The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-02-07
MIR. MORGAN
 ON THE CANAL. Alabamian StartleS ne
 Senate. SPEAKS IN OPEN SESSION Attempt is Made to SQuelch
 the Senator. He Replies That the People Have Right to Know If United States
 Money is to Buy the Rebels.
SPEAKS IN OPEN SESSION

| Washington, Feb. 6-For a time today in the Senate it looked as though the construction of an Isthmian canal would be discussed openly. MT. Morgan spoke on his resolution introduced yesterday calling on the Secretary of the Navy for correspondence regarding the military oc- cupation of the bays of Panama and Co., lon. | He explained the object of the resolu- tion and said if adopted. it would prove, or disprove. all the allegations made in the press of Colombia and the United States that at the time of the | settlement of the insurrection, the government of Colombia had proposed | that 1t should pay the insurrectionists S. s0Oo. 900 for peace. the money to be taken from that obtained from the United | States for the Isthmian canal conces- sions. He declared that no organized gov | ernment existed in Colombia. but that 1t was under a dictator. He read from the correspondence leading up to the negotia- | | opinion of the President satisfactory bill could be given by Colombia and an agreement had been reached fixing a price of s7.0o0OO0 and s250,0oo per annum. | Cullman Checks Morgan.
 At this point MT. Cullom rose and ask ed Mir. Morgan if matters of this kind | should not be discussed behind closed doors and moved an executive session.
 MT. Morgan replied that "the Senator need not make any apology to me for that motion. l have had it inflicted and covered up before for the purpose of pre- venting debate and inquiry into public affairs.''
 MT. Cullom insisted on an executive session. and MT. Morgan raised the point of order that he had the floor and the motion could not prevail. Mir. Frye over ruled the point of order, and at 12:45 the Senate went into executive session.
 After the doors closed MT. Morgan continued his remarks. speaking especial | ly of the irregularities which he said characterized the government of Pana- ma He did not, however. do this until he had spoken of the course of the Senate in closing the doors while he was dis cussing his resolution. He said he con- sidered himself as good judge as any one of the proprieties connected with l | those proprieties and did not intend to do so. He expressed the opinion that a question of such importance as the con- struction of an inter-oceanic canal In | which the entire world is interested should be openly discussed and he an- | nounced his intention of offering a mo- ton to that effect in the Senate.
 Replying to these remarks Mir. Cullom said he had not intended any affront to Mir. Morgan in asking that the doors be closed. and that he had made the request only because of the latters reference to the treaty which under the rule could | not be debated In open session.
 Will Test the Senate.
 Mir. Morgan said that he would take the first opportunity to test the Senate on the subject by asking a vote. He then quoted at length the newspaper reports | concerning affairs in Columbia upon which his resolution was predicated and proceeded with his remarks for the pur- pose of showing that this government had undertaken to pay the Colombian insur- gents $3.000,0O0. The resolution went to the calendar.
 At 2 o'clock the doors were re-opened and Mir. Morgan proceeded with his re- marks. which he said he had been pre- vented from delivering when the doors
 
 printed in The Springfield Republican of January 30 1908. and which was read | In secret session, be inserted in the record as a part of his remarks.
 MT. Hale objected and said that as the subject had been referred to behind clos ed doors, 1t should not be spoken of in open session.
 ''I call the Senator to order" said Mir. Morgan. 'and he has no right to speak of what took place behind closed doors '
 At this juncture the Statehood bill was laid before the Senate. MT Kean yield ed the floor to MT. Morgan. who said he had a number of other articles on the subject of the canal and that if he was at liberty to refer to them he could show that The Springfield Republican was acting in the spirit of wisdom and patriotism for the peace and security of the country.
 Foresees a War.
 He believed that If the United States persisted in going on as 1t now is, a war with Colombia will become inevitable, possibly within one or two years, and that the inflammation of the war that has already broken out in the Central American States will lead to complications on the part of the United States and will cause us to regret we ever had any con- nection with the subject.
 Bills were then passed as follow:
 Senate bill amending the revised stat utes so as to provide for the detail of retired officers of the army and navy to assist in military instruction in schools; Senate bill authorizing the Pres ident to reinstate Alexander G. Pendle- ton, Jr.. as a cadet in the United States Military Academy; House bill authorizing the construction of a bridge across the Bogue G{Iitto in Louisiana; Senate bill in- cooperating in the District of Columbia the A merican Academy in Rome; Senate bill authorizing the Memphis. Helena and Louisiana Railway Company to construct bridge across the St. Francis River in Arkansas.
 The House amendments to the bill to expedite trials in cases under the Sher- man antitrust law were agreed to. i A resolution offered by MT. Stewart was adopted authorizing the Committee on Indian Affairs Ito investigate and report |