The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-03-19
MASON DRAWS THE
FIRE Of Mr., BACON
Bill Providing Protection For
President Discussed.
RACON IS FIGHTING 1T
BACON is FIGHTING 1T
Mason Sharply Criticises an Amend
ment He Offers.
THE AIR CLEARED BY AN EXPLANATION
The General Deba!e on the River and Harbor
Bill is EnIivened by an Attack on
the Measure by Mr.
Hepburn.
lSnecial to News and ObserverO


Washington, March 1S.-For three
hours today the Senate had under consid-
Grafton the bill providing for the pro-
lection of the President of the United
States and for the punishment of those
who commit assaults upon him by the
United States courts. 1t was discussed
at length by Mr.. Bacon, of Georgia, who
opposed it, and by Mr.. Hoar, of Massa-
chusetts, 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 its scope He
maintained the right Of the Government
to protect itself against assault upon its
sovereignty through the President. Mr..
Mason made an attack upon anarchy
and its methods and incidentally sharp
ly criticised an amendment to the bill
offered by Mr.. Bacon. He denounced it
as opening the door to special pleading
for the benefit of the assassins of the
President. This drew Mr.. BacOn's fire.
He considered Mr.. Mason's criticism
personal reflection upon himself and re-
sented it with heat. An explanation by
the Illinois Senator cleared the atmos-
phere.
Earlier in the day a lively debate was
precipitated by the effort of Mr.. Raw
Inns of Utah, to have printed as docu-
ment some Philippine correspondence.
Eventually, the matter was ordered
printed. as requested.
Mr. Bacon, of Georgia. 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 committed be
cause of his official position or for the
purpose of destroying the Government
or impairing the exercise of it's consti-
tutional powers
Mr. Vest, of Missouri suggested the
possibility of a Federal jury acquitting
an assassin of the President because
the motive as specified by Mr.. Bacon's
amendment had not been proved. In such
a 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 a crime against
the Government. The purpose of his
amendment was to differentiate between
the two crimes.
Mr.. Bacon contended that an assault
upon the President as a person ought to
be punished precisely as any similar Of
fense against any other citizen was
punished; otherwise an official class
would be created in the United States
The foundation stone of our Govern
ment, he maintained, was absolute
equality before the law.
Mr.. Mason, of Illinois, said the pend
ing bill was but the formation and
shape of public opinion which thrice had
been aroused by the murder of the Presi-
dent" To his mind it was a well consid-
cred and thoroughly mature measure
and the amendment offered by Mr. Ba-
con, he thought, was not warranted by
the conditions or by the law.
Mr.. Mason said the present was bad
time to fix special pleading for anar-
chistic criminals.
In the course of legal and cOnstitu
tional argument in support of the bill,
Mr.. Hoar replied to some of the points
made by Mr.. Bacon. He suggested that
Mr.. Bacon's amendment and his objec-
tions 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 asserting that the
Massachusetts Senator's statements were
'unjustifiable" and "misrepresented his
argument
Mr.. Bacon replied with some evidences
of heat to the criticism of his amend
ment made by Mr.. Mason-criticism
which he felt reflected upon him person
ally. 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 Senator who believed that he had
presented anything that would afford a !
method of escape of anarchists from
just punishment when guilty of an as
sault upon the President.
Mr.. Mason replied that he certainly /
believed what he had said and was will |
ling to state it again. The Senator from |
Georgia knew, however, that he was in |
capable of rejecting upon his Bacon 81 !
honor or integrity of purpose.
What l said" replied Mr. Mason, |
was that the amendment offered by |
the Senator from Gorgia was a basis OF
special pleading for men who shall be
caught in the act of taking the life of .
the President. 1t opens wide the door
for special pleading What | said did !