The sun., 1900-01-25
STIRRING ROBERTS DEBATE
Mr.. Lands of Indiana Makes a
Sensational Speech in
the HOUs,.
HE ARGUES FOR EXCLUSION
Same Ground Taken by Mr.. Power S
of Vermont. While Mr.. Snod-
grass of Tennessee Sup
ports Views of Minority,
Favoring Expulsion.

|
He argued in behalf of exclusion of Mr..
Roberts. The contention of the minority
| for expulsion, he said,N ran UP against
Che very precedents which were cited in
It's support. 1t was the universal rule
hat a member could not be expelled for
IN oifense committed prior to election.
| While it might be argued in Mr.. Rob
arts case that polygany was Il continu-
ing status, the crime itself, the initial act,
ool; place long before Mr.. Roberts was
elected.
I'VE are not separating wife from hus-
band, said Mr. Powers, commenting ON
Mr., Roberts speech of yesterday. "Po-
ygamy has never been legal in Utah Ell
der before or after her admission into
the Union. Polygamy was illegal under
the common law of England. The mo-
mcnt he took wife No. the marriage
WAS void. Mr.. Roberts knew the law
He cannot now plead the baby act
against the law and stern Justice
Mr. Snodgrass tTenn) followed Mr.
Powers, supporting the views of the mi
nority in favor of seating and then ex-
| pelling Mr.. Roberts. If we were not to
become exponents of the French system
of justice which presumed guilt until in
nocence was proved, he said, Mr. Roberts
must be accorded his prima facie right to
his seat before being oustcd.
Landis Gives His Views.
Mr.. Lands 0nd.), a member of the
| Roberts committee who signed the ma
jority report, argued that Utah had vio-
! lated her compact with the United States.
There had been universal rejoicing in the
land in 1896, he said. when Utah had
been admitted into the Union. The pco-
| pie of the United States thought that the
| birth of the state worked the death of the
system of polygamy. Yet they We're star
| tied to learn in 1893 that Utah had elect
| ed as her sole representative in the house
| a polygamist and that he was moving
| upon Washington with a plurality of
wives and multiplicity of children.
| MIR. Lands went over the record of the
apostles of the Mormon church to show
that most of them were guilty of contin-
ued polygamOus practices. Some of his
statements were sensational. He scored
the church for its alleged bad faith.
arousing great enthusiasm by his scath-
ing denunciation. At times he convulsed
| the house with his sarcasm. OF the 15
apostles of the church when the procla-
nation was issued, he said, IL were open
| vielators of the law and three had un-
dorbtcdly taken plural wives since-it was
| promulgated.
Mr. I4andis said he believed and that
Mr.. Roberts had not denied that Marga-
ret C. Shipp had become his plural wife
since Utah was admitted in 1896. He
| paid high tribute to the Christian mis-
sionsries who had worked among the peo-
pie of Utah. Mr.. Roberts, he said, had
tnI hn hnI
of gcntilcs in his district. That, Mr..
Landis said, was because he ran as n
Democrat MS well as Mormon and he
cause his opponent had been a DANTE
who had killed his man.
lie adjurcd the 1000 polygamists in
Utah to take care of their plural wives,
hut in Gods name to refrain from multi
plying their infamy by bringing more
children into the world.
Iii his peroration Mr.. Landis protested
against Roberts admission in the name
of the motherland of the land and of the
pitifu innocents doomed to the shame
of illegitimacy.
He got Il whirlwind of applause when
he sat down. The speech created SEN
sation.
In the Senate.
When tho senate convened Senator
Hale reported from the appropriations
committee the urgent deficiency bill and
gave notice that he would call it up.
Senator Platt (COnn.) gave notice of
important amendments he will offer to
the bills providing form of government
for Hawaii and Porto Rico.
One of Senator Platt's proposed amend
mcnts to each of the bills strikes out the
provision for the election of delegate
to congress. If adopted. neither Porto
Rico nor Hawaii would be represented in
congress The other amendments relate
to the customs regulations. In the case
of Hawaii he proposes to eliminate the
provision of the Hawaiian commission
and insert II clause for the continuance of
the existing customs relations between
the United States and Hawaii until fur
thor legislation by congress.
The customs provision suggested by Mr.
Plat in the case of Porto Rico requires
the collection on Porto Rican articles inn
ported into the United States from for
eiGn countries.
Mr. Pettigrew Is. d. offered a resolu-
tion declaring that the United States
government would not recognize the right
of any nation to declare as contra band
and seize food products as such and that
any HllCH SViIlTc NNlllI Dp an ;ict CIl
friendly to the United States. The reso-
luton Went over under the rule
The resolution offered by Mr.. Petit
grew, calling upon the president for the
report of General John c. Bates concern
ing the treaty made with the sultan of
Sulu. was considered. The resolution re-
cited the salaries paid to the sultan and
his officials and inquired what fund they
We're paid from and what services the
officials rendered.
Mr.. Pettigrew supported the resolution
vigorously in a speech. He said that
slavery i'll its worst form existed in the
Sulu group of islands. and the treaty it.
self provided that every slave could pur-
chase his freedom at the regular market
price. He said the amount of the sal
aries paid to the sultan and his officials
under the treaty was $9,120, yet the
Spanish government paid them only $6,-
800.
A translation of the treaty. he said
wus withheld from the people until after
the Ohio elections. This was marAIv