Custer County Republican. (Broken Bow, Neb.) 1882-1921, 1904-01-28
STILL THE TOPIC.
Ismathan Matters Are Considered in
the Senate.

the Senate.
WASHINGTON-The senate re-,
CURED less than minute Tuesday to
dispose of the motion to refer to the
committee on postoffices the various
resolutions looking to an investigation
of the pcstoffice department. The
question had been previously debated
for hours at a time, but Tuesday no
senator manifested any disposition to
discuss it further and it was adopted
without negative vote.
After the passage of half a dozen
bills the senate returned to considera-
tion-of the Panama question. Mr..
Quarles spoke for almost two hours
in support of the course of the admin
istration and was followed by Mr..
Patterson, who criticised the presi-
dents course in Panama. Mr. Patter-
son was subjected to many Interrupt
lions and had not concluded when the
senate adjourned.
Quarles contended that up to the
time OF the recognition of the indie
pendence of Panama the United States
had done nothing beyond sending its
warships to the harbor of Panama
and Colon. He defended the president
against the charge of undue haste and
against the charge that he had been
derelict in his duty in failing to open
the way under the Spooner act to the
construction of the Nicaragua canal
when he did not succeed in his nego-
tiations with Colombia for canal at
Panama. He said on the latter point
that there was no intervening time be-
tween the failure in Bogota and the
converting of the American congress.
Mr.. Patterson opposed the canal
treaty. He said that if the treaty
should be ratified whatever wrong had
been committed had been condoned.
# not ratified our ships in isthmian
waters should be withdrawn and the
Status restored. He defended Colon
bia as being not as bad as painted"
said that the secession of Panama
from Colombia was as atrocious a
crime as would be the rebellion of
Wisconsin from the United States.
Mr.. Patterson charged MIR. SpOOner
with having abandoned his previous
position regarding the right of the
United States to interfere in Colon
bian affairs in Panama, but Mr. Spoon
er contended that his position now
was the same as at the beginning. He
held that if Colombia did not protect
the right of transit it was the duty Of
the United States to do so.
The controversy between Mr.. Pat
tersOn and Mr.. SpOnCr was extended
They stood close together in the
main aisle of the senate talking freely
to each other, though al all times man
ifesting the utmost good will. The
situation was contrary TO Mr. Pettus'
idea Of parliamentary proprieties and
ne maze the point that conversations
were not within the rules. The chair
raped for order, and Mr.. Spooner, re-
spending, said the senator from Ala
bama was entirely right. The fault
was all his own, he said, and tempo
rarily retired.
Not ten minutes afterward how
ever, the two senators again were
standing together in the aisle The
new discussion was on the point of
the extent to which the president was
responsible for Assistant Secretary
DaTling's order to the commander of
the Nashville directing him to prevent
| the landing of Colombian troops on
/ the isJhmus Of Panama, Mr.. Spooner
commended that the president was not
| necessarily familiar with all the di-
roctions given by the departments.