Evening star., 1902-03-21
TO PUNISH ASSASSINS
AGREEMENT OF SENATE TO VOTE
ON THE BILL TODAY.
Objections Of Senator'S to the Princi-
pies Upon Which Certain Features
Of the Measure Are Based.

The Senate adjourned yesterday afternoon
| without taking action on the bill for the
protection of the President. The debate on
| the measure was continued until after 5
o'clock. Just before adjournment an agree
| ment was reached to vote on the bill and
pending amendments at o'clock today The
| principal point made by the opponents Of
| the measure was that federal officials should
| be treated In the courts precisely as are other
| citizens; that the bill would not in fact
result in protecting the President and that
| the principle Of discriminating in the de-
gree Of punishment for offenses against diff
ferent citizens was q bad one and not con-
sistent with republican government
Mr.. McCumber's Objections.
Mr.. McCumber IN. d., while he had no
doubt of the authority of Congress to en-
act the proposed legislation, did object to
some Of the bills provisions. He did not
believe, for instance, that an attempt to
take the life of the Secretary Of the In
terror ought to be punished with death,
merely because Of his official position He
did not think such a provision was in ac-
cord with either reason or Justice. The
people of the United States were not ex-
pectng that kind of legislation for the pro-
lection Of the President He hoped bin
would be offered to protect the President
and the government against anarchy and
manded by the American people, AS the
bill stood, he could not support it.
Mr.. Carmack CTenn.) said his objection
to the bill did not apply to the question of
he. that it is bad in principle and utterly
and absolutely unnecessary. No more fu-
tile, no more unnecessary law ever encum-
bered the statute books Of this country
than the measure we now have under con-
sideratiOn." He declared that such an act
would not have prevented the assassination
Of any President. and he was certain the
measure never would accomplish one Of the
| results hoped for from its enactment He
was willing to go to almost any extent y
| safeguard the President or to stamn out
| anarchy, but he did not believe it lust for
Congress to legislate upon the assi,mntion
that the several states were either unwil-
| ling or incompetent to protect the Presi
| dent or any other Official who might he
within their borders.
Proposed Military Guard.
Mr. Carmack. discussing the proposal to
establish military guard around the Pres
ident. declared that President Roosevelt
| for instance, would not endure it for a mo-
ment 1t would be absolutely intolerable
| to him. ITO escape such guard, when he
| wanted to go out for quiet stroll ;" said he.
"the President would climb out a back win
| dow, get out of the grounds by the back
gate and 60 up back alley" daughter.)
| suggested that 1t was the product of the
| hysteria produced by President NcKinlev's
| assassination. He objected to it because its
| effect would be to establish the inequality
Of men before the lay, The bill was sim
ply another te4dsfn!ey4 4f toward an imperial
Another objection he had to the measure
was that 1t attached The death penalty not
only to mere mapslaughter but even to an
| attempt to commit manslaughter, He did
not believe that such law ought tn he
enacted as he. held that the state laws
We're amply sufficient to protect the Presi-
At the conciassioM4H isiMH COT Mr.. Mc1.aurin.s
speech the SenateIagNeed. at the Suggestion
Of Mr.. Hoar, to begin voting upon the bill
.! Mr.. 4 p Bacon @ 1't aaR SFs Patterson Withdrew
amendments to1he-measure which they
substitute for the pending bill in line with
their views.
The Senate then. at 30 m, went into
executive session and shortly afterward ad.
journed.
Mr.. Money denounced anarchy and an.
archists, saying that II a measure could be
devised that would rid the country of an.
archists he would support it. Anarchists
he declared, ought to be stamped out as
are vermin, but Congress, actuated by hys.
terra, ought not put upon the statute books
| q law that could not and would not be en-.
forced.
Believed the Bill Unconstitutional.
/ Mr.. McLaurin (Aiss.), after expressing
his own and his peoples adherence of an.
| archy and OF anarchists. said that he could
not support the pending measure In Ii.
present shape he believed the bsl to bt
| unconstitutional: 1t would establish Unequal.
4 fty before the law; and to his mind 1t would
be entirely ineffective.