Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1904-04-30
BITTER DEBATE
in THE HOUSE
Mr.. Cochran Denies He Was Paid For
Supporting Mckinley in 1895.
HE COURTS AN INVESTIGATION

Washington, April 27.-The heavy
weights" had another bout in the
house, with Messrs. Dalzell and Cock
ran as the combatants. The speeches
were 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 greenbacker, a sound
money man and free silver man. He
reverted to his statement of last Sat-
urday 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. II what Mr.. Dalzell had
said were true, he declared, he was I'M
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. II Mr.. DalzelI. he said, be-
lieved the charges against him, 1t was
nothing but confession of the Re-
publican party's corruption and proof
that the presidential election had been
purchased.
pax came when he offered a
- providing for the appoint
ment OF q 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: at represents my at
titude and the attitude of the honest
man in the face Of" pausing and meas
uring his words. lone that cannot be
described In parliamentary language"
The Democrats interrupted with ap-
plause, but Mr.. Cochran continued:
"One," he said. whose character can
not be described because he has illus
trated 1t by his performance" He then
read his resolution, which was as fol-
lows:
Whereas, the Hon. John DalzelI. 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 member of the same committee,
has been paid money by a political par
ty 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.
Whereas, the charge, though at
tackled specifically on the floor by the
said William Bourke Cochran, has not
been withdrawn by the said John Dali
zell, and.
Whereas, said charge, IL true, estab-
fishes such conduct as should unfit any
man for membership in this house, and
II false. should be so declared and its
author censured severely; Therefore,
Resolved, that 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 1t
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 to
the full and proper discharge of the
duty hereby imposed on them"
Loud Democratic applause followed
Mr.. Cockran's reading of the resolu-
ton. He then resumed and said that
when the resolution was adopted in all
its terms. something more important
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, and
we will see whether in fact the presi-
dency was bought or purchased or
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 in
corruption which was possessed by the
managers of the Republican organiza-
ton. If it be true" he said, that the
campaign resulted in such use of money
as had been described, there was but
one possible safety for the republic"