The Washington weekly post., 1900-12-18
MIR. MONEY DENIES IT
Not i'm q Combination to Force
Through "a Claim.
TAKES ISSUE WITH 4 STATEMENT
tie says that the Bills Are Net 20 Be tn-
duiy Forced Upon Congress. Evea 10 the
Extent OF Causing an Extra sessisn-
Calls the Article the Work Of an imasin-
atise Reporter Whs Did Net kEew the
Facts-His Interest in the Measure.


Rising to a question Of personal privi-
legs. Senator Money. of Mississippi. yes
terday took occasion 10 deny the state
ment printed In The Post yesterday morn
ing, that he was concerned in a combina-
ton to secure the passage of certain
claim bills, even If the effort resulted in
nOn-action upon the appropriation and
other important measures. AMI thus COM
PEELED an extra session of Congress Mr..
Money sent the article To the clerks desk
TO be read. and at the conclusion OF It's
reading he said:
DO not think have ever before asked to be
heard upon question Of pgidege based upon any
thing stated In newspaper however much I
sDeet those avenues OF unicItlon to the pub
lie Of facts and opinions l 10 not call this up to
point out the inaccuracies Of the writer Of the ar
tiele or to defide the o. his information.
There is no combination OF Senators of the kind
alleged far as l am aware. and I have good
an opinion Of my colleagues from the South that l
do not believe they would have aa5 scheme to plum
der the Treasury without layng the kindness to
let into IL.
The matter seems though, Of so much importance.
according TO this reporter that the leaders Of the
Senate and Of the House Of Representatives on the
other side, representing majority in both Houses.
have conferred together and have TO the de-
termination that ali these claims are to be de-
ferTed until another Congress. at the risk OF
extra session.
Not Aware of Any Combination.
| have never heard that there any eombins-
tion OF any sort this side Of the House to Sc
/ cure the passage Of any measure any one OK
these claims l have never heard anybody suggest
that there should be an extra session OF Congress
that these bills should be unduly forced before
the Senate. l do not believe that the amount
named in the article is correct. but that can be
easily verified and therefore will not dispute H.
1t should have been apparent to the reporter that
this government and no other government pays for
| property destroyed in war. because property de-
stroyed in war is like property destroyed by the
/ act Of God.
The claim which / presented here. and as TO
which the article represents being the ad-
vance agent of the combination, does not consist
of claims upon the calendar at all; and 1t is not
| half the amount named in the article. According
/ to the Secretary of the Treasury there is only
81 ss2 900 of that cotton fund in the Treasury and
| will remind the Senate lii this connection, and
also the talented reporter that hat is not cain
uponI the government for unliQu dated damages or
anything Of that kind, but it is 10 open ;ie courts
| Of the United States TO adjudicaIe tho tile to
trust fund 20 be distributed 20 the owners OF that
| fund as they prove their ownership. and for
nothing else II the reporter had read the bill IT.
| self he would have found section 6, added by my
self and approved unanimously by the committee.
| which absolutely excludes everything but that
| class Of people who owned the property, and 1t
must be proven by the archives of the Treasury to
| be their share OF the distributlye fund. So much
for that.
There is no combination to push that bill The
other day ] brought 1t up with 40 intention "hSt-
| ever 10 antagonze the pending treaty but simply
| 10 occupy a part OF the morning hour, very well
| understanding as the reporter should have unaer-
stood also. that the bill went with the morpins
| hour and further.
l win also state that / have never disagreed 10
the fixing of a day for voting ,l that any other
measure.
Imagination and Lack ot Facts.
There WAS some discussion as TO a rule
of the Committee on Claims regarding
measures passed by the senate, and also
some talk in connection with the
merits OF the particular claim bill watch
! Mr. Money advocates. Mr.. Money theh
concluded as follows:
Mr. President: l brought this matter TO the at
| tention of the Senate first in order to say that
there is no combination that I know of, and ]
think would know of it if there one, either
| 70 press forward unduly any cain on behalf Of
| claimants from the South or 10 postpone any meas
| ure before the Senate either in its executive or
| open session. But the same article says that
the leaders of both Houses on the majority side
have thought il OF sufficient Importance 10 confer
! 10 devise some way TO put down these claims,
/ thought that perhaps amid the mass Of inaecur-
! acy some truth had inadvertently crept into the
statement of the reporter. and | wish 20 dlsabuse
| the minds Of Senators OF the idea that there 4
any desire on this side Of the chamber SO far as
| / am acquainted either postpone action on any
bill pending or any future bil or 10 unduly press
| any claim whatever Whatever comes up must
have the consideration Of the Senate upon its own
| merits
As | say there is combination; and I wish
s;ill further 70 diselsm any relation connection
in any way between the bill which l called up thu
other day and any other class OF claims II sahds
| introduced by tire late lsmeRted Senator from Mia
lesota Mr. Davis, who had no Southern eonstit-
uency. and was reported by the Senator from
| Illinois tdr Mason). who has Southern con
stitgency Those gentlemen, feeling that they were
rather burdened with Affairs that did not concern
their constituents requested me 20 call up the bail
whenever opportunity presented, and press for is
passage. / did 50 al their request. and also be-
cause my constituents were perhaps more largely
interested In the bill than any others. hope sea-
ators Oh tie other side will not get erroneous
Impression because newspaper reporter, In the
hurry Of getting his work 10 press by O'Clock, has
seen ht to call upon his vivid imagination to supply
his lack Of facts about this matter
!