Milford chronicle., 1904-04-29
BITTER DEBATE
IN The HOUSE
Mr.. Cochran Denies He Was Paid For
Supporting Mckinley in 1895.
He COURTS AN INVESTIGATION

ran as the combatants. The speeches
were a renewal of last Saturdays de-
bate. but were more personal in their
character. AS on Saturday, the speak
ers were greeted with vociferous ap-
plause by their respective colleagues
and the bitterness Of party feeling ran
high. Mr.. Dalzell had Mr.. Cochran
on the rack for nearly two hours, dur
ing which time he dealt largely with
that gentleman's political history,
which he said showed him to have been
consecutively a greenbacker, sound
money man and a free silver man. He
reverted to his statement of last Sat
urdav that he had been informed that
Mr. Cochran had accepted money to
support the campaign of Mckinley, and
read extracts from several newspapers
to show that was the general impress
sion at the time A man, he said, who
would not have replied to Mr.. Cochran
as he did not Saturday would have been
a poltroon and a coward.
Mr.. Cochran, thoroughly indignant
at times. denied the accusation of Mr..
Dalzell, whom he arraigned for MAX
ing statements which could not be sub
stantiated. If what Mr.. Dalzell had
said we're true, he declared, he was un-
worthy of membership. In emphatic
and positive language Mr.. Cochran de-
MED that he had received money from
the Palmer and Buckner campaign
committee, or that he had ever re-
ceived money for supporting Mckinley
in 1896. If Mr. DalZell. he said, be-
lieved the charges against him, it was
nothing but a confession of the Re
publican party's corruption and proof
that the presidential election had been
purchased.
The climax came when he offered a
resolution providing for the appoint
ment of a select committee of five
members Of the house to investigate the
charge which had been made against
him by Mr.. Dalzell. He and other
Democrats. including Mr.. Williams. the
minority leader, demanded immediate
consideration, but the speaker declined
to pass on a point OF order against the
resolution until he had examined prece-
dents.
When he introduced the resolution
Mr.. Cochran said: 1T represents my at
titude and the attitude of the honest
man in the face Of" pausing and meo =
uring his words, "one that cannot be
described in parliamentary language" D."
The Democrats interrupted with ap-
plause. but Mr.. Cochran continued:
zone" he said. whose character can
not be described because he has illus
trated it by his performance" He then
read his resolution, which was as fol-
lows:
whereas. the Hon. John Dalzell a
member of this house and Of the COM
mittee Of ways and means, charged on
the floor that William Bourke Cock
ran. a representative from New York
and a member of the same committee.
has been paid money by political par
tv to support the candidate for the
presidency nominated in opposition to
the party with which the said William
Bourke Cochran had heretofore been
affiliated, and.
W nEIGd5s Lllt NAAeAA Sc AAADNt7AA 90
tackled specifically on the floor by the
said William Bourke Cochran, has not
been withdrawn by the said John Dal-
zell, and.
Whereas. said charge, if true. estab-
| fishes such conduct as should unfit any
man for membership in this house, and
/ if false. should be so declared and its
author censured severely; threfore,
"Resolved. that a select committee
of FIVE members be appointed by the
chair to inquire into the truth of said
charge and to report the testimony
with their conclusions thereon, to this
house at its session beginning the first
Monday of December next; be il
further
Resolved. that said committee be
and it is hereby given full power and The
production of such papers as the mem
bers thereof may deem necessary tr
the full and proper discharge of tn
duty hereby imposed on them"
Loud Democratic applause followed
! Mr. Cockran's reading of the reso.u-
ton. He then resumed and said that
when the resolution was adopted in al
its terms, something more important
I than his conduct or the action of the
member from Pennsylvania would be
made clear.
1--WE will see." he said. "just how
the election in 1896 was conducted, anC
we will see whether in fact the presi-
dency was bought or purchased Of
whether it was won in honorable po
litical conflict, or whether it represent
ed. as the gentleman from Pennsylva
mia would have us believe, the skill il
corruption which was possessed by the
managers of the Republican organiza
ton. If it be true" he said, that tht
campaign resulted in such use of none!
as had been described, there was bu
one possible safety for the republic"