The Savannah morning news., 1904-01-14

asked whether any senator would, I'M
der the circumstances, have turned
his back on Panama SO long as there
was a bill pending in the Colombian
Congress, and he put the question es-
pecially to Mr.. Tillman, who was on
his feet. The latter said he would
have entered into negotiations with
Nicaragua and would have reported
back to Congress for further instruc-
tions. He would then have said to CO.
lombia: You are NANCY lot; get
off the face of the earth; Wen take
the country and build the canal"
The remark caused an outburst of
laughter, both on the floor of the Sem
ate and in the galleries.
After minutes pause, Mr.. Spooner
said that while he could not accept the
Senator's language, he congratulated
him on coming to the Presidents po-
sition.
Mr.. Tillman called attention to Mr..
Spooner's hesitation, and the latter re-
Piled that it was because he was
thinking how thankful we should be
that we haven't President who would
use TO any nation such language as
the Senator from South Carolina had
used.
Replying 'to the man not to the
Senator" Mr.. Tillman asked Mr..
Spooner whether he would not prefer
President to say in plain terms, Get
out of the way" rather than to have
mixed up in the bastard birth" of the
Republic of Panama.
Continuing, Mr.. Spooner warned the
Democrats that platform which i'm
putes dishonor to the administration
and to the brave, true man in the
White House will find no sympathy
with the people of the United States,
North or South"
Mr.. Tillman asked if discreet man
would not also have waited on Con-
sress before warning Colombia off her
own preserves at Panama, and Mr..
Spconer answered in the negative,
saying that the safety. the honor and
the interests of the United States re-
CURED that a President should do just
what Theodore Roosevelt had done.
On the Lord, Not TilIman.
Mr.. Tillman urged that Mr.. Spooner
had evaded the real question. What
he wanted to know was whether the
President had the right to use the
army and navy as he had done.
"Oh, Lord" exclaimed Mr.. Spooner.
You'll have to, call on the Lord fire.
quently i'll this matter" retorted Mr.
Tillman.
Il did not address the Senator from
South Carolina; my remark was not
personal, said Mr.. SpOoner.
Mr.. Spooner declared that the Presi-
dent had acted within the constitu-
ton and law in all that he had done in
Panama. 1t was both the right and
the duty Of the President to acknowl-
edge the independence of Panama. He
sad that he for one resented the i'm
putation that the President had been
interruptions in his dealing with this
question. This last statement was
made after Mr.. Tillman had expressed
the opinion that the American consul
had bribed the Colombian forces to
withdraw from the isthmus.
Mr.. Spooner declared that it was
childish to say that the President had
transcribed his duty. The first con-
sideration of the Spooner act was that
the right to build a canal should be
secured, and that end had been accom-
plished by dealing, not with Colombia,
but with Panama, Coiombia's success
Sor.
Before the Panama subject was
taken up there was a brief but live
ly, discussion between Messrs. Pat
terson and Scott on the labor troubles
in Colorado.
The Senate adjourned until to-mor-
row.