The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-03-19
BACON FIGHTS BILL
MEASURE FOR THE PRESIDENTS
PROTECTION BEFORE THE
SENATE.
EQUALITY BEFORE THE LAW.
THE BASIS OF THE GEORGIA sENA-
TORS AMENDMENT TO THE
BILL.

senator's HOar and Mason support
the Measure-Mr. BacOn's Amend
ment DiGerentiates Between the
crime of Assault Upon the Presi-
dent as "A Person and the President
as an OmciaI-In the Former Case
the Criminal Should Be Punished
as Though Assault Were Com
mttted Upon Any other Citizen.
Washington, March 18.-For three
hours to-day the Senate had under
consideration the bill providing for the
protection of the President of the Unit
ed States and for the punishment of
those who commit assaults upon him
bv the United States courts. 1t was
discussed at length by Mr.. Bacon of
Georgia, who opposed it, and by Mr.
Hoar of Massachusetts and Mr.. Ma
son of Illinois, who supported it.
Mr.. Bacon's argument followed the
lines of his speech delivered ten days
ago.
Mr.. Hoars speech was largely legal
and constitutional in it's scope. He
maintained the right of the government
TO protect itself against assaults upon
its sovereignty through the President
Drew MIR. BacOn's Fire.
Mr.. Mason made an attack upon an
archy and it's methods and incident
ally sharply criticised an amendment
10 the bill offered by Mr.. Bacon. He
denounced it as opening the door to
special pleading for the benefit of as
sassins of the President This drew
MIR. Bacons fire. He considered Mr.
Mason's criticism a personal reflection
mon himself and resented it with heat
An explanation by the Illinois senator
cleared the atmosphere.
MIR. Bacon offered an amendment to
the first paragraph of the bill for the
protection of the President providing
the penalty of death for an ASSASSIN
of a President if the assault upon the
President was conJmitted because OF
his official position or for the purpose
of destroying the government or I'M
pairing the exercise of it's constitu-
tional powers.
Mr. Vest suggested the possibility of
federal jury acquittings an assassin
of the President because the motive
as specified by Mr.. Bacon's amendment
had not been proved. In such case,
he asked, would the assassin be liable
to Indictment under the state law?
Mr. Bacon said an assault upon the
President might be a crime against
the person and it might be crime
against the government. The purpose
of his amendment was to dinerentlate
between the two crimes.
Equality of Citizens Before the Law.
Mr.. Bacon contended that an assault
upon the President as a person ought
10 be punished precisely as any sim
liar offense against any other citizen
was punished; otherwise an official
class would be created in the United
States. The foundation stone of our
government was absolute equality be-
fore the law.
Mr.. Mason said the pending bill was
but the formation and shape of pub
lie opinion which thrice had been
aroused by the murder of the Presi-
dent" To his mind it was a we'll con-
sdered and thoroughly matured meas
ure and the amendment offered by Mr..
Bacon he thought, was not warranted
by the conditions or by the law. Mr.
Mason said the present was a bad
time to fix special pleading for anar-
chistic criminals.
An Escape for Criminals.
In the course of a legal and consti-
tutional argument in support of the
points made by Mr.. Bacon. He said
Mr.. Bacon's amendment and his OBJ
Jections to the bill were founded, not
on a special rule of law, but special
rule of escape for the criminal specified
by the measure.
Mr.. Bacon took sharp exception to
the criticism of Mr.. Hoar, saying the
Massachusetts senator's statements
We're unjustifiable and misrepresented
his argument.
Mr.. Bacon replied with some evil
dences of heat to criticism of his
amendment made by Mr.. Mason-criti-
cism which he felt reflected upon him
personally. He demanded to know
whether there was a senator on the
Republican side who believed he could
be guilty of defending anarchists or
their schemes, or a senator who be-
Heved that he had presented anything
mat would afford method of escape
OIL anarchists from just punishment
When guilty of an assault upon the
President.
No Reelection ON Senator Bacon.
Mr.. Mason replied that he certainly
believed what he had said and was
willing to state it again. The senator
from Georgia knew, however, that he
was incapable of rejecting upon his
t0enator Bacon's) honor or integrity of
purpose.
What I said,' said Mr.. Mason, was
mat the amendment offered by the
senator from Georgia was a basis of
special pleading for men who shall be
caught in the act of taking the life
Oh the President 1t opens wide the
uoor for special pleading. What 1
sald did not reflect directly or remotely
upon the honor of the senator. 1t was
Characterizing the amendment, not the
senator"