The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-03-21
PRESIDENTS GUARD
DEMOCRATS OPPOSE TREND OF M
PERIALIsM.
MALLoRY'S ABLE ARGUMENT.
SUCH ACTION WITHOUT PRICE,
DENT, HE SAID.

Let Secretary of Treasury Employ
Competent aud Discreet Men to
Guard President-SenatOr iCarmacIS
Declares That President Roosevelt
Would Not Endure Military
Guard--He Causes Laughter by His
Description of the President Es-
Gaping His Guard and Taking to
the Woods.
Washington, March 20.-Throughout
to-day's session of the Senate the bill
providing for the protection of the
President of the United States was
under discussion. Just before adjourn
ment an agreement was reached to
vote on the measure and pending
amendments at o'clock tomorrow.
The speakers to-day were Messrs. Pet
tus of Alabama, Hawley of Con-
necticut and Nelson of Minnesota in
support of the bill, and Messrs. Raw
Inns of Utah; McCumber of North Da-
kota, Mallory of Florida, Carmack of
Tennessee and Money and McLaurin of
Mississippi in opposition to it. The
speeches in the main were reinforce
ment of arguments that have been adj
vanced heretofore. a few new points
being raised. The principal point made
by the opponents of the measure was
that federal officials ought to be treat
ed in the courts precisely as are other
citizens.
Three substitutes for the bill are
pending and will be pressed when the
voting begins tomorrow.
Mr.. Mallory said the proposed legis-
lation was most important. 1t was
novel and practically without prece-
dent In the history of the country.
He said there was no doubt of the
power of Congress to provide protee-
ton for Federal officers but he held
that the punishment should not be
inflicted except when it was estab-
lished that the offense was committed
against the President or other officials
only when he was in the performance
of his duties as such officer.
He held that 1t was not within the
power of Congress to throw the man
tie of protection around an official OF
the United States merely because he
was such an official. He believed,
however, that Congress had the right
to enact legislation for the protection
| of the President and Vice President
| at all times, but he thought that such
| power did not extend to the protection
of anybody else.
Mr.. Mallory gave notice of an
amendment which he would probably
offer, providing for a substitute of
Section of the bill which arranges for
a military guard for the President,
that the Secretary of the Treasury
employ competent and discreet men
to guard the President and to prevent
the contamination of conspiracies
| against him.
Mr.. Spooner of Wisconsin said that
that very plan was in force now, and
in the instance of President McKinley's
| assassination, it had proved ineffica-
cious.
Mr.. Pettus of Alabama thought it
was beneath the dignity of the Presi-
dent to be guarded by secret service
officials.
Mr.. Mallory doubted whether a mill
itary escort or any other sort of guard
could have prevented President Nc
Kinley's assassination at Buffalo. He
believed that a competent guard of
civilians was better and more in line
with our institutions than a military
guard.
Roosevelt Wants No Guard.
Mr.. Carmack discussing the proposal
| " CSIduASH ~ MILITARY guard around
the President, declared that President
Roosevelt, for instance would not en-
! dure 1t for a moment. 1t would be alb
| solutely intolerable to him
ITO escape such a guard when he
wanted to go out for a quiet stroll, -
said he, "the President would climb
out back window, get out of the
grounds by the back gate and go up a.
back alley" Naughter.)
Mr.. Money of Mississippi, in opposing
the bill, suggested that it was the
product of the hysteria produced by
President McKinleys assassination.
He objected to it because it's effect
would be to establish the inequality of
men before the law. The bill was
simply another tendency toward an
| imperial government.
Mr.. McLaurin of Mississippi. after
expressing his own and his peoples
| adherence of anarchy and of anarch-
| lists, said that he could not support
| the pending measure. In its present
| shape he believed the bill to be UNI
constitutional, it would establish in
equality before the law, and to his
mind it. would be entirely ineffective.
Mr.. Bacon and Mr.. Patterson with
| drew amendments to the measure
which they had offered previously and
each offered a substitute for the pend
ing bill in line with their views