Arizona republican., 1903-12-28

notified the republican side. and the country as we'll, that thereafter the democratic senators would act fin harmony: that no longer could any senator on the democratic side be designated as a "white House sena- tcr''-that the democrats were out for political blood. in short.
 A few days later, Senator German, the titular leader of the democrats, made his declaration on behalf of his colleagues. It is true that MT. Cor ,nan, when closely pressed by repub- lican senators, refused to say definite ly that he was against ratification of the treaty, but he was as definite as he ever permits himself to be on any question of great national moment. The Congressional Record discloses the artful manner in which the Maryland senator sought tc leave a road for re- treat in case he should find the country or a number of the democratic sena- tors unwilling to follow him:
 MIR. ALDRICH. Will the senator from Maryland allow me to ask him a question?
 MIR. GORMAN. With pleasure.
 MIR. ALDRICH. I do not know that I precisely understood the nature of the opening statement of the senator from Maryland. I understood him to say in effect. speaking. l suppose, as the official organ of the reconcentrated democracy on the other side, that a treaty which is now before the senate for its consideration is to be refused consideration or rejected on account of some acts or alleged acts of the presi- dent of the United States or of some official of the United States. l think that purpose, if such be his purpose. should be made plain.
 MIR. GORMAN. MT. President, have dealt with the senator on tr floor for a good many years and l have never yet been able to make him understand me.
 MIR. ALDRICH. That is not my fault, MT. President
 MIR. GORMAN. Probably not
 MIR. ALDRICH, I have always been able to understand the senator's proposition when he stated 1t in definite terms.
 MIR. GORMAN. I state it SO that anybody but the senator from Rhode Island can understand We have recognized a government of only three or five men, selected by nobody. but made secure by our naval officers and the agents we had locking after the canal, and nobody else. We ne- gotiate with it a treaty that was written here in Washington by our own officers. and the form gone through of signing the document with our agents, or the canal companys agents, claiming to be the government of Panama. MT. President, it is time to inquire and to get the facts, and I say again to the senator frSn Rhode Island, and speaking for nobody else, if the facts are as I believe them to be, if it is not clearly shown that we have better case than is presented to us now, l think it would be a patriotic duty for every senator in the minority to assert the power given by the con- stitution and say We must have a canal but the first thing that we shall guard and protect is the hcnor of the Ameri- can people.
 MIR. ALDRICH. Does the senator go a step farther and say they will re- ject this treaty?
 
 MIR. ALDRICH. l understand that what he says is tantamount to that, but I would be glad to have him put it in words.
 MIR. GORMAN. I say to the sena- tor from Rhode Island that if the case stands as it is now with only the in- formation the administration has fur nished us up to this hour. 1t is a most phiaRfinn0 n f~on Ia+ say tc the senator from Rhode Island that when he talks about the respon- sibility We can take the responsibility and say to the admins tration, Con gress has directed you to do one of two things-to construct the canal and do it without delay. When you cannot get it at Panama, go to Nicaragua and construct 1t there, and do it at once"
 And that was how the Maryland fox wriggled cut of the trap set for him by the shrewd Rhode Island senator. And of course, when the democratic sena- tors decide that they will not take the responsibility of defeating the treaty, MT. GoIGnan will refuse to accept such action as a repudiation of his leader ship; he will insist that he never in- tended to oppose the treaty itself But the country has taken the full measure of the shifty Maryland senator, albeit he Is not without sympathy. Indeed, so long as there is no democratic pol icy except to be "agin' the govern ment," any democratic statesman will be entitled to sympathy who under takes the party leadership.