
He hen went on to relate an anec-
dOte illustrative of his point, in which
a preacher of the old time-when the
senator was a boy-had figured in Ala
bama. THE minister" he said, was
as learned in the Bible as my friend
from New Hampshire is in the law
CLaughter). He said: Brethren, my
text today will be the following: Sew
en- sons did Micah bare unto Enon.'
Now L expect, brethren the preacher
went on. If you wou look to the COM
mentaries you would find various
meanings to this text; but taking a
common sense view of it, / will say
this: L expect that Enon was sick and
n doctor told his seven sons, great
strong fellows, that it was absolutely
necessary that he hould have milk for
his nutriment; and thereupon the sew
en- sons went out to look up the cows.
The cows had not come up the night
before and SO the sons could not find
them; but they came across a bear and
they MIXED her and carried the milk
to Hnon; and so. brethren. it is writ,
seven sons did milk a bear unto
Enon.'
That preacher" concluded Senate
Pettus. amid an outburst of hearty
laughter. had as accurate a concep-
ton of the Scriptures IS some of our
senators have Of the law of the land
Senator Pettus then referred to Sen
ator Beverages speech yesterday as
marvellous and said: When you get
a genuine orator he is absolutely al
solved from all rules of logic or com
mon sense Oaughter). When it is
necessary in the fervor of oratorica
1ourishes to prove any proposition
true or false. rules of common sense
and the decent observance of What is
due to others must not stand in the
way Of maintaining my reputation as
an orator. If it is necessary 1 must
on my imagination for facts and
on my memory for flights of fancy as
Ovid BoluS' did. When an orator
speaks he has a right in the fervor OF
his OfdIOry mere IN the united States
senate in reference to the republicans
and democrats and ~populists and any
ether men who may choose to take q
seat here, to speak of them as enc.
mics to the government. He has q
right to speak of them as opponents
of the government. The government il
his mind is me and my wife, my sor
John and his wife, us four and M
more CLaughter.)
n President, the Master once haC
to select a man to lead the children o
Israel out of Egypt and through tn,
wilderness of Canaan. He did not Sc
lect an orator Laughter). No, he Sc
lected one of these men from Iowa o
Maine, and his name was Moses. An
he was a stubborn man too (Laughter)
But Moses told his Master to his fac
that he could not do it, because n
could not speak to the people An
what was the reply? There is Aaron
he speaks Well And they took Aarol