Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-03-28
REPLIES TO SP|GHT
Representative Gillett De-
nounces Lynchings.
AN ANIMATED DEBATE
REPRESENTATIVE CHAMP CLARK
ON TARIFF AND RECIPROCITY.
Claims That There is Discord Among
the Republicans, Although They
May Garry the Elections.
AN ANIMATED DEBATE


Immediately after the House convened
today the Speaker announced the following
committee appointments: Mr.. Morrell (Pa.).
committee on militia. chairman; Mr.. Pat
terson (Pa.). military affairs. private land
claims and enrolled bills; Mr.. Aiken g. CO.,
pensions: Messrs Bates Pa.) and Bassett
IN. ". disposition Of useless papers In the
treasury and other departments.
The House then went into committee of
the whole for the further consideration OF
the sundry civil appropriation bill.
Gillett Replies to Spight.
Mr.. Gillett (Mass.) referring to the re-
cent utterances in the House of Mr.. Spight
on the negro question, said that Mr..
Spight's statements were so surprising and
so discouraging it was necessary for some
one to dissent from the extraordinary prop
ositions he expressed
He believed 1t was necessary. he said. in
these cases to rely on local sentiment, with
the hope that that sentiment would grad
ually develop and become more generous
instead of more intolerant He spoke OF
the adoption of the Louisiana constitution.
and declared that 1t was useless to have a
law which did not have local sentiment be-
hind it. He did not believe it fair or wise
for the democrats of the south to say that
they intend forever to prevent the negro
from participation in government. There
are 10,000,0GO negroes of the south, he said,
who cannot stay they are, who either
have got to go up or down. Nobody, he
declared, wants the south to submit to
negro domination, but the outrageous thing
was that they say the negroes cannot be
developed into the faculty of voting or be-
coming citizens. He was surprised, he
said, that no one on the democratic side of
the House had denounced lynchings The
overwhelming proportion of lynchings. he
asserted occurred in the south. Some oc-
CURED in the north, too, he said In the
north, however, 1t was the d!sorderly ele-
ment which conducted the iynchings. but
the great mass of the people openly dis
avowed it, whereas in the south, he said,
they did not. Respect for the law, he con-
tended, should always be present, but
every time man was lynched 1t infringed
that respect for law without which no re-
publican government could long endure.
People of the south recognize, he said,
that mob violence ought to be stopped, not
because of sympathy for the criminals, but
from the results that are expected to come
too good for the criminal, and no punish
ment is too severe for him. but, he said, 1t
is much better that the criminal should es-
cape his punishment than to have the law
transgressed.
Answering a question by Mr. Claude
Kitchin On. CO Mr.. Gillett declared that
he condemned lynchings on any terms.
Mr.. Richardson (Ala.) interrupted to say
that whenever the negroes cease commit
ting the crime of rape the lynchings and
burnings will cease with it.
Mr.. Richardson declared that the feeling
in the north toward the negro is stronger
than it Is in the south. In the north, he
said, there is a stronger natural repug
nance toward the negro. At the same
time. he said, the people Of the north don't
recognize this preposterous talk of social
equality and inequality"
He supposed, he said there were no So
cial grades in this country Every man.
he said, can choose his own friends and
can associate with whomSoever he pleases.
All classes socially are equal. he said, but
that doesn't mean we are all going to asso-
ciate together. Every man, he continued,
selects for his associates those most In
sympathy with himself.
The Booker Washington Incident.
He spoke of the Booker Washington in
cident at the White House. and said no one
had the right to say 1t was a disgrace to
invite Booker Washington to the White
House.
Mr.. Gillett was asked by Mr.. Claude
Hitchin if he had ever invited a negro to
his table.
Upon Mr.. Gilletts answering that he had
not, Mr.. Kitchin remarked: Il want you
to practice what you preach"
statement by Mr.. Gllett that 1T is not
blood that makes caste brought Mr.. Clay
(Texas) to his feet, who insisted that 1t
does make caste In this country.
1T does in some parts of the country"
retorted Mr.. Gillett.
you are apologizing for the President"
remarked Mr.. Clay.
This Mr.. Gillett denied, but he said he
admired the President for what he had
done. ut was" he said IAN evidence Of a
big heart, and done by man who had
birth, breeding and cultivation"
The Booker Washington affair. he said.
no doubt was an accident. but yet from
that accident apparently has sprung great
consequences.
Representative Clark addressed the
House. He remarked that he had no dis.
position to mix in with the discussion of
lynchings All he wanted to say was that
In his opinion any man who committed the
crime of rape ought to be lynched whether
be he white. red, black or yellow He
then entered upon discussion of tariff re-
duction and reciprocity.
Tariff Reduction and Reciprocity.
Mr.. Clark said in opening:
1--WE go forth to battle with Tariff reduc-
tion and genuine reciprocity inscribed upon
our banner"
He then drew a line OF demakation be-
tween the tariff ideas Of the two parties
and dwelt at some length on the stand pat"
declaration of the republicans. He called
attention to the dissenting element of that
party, who. he said, marched under the
banner of the Iowa idea" and inferentialiy
he CfaSSeO tnlS element as democrats He
predicted the nomination OF President
Roosevelt and conceded that the republic
cans may be able, by hook and by crook
to get together for this election" but said
that there would be 'sloughing off" of
the party which would amount to split in
the near future.
Mr. Clark referred to Representatives
Hepburn and Grosvenor as "luminaries of
the first magnitude in the congressional
galaxy and high priests in the temple of
protection" He pictured these two "re-
publican war horses in their seats side by
side In the House and remarked occasion
ally these two statesmen fall afoul of each
other; but their spats are lovers quarrels.
They soon kiss and make up again, and
usually fight In pairs" Continuing, he
said: 1.-The gentlem IN from Ohio takes
prophesy as his peculiar domain. OCCASION
ally dipping into history as Silas Wegg
dropped into poetry. while the gentleman
from Iowa usually confines himself to his
tory with now ard then an excursion into
the realm of the Imagination
The 'sStand Pat" Policy.