Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-06-06
CAMPAIGN THUNDER.
Senators Busily Engaged in Man.
ufacturing an Abund.
ant Supply.
BACON STARTS A WARM DEBATE,
In Which Pettigrew, Hanna, and
Carter Take the
Lead.

L over the
yesterday with Hanna, Pettigrew and
Carter the chief figures. For sensa
| tiOnal ordinations and recriminations
for bitter personalities and for poig
/ nant invective the debate exceeded
| anything heard on the floor OF the
[ chamber for many years. The lie was
| not passed directly, but the truthful
| ness of statements was challenged
| very sharply. Bacon precipitated the
| scene by repeating charge made sew
eraI days ago by Pettigrew that
| Cramp, the Philadelphia shipbuilder,
had contributed 100000 to the Re
publican campaign fund in 1892, with
| the understanding that he would be
| reimbursed by contracts for the con-
structiOn of warShips for the govern
ment.
Csrter's Reply to PettIgrew.
In reply to Pettigrew's charges Car
ter said: Il saw now. and there are sen
ators on this floor who Will bear me out,
that any charge that contributions
were received TO be reimbursed through
the medium of government con-
tracts. or that any promises We're
made 10 corporations or to individuals,
Is absolutely false andscan be branded
properly only as lie. Money was re-
ceived by the committee, but only
through voluntary contributions. In
that campaign the party was defeated
and the country paid the penalty of
that defeat"
Pettigrew's Charges in Full.
Pettigrew insisted on replying. Said
he: Il made the statement that a con-
tribution of 100000 had been made
by Mr.. Cramp to the Republican ma
tional committee in 1892 and that he
was to he reimbursed for it with con-
tracts for additional warships. My au-
thority for the stament is Mr.. Cramp.
himself He told me, not in confidence.
as i believe. on an ocean liner com
ing across the Atlantic. He did not
know where the money had gone and
had employed detectives to find out.
He intimated that il had not been used
for campaign purposes. Moreover,
continued Pettigrew, his words almost
kissing through the chamber, 81 have
said the same things to the senator
who4was chairman of the Republican
national campaign committee of that
year and he waved it off, smilingly.
with the statement: We'll. we did hit
the old man pretty hard y
Refers to the Ohio Alleged Bribery.
Adverting to Hanna. Pettigrew then
brought up the charges of bribery
which had been made against the Ohio
senator at the time of his election to
the senate, reading vOluminously from
the report of the minority of the COM
mittee on privileges and elections, in
Guiding newspaper stories of the ac-
counts of alleged telephone cOnversa-
tions between Hanna'S friends and
other persons. These statements Pet
tigrew thought could not be swept
aside lightly by Hanna.
Iannn newt the floor. here
was pretty lively scrap in Columbus
said he, good humoredly. 1T was due
partly TO the Democratic party and
partly to the work of traitors to their
party and to their country. like the
senator from South Dakota
Hanna referred TO Senator Burke,
of Cleveland. as one of the chief con
SpiratOrS in the senatorial election, and
denounced him as II traitor and
scoundrer who had as Il Republican
lent himself to the conspiracy against
his party. and subsequently had been
disbarred and disgraced in his native
city.
Then he read n clipping from
South Dakota newspaper in which
Pettigrew was characterized as Il trait
Ol. to his country and to his state, and
declared that he did not represent the
people of South Dakota. That de
clared Hanna. vehemeEtly. lis my ac-
cuser in the senate of the United
States. and that is the estimation in
which he is held by the people of his
own state. have often
sat in my seat listening to him and
thought him insane. Much of the stuff
he has uttered on this floor is the |
veriest rot.
when it comes To personalities 1
will stand up with him and compare
my character with his. He may tell |
what he knows about me. and then |
with emphasis on every world l will |
tell what | know about him
Carter obtaining the floor as Il mat |
ter of personal privilege, said: First |
il is said that Mr.. Cramp made the
statement that he contributed S4OO, 900 |
to the Republican campaign fund in '92. |
L do not believe Mr.. Cramp ever made |
that statement. He could not truth |
fully have made il, and l believe him |
to be truthful man." Carter said |
the reported conversation between /
himself and Mr.. Pettigrew was a pure
creation OF the Imagination. as he |
thought the conversation between Pet
tigrew and Cramp as reported by the |
former must have been.
Carter in closing addressed the |
Democrats side. saying: But let me
give Il Lote Oi NdIniiiE 10 tue DEeIHefn
on the other side of the chamber IL |
these alleged conversations ever had |
occurred they carried with than be- |
tween gentlemen a tacit understanding
which no gentlemen anywhere would /
disregard. Brethren on the other side
of this chamber, you are to henceforth 1
associate. God knows how long. with |
the gyrating political career OF the |
senator from South Dakota. Ever keep
in mind the statements made by him \
today. statements which ! brand in SO
far as I am concerned as untrue The
Sauarnr- is NJ fauIf Ruf If with Az