The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-05-30
SENATE RESOLUTION FOR AN
INVESTIGATION
FEDERAL JURISDICTION
To be Investigated by the Judiciary
Committee - G~allinger's
Resolution and Reference to h
Recent burning nj h Stake In
Texas ErinEs Out Speeches from
the Senators of that State-Adverse
Iy Debate on the Philippine Bill.

q Gay SGndIOT son., VI SOlOId uO, OLlf
Of the minority members Of the Philip
pine committee occupied the floor in
a discussion of the Philippine question.
He occupied much Of his time il justify
ing the course of his newspaper, The
Denver News. from whose editorials
Senator Foraker. of Ohio, quoted sever
al days ago. Senator Patterson quot
ed from h utterances Of the paper to
show that it had consistently advocat-
ed the independence of the Filipinos
since December, 1898, the editorials
quoted by Mr.. Foraker having been
written prior to that time. He discuss
ed the whole Philippine question and
had not concluded his remarks when he
yielded the floor for the day.
Several lively %colloquies occupied dur
ing the speech.
After some further discussion Of the
Philippine question between Senators
Foraker and Hoar, dealing particularly
with President Mcki- ley'S proclamation
to the Filipinos, the bill was laid aside
for the day and sixty-two private pen
sion bills were passed.
Senator Gallinger, of New Hampshire,
offered a resolution providing that the
judiciary committee Of the senat.
should make an investigation into thu
subject of lynchingS in the United
States. with a view of ascertainins
whether there is any remedy for them.
Senator Gallirger said he
the resolution in full view Of the fact
that he might be charged with precipl-
tating a sectional controversy. but moth
ing further was from his thoughts. H
"a lynchings were not confined to the
south. Horrible cases had occrred ii
the north, and white men as we'll as
black had been the victims. Through
out the country intense interest was
manifested in the subject. He thor"
it imperative that the judiciary COM
mittee should take some action upon the
subject. During the past year 2,65S
lynchingS had occurred in the United
Estates. If the strong arm of the law
could reach out to prevent such occur
so
He had read the Associated Press ac-
countof the burning of a negro in Tex
as a few days ago. He said history dl1
not furnish a more fiendish instance OF
mob wrath and "FoX's Book of Mar
tvrs'' was tame in comparison. The
whole wretched business, he said, was 4
disgrace to American manhood and in
the light of which the alleged atroci-
ties in the Philippines paled into in
significance. The Spanish lnquls1tlon
did not furnish a case exceeding that
one in inhumanity. He a~pprehended
tina it would be said that the federal
government was powerless and that the
states had exclusive jurisdiction. II
so the American people desired to know
it. Public sentiment should be arouse l
to prevent such inhuman atrocities
They should come to an end n the
majesty of the law should be Vlndicateh.
Senator Bailey, of Texas, said he had
no idea of being drawn into any sec
tional controversy by the senator frorn
New Hampshire and he would be will
ling to have the people judge the men
who perpetrated whether the govern
ment had the right to go into the sew
eral states and tax charge of peace
and good order. He asked, therefore
that the resolution go over.
There can be no objection, said Mr..
Bailey, Ito a report from the judiciary
committee on the subject, a L
am sure there can be but one conclu-
sion reached by that committee; but il
in the course of it's investigation Ii
should undertake, to parade before tn
country all the lynchings and burning
that have occurred in any section e
a nameless offense and all the murders
of women and children and all the alb
auctions which have occurred in other
sections of the country, the only result,
it seems to me, would be to make MS
think less of ourselves as a people and
as a nation, and I will have little dispo-
sition to indulge in the pastime my
self"
The resolution went over. Suisse
uuently Senator Culberson. of Texas,
had read the story Of the burning OF a
negro near Leavenworth, Kansas, last
January. saying he wanted the tact
shown that these crimes occurred IN
other states than Texas. He hoped the
New Hampshire senator when reciting
EXAMPLES OF these atrocities in the
future would not confine himself to one
state.
senator Hoar, chairman OF the Judi
ciary committee. said his committee a
had the subject under consideration
and the bill considered had been re
ported by him adversely. n matter
had been considered as a question OF
constitutional law and 5uty.
During SenaCtr PatterSon'S speech
Senator Hoar asked senator Forager
to read the sentence in President Nc
Kinley's proclamation which had been
eliminated By General Otis lest 1t
shout bring or war. He said General
Otis had assumed extraordinary au-
thority to himself to suppress a part OF
the proclamation and to substitute a
statement which would indicate to the
Filipinos that they were to be granted
a full measure of liberty. senator Hoar
said he realized the purity Of purpose
and intellectual superiority OF the re-
publican with whom he differed upon
this question. He woul rather lose his
right arm than take the position he
had taken, but he was so constituted
by his Creator tina he could not help
it. ((Applause.)
A sharp colloQuy arose between Sen
ators McComas and Carmack, the for
mer asserting that democratic sena-
tors had been guilty Of abusing the
army. This Senator Carmack denied.
Senator McCoiuas declared that abuse
of the army-officers n men-was to
be found in every speech, almost, of the
democratic side and Senator Carmack
insisted that a single democratic
senator had oused h army.
Senator Dubois interrupted to say
not a democratic senator had
abused the army as much as General
Chaffee had in an Associated Press dis
patch from Manila, published today.
Senator HoaI, later, referred to the