The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-04-19
THE 0HI0AN WARMLY
DEFENDS PRESIDENT
That Flop Regarding Tariff For
Porto Rico.
Resents the Charge That Mckinley
Had His Mind Changed For Him
Mississippi Member Has His
Wrath Aroused and He Makes a
Singing Rejoinder - Grosvenor
Disclaims Any Intention of At
fronting Williams.

the naval appropriation bill under the
hve-minute rule today drifted into poll
tics. and for good portion of the af-
ternoon members fought hammer and
tongs across the political aisle. The
partisan rancor almost eliminated in
a sensational scene between Mr.. Gros-
venor of Ohio, the champion of the ad-
mimstration, and Mr. Williams of
MISSISSIPPI Some OF the Democrats
began worrying Mr.. HaWley of Texas
by pointedly asking if the president
had not changed his mind on the Porto
Rlco tariff question. and Mr.. Grosvenor
nnally threw himself into the breach.
MI Williams made an interruption
Inat drew sharp rejoinder from the
Ohloan about the unfair advantage
taken by the Mississippian This
aroused the wrath of the latter. and
AFTER Mr.. GrOsvenOr had concluded he
maze a singing response, in which he
SAID parliamentary language would not
permit him properly to characterize
Mr.. Grosvenor's Offense. Later Mr.
GrosEenor diSclaimed intentional af-
front, and there the matter ended.
Some progress was made with the
Dill. but most of the controverted
points went over A motion to strike
from the bill the contingent fund of
S5O0,OOO for the navy department was
defeated. A point Of order against the
appropriation of $3.50 600 for the new
naval academy at Annapolis was pend
ing when the house adjourned.
Hawley is EN- barrassed.
During some remarks by Mr.. Hawley
CTeX) iii eulogy of the presidents
course, Mr.. Kitchen asked him if the
president had not denied that the con-
StltutlOn, the greatest of all blessings,
followed the flag.
That is a technical question" re-
piled Mr.. Hawley.
In order not to embarrass the gen
tleman, 1 withdraw the question" OBJ
served Mr.. Kitchen, amid laughter.
Later Mr.. Hawley challenged Mr..
wheeler (Ky) to give the name of the
officer of the United States whom he
yesterday expressed the opinion was re-
SDonsible for the 6rmor plate trust.
Mr.. Wheeler replied that he had ex-
pressed that opinion, but he did not
give the name of the officer whom he
had in mind.
Later on Mr.. Grosvenor (O.) and Mr..
Williams (Miss.) became involved in a
sharp controversy. Mr.. Williams
quoted an alleged Interview with the
president Of a western university, in
which, speaking of the presidents DO
sition on the Porto Rican bill, he said
that while it might be proper to sneak
Of Peel and Gladstone as having
changed their minds on public ques-
tons, it would be more precise to say
that President Mckinley "had permit
ted his mind to be changed for him.
daughter and applause on the Demo-
cratic side)
A Repudiated Interview.
Does not the gentleman know that
the purported interview was utterly
repudiated by its alleged author?"
asked Mr.. Grosvenor.
The gentleman does not know it
but If it was repudiated the anecdote
is Just as true on my own responsible
lty' replied Mr.. Williams, who pro-
ceeded to ask whether it was not true
that the president had changed his
mind on the Porto Rican question.
There was considerable fencing. Mr.
Wheeler (Ky) taking a hand in trying
to force the OhiOan. At last Mr.. eros
venor made an allusion to Mr. Will
llamS method of interrupting him,
which the latter resented with an en-
phasis that pOrtended personal quar-
rel on the floor, but Mr.. Williams fin
ally allowed Mr.. GrOsvenor to proceed
reserving his reply until the Ohioan had
finished.
Does the gentleman DENY that the
president has changed his mind?' asked
Mr.. Kitchen Dem, n. c., addressing
Mr.. Grosvenor.
Why Mckinley Changed.
AS soon as it became manifest to
the president that money had to be
raised in some way, and that the WAYS
Of
brought in tariff bill providing for Is
per cent or % per cent" replied Mr..
Grosvenor, the president recognized
the right and power of this house to
originate that tariff bill.
Up to the very last moment of the
passage of that Porto Rican bill gen
tlemen on the other side insisted that
the president was still in favor of free
trade in Porto Rico. and newspapers
from one end of this country to the
other claimed that we on this side of
the house were in a contest with the
president: that the president never had
his mind; that he was still in
favor of free trade.
But l call the gentleman's attention
to the fact that in the message of the
president ne gave us no sign or indi-
cation of when he desired that that
free trade measure should go into eff
feet. We by our vote put it so that
within the next sixty days, ninety days.
four months, any time after the organ
ization of the civil government, the peo-
pie of Porto Rico can have free trade.
The president has signed it and thereby
given his approval to it
The gentleman says the president
bows TO the will of congress-" inter-
posed Mr.. Wheeler "In the debate on
the Porto Rican question whom the
gentleman appealed to his colleagues to
support the pending bill he charged it
to be true that the president Of the
United States was then in accord with
him."
Mr.. GrosvenOr-I say so now
Mr.. Wheeler-He changed his opin-
ion