The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-05-01
MAKING A BIG FUSS
How the Democrats Propose to Use
the Philippine Issue.
THE MAJOR GARDENER INCIDENT
bate Now Going On in
the Senate.

Record Herald. says: Angry debate, re-
publicans on the defensive, and majority |
leaders proposing to cut short the session |
of congress in order to run away from |
the Philippine exposures made 1t a live
ly afternoon on the senate yesterday. Not |
since the first days of the Porto Rico.
agitation have the republican leaders
been in such state Of confusion. 1t is
almost panic.
Trouble was precipitated by resolu-
ton directing the secretary of war to Or
der Major Gardener, civil governor of
Tayabas province, to come to Washington
at once to testify before the senate COM
mittee. This committee had met during
the forenoon, and by a strict party vote
had refused to summon Major Gardener
by cable, and had also refused to sub
poena Aguinaldo, Sixto Lopez and Mafini,
Filipinos, and Wray, the English writer,
the former, because they were formerly
enemies of the United States and the last
| named because he is British subject.
| The democrats determined to carry the
war into the senate and they managed TO
| give the republicans lively afternoon.
| They did not care so much about the Fill
pinos and the Englishman, but they pro
| posed to make an issue of the refusal of
| the committee to cable for Gardener, in
which that officer said he was to return
| home with Is regiment soon, but lntlmat-
ing that if summoned by cable he would
| start at once, and get here before ad-
| journment that he might tell his story to
| the committee and the country
| Animated and at times ill atured dis
| cussion at once sprang up over the reso-
| luton for the secretary of war to cable
orders to Gardener to come to this coun-
| try. The republicans on the defensive
and put in an awkward dilemma by the
! clever tactics of the democrats did not
give very creditable exhibition of skill
! Mr.. Spooner, the crack debater on the
republican side, attacked the language OF
the resolution, holding. that the senate
| had no constitutional power to 'direct
the president or the secretary of war to
send certain orders to an officer. Mr..
! Patterson, author of the resolution,
promptly offered to- change it to re
quest"
Mr. Allison, the leader of the majority,
came forward with speech of unwonted
spirit, in which he let the cat out of the
bag by declaring the republicans were not
willing to decorate" Major Gardener or
pay him special honor by cabling him to
come hither post haste.
McComas, Beverage and other republi-
| cans tried their hands at showing why
Gardeners immediate presence in Wash
ington was not needed and finally Chair
man Lodge of the Philippine committee
declared if the investigation was to be so
extended not one provincial governor
alone, but all the thirty-four provincial
governors in the archipelago should be
summoned.
Mr.. Patterson promptly accepted this
challenge ard said the democrats would
vote with the republicans to that end.
Then Mr.. Lodge shifted by saying it
would be physically impossible to send
for so many persons and if the senate
wanted a more thorough Investigation the
proper way was to send a subcommittee
to the Philippines during the summer.
Such was the play in the open But
behind the scenes the republican leaders
, had their heads together, and in sorrow
| full conference were trying TO find way
out of their troubles. They have not
found it, and they are, in fact, divided as
to what is the, best remedy. They agree
! that their side is getting the worst OF this
Philippine business; that it was mis-
$ take ever to start an Investigation; that
what was designed to be means OF tell
ing the country how much good work
Americans had accomplished in the Phil
e. ippines had been turned into a boomerang
j that while it was a political game, IN
d which the democrats we're matching trelr
wits against the republicans in search OF
: a political issue. the former were having
: all the luck and all the fun. But here
=, came decided differences of opinion. . --,
Il One faction. led by Senator Allison
/, wanted to avoid calling Major Gardener
: wretched business by passing the appro-
g priation bills and adjourning the sessior
: by June H. Their argument is that the
II longer congress sits the more chance the
r, democrats will have to stir up the coun
It try: that as soon as congress adJourns
n the furry will be over, and the countr!
70 will forget recent revelations that sub
IA committee should be sent to the Phlllp
y pines where they could pursue their in
l. vestigations without SO many newspaper
|. men around to print unpleasant Store:
u and agitate the public mind.
- The other faction, composed OF sucn mel
Ia as Spooner Aldrich and Plat, thought i
+ would be cowardly to run away from tn
ID scandal that it would be grit to sta
lie here and fight it out; that the countr,
=, had not gone wild and was sun IN pos
= session of it's senses, and that II the re
= nublicans would appeal to the common
e. sense CT the people they could yet com
a, out Victors.
of No decision was reached.
p The democrats have served notlce ina
Or debate on the Philippine bill will have t.
10 run at least to the list of June. In TACT
ID the democrats do not propose that tina
8; bill shall pass at ALL They want TO pea
ar IT. They hope to force the republicans u
We abandon it. They are willing to go befor
r. the country on that record, II they can es
tablish it,
: IF the Philippine discussion must ru
Z. till June i. what is TO become of the Gu
A. ban bill, the canal bill and other lmpor
~ tant measures? President Roosevelt IN
he sists that something be done for Cuba, be
n cause that has become known as an ad
ed n1inistration measure. He wants cana
: bill also, because he is worried about TN
y, next house of representatives and fears
oh the republicans lose it he will be held per
in sonally responsible.
7Sl There are not few republicans VIII
as would welcome early adjournment, VIII
lrt would be willing to drop the Philippin
b oV hot poker, drop Cuba drop the canal, pas
to the appropriation bills and get out {
town as quickly as possible. Secret
anti-Cuban reciprocity republicans are er
= couraging democrats to stand out to tn
- ter end against the Philippine bill, ho1
I. I ing that in the resulting demoralizatlo
q and disgust Cuba will be side-tracked
a mad scramble for adjournment.
Although Mr. Lodge thundered in tt
I index to-day about the anxiety Of the r.
& publicane to have Major Gardener hel
5 before adjournment, and about the stupi'
y ity of trying to suppress facts, 1t is we
4 known that the republican leaders do n
=