The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-05-29
SENATE.

6y T-4Ac Ut VI lAC
United States towards Its island pos
sessions was the subject of a heated
discussion In the senate again today.
soon after the enate convened, SEN
ator Bacon, Of Georgia, began an ex-
tended reply to the speech Of Senator
Piatt, of Connecticut, delivered yester-
DAY HIS speech was largely supple
mental TO that which he delivered sew
eraI days ago, demanding an investiga-
ton OF Cuban financial affairs. His res
Olution, TO which there is little or no
soppOsition, under the rules, went to
rhe committee on contingent expenses.
The remainder of the afternoon was
OCCUPIED by Senate Spooner, of Wis
cons1n, in concluding his speech on the
Philippine question. The debate which
he aroused took a turn decidedly polit-
= 1Sal. He charged the so-calIed anti
@Nlperialists with creating an issue
which was not legitimate. Many of his
statements were c~Ontroverted by Sem
atOr Allen, of Nebraska, and Senator
P~ettigrew, of South Dakota, and the
controversy at times became almost
personal.
4 bill providing for the investigation
of the historical archives and public
records of the several states and terri
tories and of the United States with a
view to their preservation by pulica-
ton, was passed
The conference report on the Indian
appropriation bill was agreed to.
enatO Bacon then called UP his res
OIutIOn n made his reply to Senator
Platt. He said the great purpose of
the investigation was to ascertain
whether by fraudulent contracts or
other devices of corruption the millions
handled by the officials in Cuba had
been disposed of dishonesty. He said
there had been great -looseness in the
conduct of Cuban affairs and that the
government departments there showed
most enormous and unparalleled salary
lists. He denied any purpose of MAX
ing any campaign capital and said in
view Of what had been disclosed it
was unreasonable to ask that the in
vestigatiOn be left to the postoffice de-
paTtment.
The construction of the military rail
road along the Havana harbor. Sena-
tor Bacon said, had cost S342, Gil, and
the matter ought to be rightly inves-
tigated. He said, too, that Robert =.
Porter, as a tariff expert, was paid a
salary Of $500 per month for five
months. during which time he drew
$500 as expense money He under
stood the money was paid out of the
-F'.'VO,VVu SIlc SCHCS 1uIlu. ne CdliSfi
to the reported fact that
That was known as the VanHorne
Sndicate had been organized with a
capital OF SIS. 000. 900, in who's inter-
\ est, he said, it was understood, Mr..
~ had gone to Europe. Inasmuch
he tariff on machinery and equip
ment of railroads had been recommend
ed TO be reduced from 40 to 10 per cent.
by Mr.. Porter, he believed thu the
matter required keen and jealous scru-
tiny.
Senator Chandler, chairman. of the
committee on privileges and elections,
moved that the resolution as to the
Montana senatorial case be postponed
until Wednesday, the Both instant, n
the motion was agreed to.
Senator SpOoner then resumed his
Philippine speech He reviewed at
length the events which led up to the
hOStilitieS on February 4th and declar-
~ that nobody but an 'an~ti-imperial-
lst,' who by his words and actions de-
sired the dishonor of his country and
the making of campaign material in
a presidential year, could have so lit
tie of good faith as to make the brutal
charge against the president of the
United States that he had been re-
spOnsible for the precipitation of hos
Titles
In discussing further along the re-
spOnSibility for the continuation of
hOStilitieS, Senator Spooncr quoted the
dispatch from General Otis giving an
account of an interview he had with
Judge Torres, one of the Filipino COM
miSSiOners, who suggested that a neu-
trail zone be established between the
hostile armies. Otis informed him
that such suggestion must come from
Aguinaldo and when Torres sent to
Aguinaldo a request that an armistice
be arranged, Aguinaldo sent to Gen
eral Otis a copy of his declaration OF
war.
L received in the noon mail toe
continued Mr.. Spooner, IAN insulting
Tftter from the chief of the so-called
EJ-imperialists, OF Boston, in which
he denounced General Otis as a liar
Senator Allen INTERCEPTED the asser-
- ton that an army Officer-a friend OF
His-had informed him that the state
ms2t of the interview with Judge
Torres was not true; that General Otis
had misrepresented it.
Ar officer who charges falsehOod
against his commanding officer re-
tOrted Senator Spoorer. Ought to make
il in the OPEN"
Senator Allen: The statement made
by General Otis is not the truth"
we have here" said Senator Spoon
er. "a statement hat the president OF
the United States is a liar, that Ad,
moral Dewey is a liar. and now we are
told that General Otis Is a preVar1ca
tor.
I'll say simply that General Otis il
mistaken" said Senator Allen.
Continuing his argument, Senate
SpOOner said there had been an at
tempt to MAKE an issue of imperial
ism" where none actually existed. L
vas done merely for political eHec
and to obscure the political issues o
1896. The issue a beer employed o!
Mt. Bryan was being exploited
by every a of the opposition L
the republican party.
\ Senator Teller, of Colorado, inter
posed to say that the issue had no
Abeen raised by Mr.. Bryan, but by me
in the senate chamber who oppose
he ratification of the treaty of peace
was unfair. he thought, for an,
Ian to take the position that MI
ryan was the author of the doctrin
anti-imperialism.
MIR BRYAN is one of the principal