New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-06-01
GREAT DEBATE CLOSED.
SPOONER AND HO4R IN A
HOT CONTROVERSY.
THE MASSACHUSETTS, SENATOR NAY
VOTE FOR THE PHILIPPINE
BILL. AFTER ALL
TBT TELEGRAPH To THE TRIBUNE. J

| Washington, May 31.-FormaI debate on the
| Lodge bill for the establishment of civil gov
! ernment in the Philippines closed late to-
! night after a day Of continuous discussion of
that subject in the Senate. The bill will be dis
! Cussed by sections Monday and Tuesday un-
! der the 1J-minute rue-which means that no
Senator will be allowed TO speak longer than
fifteen mnutes-and the vote will be taken at
t o'clock Tuesday afternoon. \ night ses-
sion was made necessary in order that the
Democrats could have the privilege of replying
to the speech of Mr.. Spooner. of Wisconsin,
which was begun IN Thursday and finished this
afternoon The Wisconsin Senator was in bet
ter form to-day than he was Thursday and.
although the argument he made then was great.
his effort TO-DAY is generally declared TO he his
masterpiece of Senate oratory. He employed
with marked effect the principle OF ar
gumenturl ad hominem.' and d result OF
his continual hammering away at Senator Hoar
the venerable and universally respected Massa
chusetts Senator was provoked into an intima-
tion of his purpose TO vote for the bill. even
although he has made ono Of the most telling
speeches against IT,
Mir Spooner Ia a great burst of eioquence
declared that IL he believed Mr.. Hoar ap
narantlv does that the Republican party was
encouraging OF was in any way responsible for
the atrocities in the Philippine Islands charged
ly those who have spoken against the govern
Ineuts colonial policy. he would vote against
the party. This brought Mr Hoar to his feet.
and with great feeling the Ma ssacnusetts states
man declared that he believed the Republican
party was the only political organization in the
country capable Of solving Alright the tremen-
dous problem in the Philippines, and that, while
he thought his party. or its official representa-
tves. wrong and had made some
serious mistakes in administering the affairs
of the Philippines. still he had absolutely
confidence in the ability of the Democratic party
to do well by the islands as the Republicans
eventually will do. MI. Hoar also said that in
many respects the Lodge bill excellent
measure
Mr.. Spooner's vigorous and eloquent defence
Of the army brought from Mr.. CarmeCk OF
Tennessee, a characteristics Democratic re-
sponse- a colloquy arose over Mr.. Spooner's
declaration that he did not believe there
anything in the story that a soldier from Mas
sachusetts had written to his father a clergy
man. that American troops in the Philippines
had made a thousand Filipino prisoners dig
their own graves, and then they shot and
buried. Mr.. CarmaCk asserted his belief that
such a letter had been written. and said if the
majority of the Committee the Philippines
would permit the minority to summon certain
witnesses. he would establish the fact that the
letter in question actually had been written and
received. While disClaiming any credence in
the charges contained in the letter. stiIl AIr.
Carmack insisted that the missive nevertheless
had been sent and received. alleged by the
Democrats.
When Senator Spooner called attention TO the
fact that the War Department had instructed
General Chaffee to make the most thorough in
vestigation of the case. Mr.. Carmack retorted
petulantly that the soldier involved would be
made by his superiOrs to deny the whole story.
as other soldiers had been made to do in similar
This provoked loud groans from the
floor of the Senate and Kisses from the galleries.
which caused Mr. Carmack to blush.
Mr.. Carmack occupied most of the time al the
session tonight and spoke in much calmer
and more rational manner than hitherto has
mis- .-~~"hes the Philippine
question.