Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1900-01-20

! charge would not hold. His purpose, he
said, was to show that the National City
bank had been favored on account of
the contributions of its directors to the
Republican campaign fund Of 1896, and
to show that the course of the secretary
in allowing the purchase price to remain
In the bank, while at the same time pay
ing rent for the property and keeping it
exempt from taxation, was not dealing
fairly with the trust funds of the govern
ment.
Mr.. Hopkins of Illinois championed the
course of the secretary, declaring that
his reply to the house resolution an
swered every charge brought against
him and displayed business ability that
must meet the approval of all fair mind
ed people. He insisted Furthermore that
the title to the custom house passed to
the bank when it purchased and took
possession of the property, and that the
property had not been exempt from tax
alton since it had been purchased.
The senate Is still in the throes of dis
cussion Of the Philippine question and
apparently there Is no near approach to
deliverance from the subject. Mr..
Vest yesterday voiced the opinion C.
many senators when he said that such
discussion as was now in progress was
Of no consequence, as the country wau
confronted by state of facts that could
not be changed by talk.
Mr.. Pettigrew's resolution Of inquiry
and Mr.. Lodges substitute for it were
laid on the table, and Mr.. Hoars general
resolution of inquiry as to the facts of
the Philippine war was taken up An
effort Of Mr.. Pettigrew to amend 1t so as
to call for the presidents Instructions to
the Paris peace commissioners led to
prolonged debate. After the senate had
considered the matter behind closed
doors, the amendment was rejected by Il
vote Of Al to 20.
The debate for the day was concluded
by MIR. Vest who made a notable speech
in opposition to the assumption in some
quarters that every man who does not
agree with the policy of the administra-
tion is a traitor to his country. Mr.. Vest
threw into his utterances all the nervous
force and energy and the oratorical
ability for which he is famed and COM
manded the attention Of the senate
throughout.
The senate yesterday ratified the Sa-
moan treaty without division. The
ratification occurred in executive session
and after two hours Of debate. Messrs.
Davis, Foraker and Spooner advocated
and Senators Bacon Money and Tillman
opposed ratification.
Senator Bacon made the leading
speech in opposition. He based his OBJ
lection upon the general ground that
1t was contrary to the spirit of our in
stitutions to attempt to govern any peO-
pie in opposition to their wishes. He
said that he was not opposed to the new
convention because Of any partiality felt
for the old tripartite agreement, which
was repugnant to him. He thought,
however a means might be found to get
rid Of 1t without resorting to subter-
fuge, which was repulsive to all Amer
ican ideas of liberty and independence.
There was no doubt of the intention
to annex and exercise sovereignty in
place of the protectorate. which was the
distinguishing feature Of the tripartite
agreement of 1890. To this proposed
change of policy he objected strenuously.
He showed that the old agreement
guaranteed the independence of the Sa-
moan government, whereas the pending
instrument annulled all sovereignty of
the Samoan government and rartitioned
the islands between the United States
and Germany.
Mr.. Bacon said that the friends Of the
treaty supported it upon the two grounds
that 1t simply divided authority hereto
fore exercised jointly, and that the Sa-
moan people. being 'only savages" there
was no reason why they should not be
despoiled Of their country. He con-
Fraud and intimidation Charged
Frankfort, KY, Jan. Ex-Governor
Taylor and Lieutenant Governor Mar.
shall last night filed their counter notice
OF contest against Mr.. Goebel and Mr..
Beckham. The document goes into de-
tails regarding alleged Democratic
frauds all over the state 1t is charge
that the Democrats prevented many
votes from being cast in Louisville by
fraud and intimidation; that returns
were wilfully made Inaccurate, and that
the thinnest ballots used during the eiec.
tion were used by the Democrats