The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-03-28
Lentz DenOunccs Militarism and
Marsh ExcOriates the Ohio
Democratic AEitator.
PIERCE REPEATS AN UNTRUTH
AND HULL AND STEELE BRAND THE
AUTHOR AS A FALSIFIER.
SuIzer Weeps and Walls for the Beers
-Marion's Representative Reads
Letter from w. n. Lands.


some lively debate in the House to-day
during consideration of the army appro-
priation bill. Little of it was pertinent
to the measure 1t covered wide range of
topics--the Porto Rican tariff, the Boer
war and the Philippines. The charge that
the Porto Rican tariff bill was the result
of deal for raising a Republican cam
paign fund was again referred TO to-day
by Mr. Pierce, of Tennessee, but Mr.. Hull
declared that the anonymous author of the
charge would never dare to avow himself
and be branded as falsifier. Mr.. Sulzer,
of New York, made an appeal for the ex-
tension of official sympathy to the Beers
in their struggle for independence, and Mr.
Lentz, of Ohio, delivered scathing denun-
citation of militarsm and the in the
Philippines. His attack aroused the re-
sentiment and indignation of Mr.. Marsh
of Illinois, who in a bitter eXcoriation of
| the Ohio member declared that the latter's
I! speech was a disgrace to the American
| Congress. He declared that he was re-
sponsibe for what he had said both on and
| off the floor of the House. His heated
! language did not draw a rejoinder from Mr..
Lentz.
AT the opening of the session Mr.. Talbert
| complained of the vast extravaganza in
| volved in the army bill and replied to some
| of the criticisms passed upon him for his
| course in regard to the private pension
| legislation.
Then Mr.. Pierce, who stirred up some
thing of a hornets nest last Saturday by
bringing to the attention of the House an
| interview In local paper with an alleged
tt,ax
the Porto Rican tariff was the result of a
| bargain for campaign funds, read that
| newspapers affirmation yesterday Of the
accuracy of the interview. He also read
Senator Hanna's denunciation of the story
| that the Porto Rican tariff bill was framed
| for the purpose of raising a Republican
| campaign fund and challenged an investi-
| cation of the charge.
Mr.. Steele, of Indiana, engaged Mr..
| Pierce and there was a sharp exchange.
| Mr.. Steele said he would not believe the
anonymous Republican congressman who
| is alleged to have told the story on oath.
| Mr.. Pierce said he did not believe any man
employed on the newspaper would deliber-
ately misrepresent the facts, and from sur
rounding circumstances he [Piercel was in
clined to think the story was true.
Mr.. Steele wanted to know how the Porto
Rican tariff bill could be used to raise a
campaign fund.
DODGES THE QUESTION.
| Mr.. Pierce replied that he could not give
| the exact steps, but that vast sums Of
| money had been raised by the Republican
party i'm 1896 from various quarters could
not be denied. The contributors in one in
stance had even logged the memory of the
secretary of the treasury and he had not
dared to resent the insult. democratic
| applause.1
| Mr.. Hepburn, of Iowa, said that if any
| investigation were ordered, in all human
probability when the editor of the paper
| was asked to furnish the name of the Re-
| publican credited with the statement he
| would refuse to give 1t. If he did Mr.. Hep
burn asked Mr.. Pierce if he and his col
| leagues would be willing to punish him for
refusing.
II will cross that bridge when L come to
| it, replied Mr.. Pierce amid Republican
| ieers, but he added, 81 believe the paper
told the TRUTH
Mr. Williams, of Mississippi, discussing
| Porto Rican tariff questions, challenged
| the other side to name a single reason for
| imposing a tariff on the products of the
| island that existed now which did not exist
| when the President said it was "our plain
| duty and manifest justice" to give free
| trade to the island.
Mr. Steele, accepting the challenge, said
1t had been ascertained that the British
consul, Finley, at San Juan, who was ex-
| ceedingly anxious for free trade, was one
| of the largest sugar producers on the
| island. His interest had been purely selfish.
| Mr.. Williams ridiculed the explanation as
| absurd.
| Mr.. Hull, in charge of the bill, at this
| point reverted to the charges raised by
| Mr.. Pierce earlier in the day. AS men,
| Der of the Republican campaign commit
1 tee, he said, he was interested in the allie
cations. He said that man worthy of
| belief would make such charges and with
| hold his name from the public. He did not
| believe the man would ever dare to avow
| himself, and be branded as falsifier. He
| also expressed his doubt as to the pro-
| priety of newspapers printing such anony-
| nous statements. He called attention to
| the character of some of the literature
| still being circulated in the Philippines.
| This literature described alleged public
| meetings held in different parts of the
| country in the interest of the insurgent
cause. At one of them, held in New York
| the Democratic representative was repre-
sented as having Endorsed Aguinaldo's
cause and the insurgents were appealed to
| to hold until after the presidential cleo
ton. when their allies in this country
| would see that the stars and stripes were
| removed from the islands.
SULZER SPEAKS FOR BOERS
| Mr.. Sulzer, the ranking minority member
of the military affairs committee, con-
sumed his time in denunciation of the at
| titude of the administration toward the
| war in South Africa. He called attention
to the fact that all the resolutions express
ing sympathy with the Beers, introduced
| by himself and others, still slept in the
committee rooms. For that reason" said
| he 81 desire at this time to express and
| to place on record my adherence and con-
demnaton of the unjust. the inhuman, the
| predatory, the cruel and the barbarous
war the empire of Great Britain is re-
| lentlessly waging in South Africa to de-
| stroy and eXterminate two brave little re-
| public-SiSterS of our Own-and as free and
| independent AS an American citizen and
| representative in Congress, | not
| ashamed to have il known that my sym
| pathy is now, always has been and always
| will be with the heroic Beers in their mag
| nifcent struggle to maintain their freedom
and their independence against the piracy
| of the corrupt oligarchy now controlling
| the policy of the British empire.
| America must do its duty The great
| Republic, the beacon light of the world, In
| the name of liberty. humanity and justice
must demand peace and make that demand
| good. We have the right to interfere and
| insist on peace We have the right to ex-
| press our sympathy. We have the right 10
| aid the Red Cross society international
| law gives these rights and We should
| exercise them. We sympathized with Po-
| land, with Hungary. with Greece. with all
| the South American republics, with Ar
| menia and with Cuba I'm their struggles
| for freedom. Many We helped. Why. / ask
should We now refuse to render moral sup
| patriots of South Africa? Is the great light
| of the Republic going out? Is American
| sentiment dead?
"A republic that has sunk so low that II
glories in the downfall of sister republic
Is in danger OF destruction itself. re-