The Topeka state journal., 1900-05-03
ROW OVER CLARK.
Senators Indulge in Sharp
Words on the Floor.

washington, May 3AThe senate today
agreed to a motion by Mr.. Hoar to take
up the resolution declaring that W. A.
Clark was not duly elected to the SEN
ate from Montana and then in accord
ance with Mr.. HoaT's further sugges-
ton, postponed further consideration Of
the subject until one week from to-
day. Before this agreement was reach
ed there was a spirited controversy over
some remarks made by Mr.. Chandler
yesterday. Mr.. Bacon took exception
to the fact that Mr.. Chandler had said
that he had heard it stated that there
was a purpose to delay the considera-
ton Of the resolution in order to pre-
vent the governor of Montana from
making an appointment of senator to
succeed Mr.. Clark in case the seat now
occupied by him should be declared
vacant. AS for himself he could not say
what his own action would be on the
Clark resolution. He regarded himself
as a judge sitting in that case and he
would, he added, claim the right to in
vestigate it thoroughly before entering
Judgment.
Mr.. Chandler said that his remarks
regarding a desire to delay the consid~
Grafton of the resolution had not been
called out by anything that Mr.. Bacon
had said but. that he had had especial
reference to Mr.. Stewards threat ito
read in the senate If not given time to
read out of it, the testimony taken by
the committee"
ened TO do what?''
Threatened" Mr.. Chandler replied,
that if any attempt was made to rush
the Clark resolution, the three volumes
of testimony would be read for the pur-
pose of delay"
Mr.. Stewart said he had made no
such a statement as a threat; but he
had said. and he would repeat, that if
time was not given to read the testi-
mony outside the senate chamber, time
would be taken to read it in the
chamber. The case should be consid-
cred deliberately and decentIy, and es-
pecially in view of the fact that much
of the testimony was irrelevant, it was
not unreasonable to ask for time for in
yestigatiOn. Il don't propose to be lee
tured." he continued. Il don't like it,
and particularly don't like it from the
man who has gathered up all sorts OF
hearsay matter and printed it as testi-
mony."
when the senator attacks me or the
committee over which preside" re-
torted Mr.. Chandler, "he Will get lee
ture from me-"
To this Mr. Stewart replied: 'eWen,
you'll get a lecture from me on the ir-
relevant scandal you've put into the
testimony presented here"
This closed the incident
The senate then passed the house bill
for the amendment of the census law.
The bill was amended 50 as TO provide
for $3.50 additional compensation to
census supervisors.
The army appropriation bill being
taken up Mr.. Pettigrew continued his
criticism of the treatment of the vol
unteer soldiers in the Philippines. He
read a number Of letters from members
of the South Dakota regiment complain
ing of their treatment there.
Some of these contained profane ex-
pressions, which fact caused Mr.. Gal
linger to enter a protest against their
being printed in the Record. Such Ian
guage. he said, should be obnoxious to
any man occupying seat in the senate.
To this Mr.. Pettigrew replied that the
| letters were from men who had been
conscripted to fight in a cause in which
they did not believe and placed in cir
| cumstances generally Objectionable.
| These conditions were, he said, calcu-
| lated to make men swear, but while
! the South Dakotans occasionally
/ dropped into this bad habit, it was still
| true that the religious sentiment was
as strongly developed in them as in
/ the senator from New Hampshire.
Mr. Haw1ey referred to the letters
/ as blasphemous, and gave notice of his
| intention to move to have stricken out
| of the permanent record a letter from
Mr. Pettigrew to the president which
| the former had read yesterday.
| Moreover it is only fair to other
blameless generals enga ged at Spion
Kop that the responsibility be publicly
| placed as now, on Generals Butler and
| Warren and Colonels Thornycroft and
| Crofton.
"Why, then, critics ask. delay the pub
| IicatiOn for six weekS2 The ministers
will reply that the delay was less then
this. This was not an undue time for
the preparation and consideration Of
| the dispatches by the whole cabinet in
consultation with Lord Roberts, as to
the punishment which the public would
demand should follow the censures."