Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-12-17
SENATOR HOAR OPENS
SUGGESTIVE LANGUAGE OF RESo-
LUTON ASKING INFORMATION.
German Grasps Opportunity to Score
President and Asks, elias Amer
lea Another NapoIeonp"

WHICH Is likely 70 1OltOW the presentation
Of the Panama treaty to the Senate after
the holiday recess. Then the fight win be
behind closed doors. and the public will
only hear echoes Of 1t. Today the sortie in
the open enabled both sides to give public
utterances upon the subject.
Senator Hoar Of Massachusetts, precipi-
tated .today's incident. He arose to speak
to resolution which he had heretofore
presented calling upon the President to
submit to the Senate Information concern
ing the Panama revolution. The resolution
was worded In manner to suggest that
the administration had knowledge of the
revolution before 1t occurred and took steps
In anticipation thereof which prevented Co.
lombia from suppressing the revolution
Senator Hoar read his remarks from manu-
script before crowded Senate. His repub-
lcan colleagues with faces like thunder
clouds sat silent while he by his insinua-
tien arraigned the administration for it's
action.
A Mighty Policeman.
The entire drift of Senator Hoar's re-
marks was summed UP in a statement he
made towards the end of his speech
Now, Mr.. President" he said, 'I want
to KNOW think the American people
want to know. and have right to know
whether this mighty policeman, in
structed to keep the peace on that 18TH
mus, seeing man about to attack an
other. before he had struck his blow
manacled the arms of the attacked so
that he could not defend himself. leaving
the asSallant free, and then instantly
proceeded to secure from the assailant
the pocket book of the victim, on the
ground that he was de facto the owner"
On the democratic side the senators could
hardly restrain their looks OF delight and
qualification at the course of the senior
senator from Massachusetts. who, upon
more occasions than one. has embarrassed
his party in the Senate by his attitude upon
the policies of the administrat ton.
As soon as Senator Hoar concluded Sem
ator German. the leader of the minority,
took the floor. SELLING the advantage which
had been given to make an onslaught upon
the executive. Senator Germans speech
was Of an intensely bitter partisan nature.
His voice was pitched In high key and
with great dramatic effect he poured forth
his reproaches upon the executive.
Pausing in one of his flights OF speech,
he dramatically raised his hand aloft, and
in the stiffness which reigned over the
Senate chamber in expectation of his next
deliverance he demanded If the American
government in the person Of President
Roosevelt had another Napoleon
Mr.. Hoar said that IL was impossible to
believe and he did not believe the Presi-
dent was capable Of such intrigue and in
direction as thus indicated, and declared
that 1t was for the purpose Of saving him
from such imputation that he desired all
tiiS AuiOfthdbiOH POS0iUdS ITO SeCaId OH Inc
question He was sure that all the infor-
nation on the subject would entirely re-
Heye the CHIEF executive, but still, as the
matter stands, he said. the information be-
fore the country is incomplete.
Senator German said:
This matter under consideration should
be considered as suggested by tho senator
from Massac husetts, with all the facts, and
I hope. I believe-no, I scarcely believe
that the senator from Rhode Island. Mr..
Aldrich, will Join US IN considering this
matter as an American senator. without re-
gard to politics"
Senator Aldrich retorted to the effect that
the matter would be considered all right,
to which Mr.. German remarked that it
would be pretty hard work for him to do
it In the way he indicated.
Mr.. German declared that Panama had
been recognized without q government and
when three or Ave men had been selected by
nobody except naval officers and agents of
the United States who were looking out for
the canal.
Honor First Duty.
1T Is time to inquire now" he insisted. IT
say as one senator to the senator from
Rhode Island, Speaking for nobody except
myself. II the facts are as I believe them to
be, that 1t would be the greatest patriotic
duty for every senator Of the minority to
assert the power the Constitution gives
him, saying that, while we want the canal.
the first consideration in our minds should
be the honor Of the American people"
Senator Aldrich inquired IL he was ready
stated amounted to that, but he wished the
Maryland senator to put that statement
into so many words.
To this Mr.. German did not give a d.
rect reply but continued to criticise the
course of the administration in acting upon
the canal matter. He said that Congress
had specifically instructed the President to
negotiate with Colombia for the canal at
a nd irO n hon c,tno IN,
reasonable time. to proceed with negotia-
lions with Nicaragua. And yet II had
been declared that they had not turned to
Nicaragua because engineers expressed
some doubt as to the feasibility of Nicara-
qua.
He declared that no engineer with the
exception of one member of the isthmian
commission. who expressed some doubt
about some features of the Nicaragua ca
nal, had doubted the entire feasibility of
that project. He thought the President
was derelict In not acting upon the in
struciions Of Congress; that Congress had
decided what should be done in the mat
ter and that It was not proper to have its
will thwarted by the executive. In insist
Ing upon the passage Of the Hoar resolu-
ton Mr.. German said:
"If you fan to do SO think that the case
you have presented does not justify your
course There Is enough courage and pa
triotism in this body to stay the hand Of
an tmpetuOus man..
There was some discussion as to the right
Of Mr.. Foraker, who took the floor. to con-
tinue on this resolution. Mr.. Tillman
thought that the democrats should have a
right to answer him II he should speak. but
Mr.. Mitchell who would have had the floor
had the resolution been laid aside, said
that he was ready to yield. as two speeches
had been made on one side Of the question
and 1t was only fair that the other side
should be heard.
Mr.. Bailey. In commenting on the situa-
ton. said that he had overlooked the fact
that the Massachusetts senator had taken
the same position as the senator from
Maryland on this resolution.
II overlooked that fact, too" retorted
Senator Hoar from his seat.
Foraker Takes Part.
Senator Foraker then spoke. . He said
that when he read In the newspapers that
the democratic caucus had decided that
whatever two-thirds OF the democrats Of
the Senate decided on a course OF action,
that course should be followed by all the
democrats In the Senate. he knew there was
trouble ahead. He understood that there
was one exception to this rule. and that was
when such q course of unity should inter-
fere with the conscience Of democratic
senator.