The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-01-28
SIMMONS FOR TREATY
FIRST DEMOCRAT TO ADVOCATE
 RATIFICATION.
Does Not Approve All of the Acts of the Administration Cut Will Vote for tthe Pending
 Covenant.

T of the Panama canal treaty and the pas sage of a number of bills and resolu- uons. Mr. Simmons was the first Demo- cratic senator to favor the measure on the floor of the Senate. He announced his disapproval of intervention Of the United States in the Panama revolt, but said that as the revolution was an ac- coulplished fact and was such before the treaty was made, he could not accept the theory that the treaty itself was inval- i'd.
 There is much in the Presidents con- duct" said Mr. Simmons, "of which l disapprove, which regard as improvi- dent and unwise; as rash and dangerous | to the peace and welfare of this country; as contrary to the traditional policy or | this government in it's dealing with other nations, especially those on this hemi- sphere. and as not calculated to advance us in the affections and esteem of other ', nations. do not think, however, that everything the President did in this con- | nection was wrong. From the bottom of my heart I would be glad for the hon LOT of my country if could reconcile all Fof his acts in this connection with my notions of right and law, but cannot | and be honest with myself"
 | MT. Simmons said he believed the Pres ident and the Secretary of State should be relieved of all charges of complicity | in the Panama revolt. He said that he did not believe that the possession of in formation concerning an approaching rev. | olution should be accepted as dscrediting | the statement of the President, and add | ed:s
 'In entire deference to the views of others on this side of the chamber, who may differ from me in this opinion, I | think that the statement of the President | in this respect should be accepted. Un- doubtediy the President knew of the forthcoming revolution in Panama. It \ was his duty, in view of imminent in- surrection, to have on the ground suf- ficient force to protect the lives and property of American citizens. This he did, and if he had done no more than this, he would have done no more than his duty under the law"
 | Mir. Simmons announced his belief that the change of recommendation for the route for the isthmian canal from Nica- | ragua to Panama had been the result ! of honest conviction. He also accepted l the Spooner act as deliberate pro- nouncernent by Congress in favor of Pan- anna and a direction to the President to construct the canal by that route If possible to acquire the title in reason able time"
 l Gnterpretating the phrase reasonable time" on broad principles, he did not be- lieve that there was any lapse of req sonable time which would have made 1t the Presidents duty to turn to the al- formative route designated in the stat utes. He continued:
 Tt is vehemently asserted by some of the opponents of this treaty that a vote for its ratification under the circum- | stances is tantamount to combining the | action of the administration, both as to the revolution and to the recognition. If I thought that, as favorably as I regard this treaty. as deeply important to us as is the immediate construction of the canal, do not think I could vote for 1t.
 '''I join my colleagues on this side of
 the chamber in condemning whatever wrong the President and the administra- ton may have done in connection with
 bringing about the independence of Pan-
 anna, but in my vote on the treaty pro- pose to recognize the fact that Panama is .an independent State possessed of equal rights and powers to make this
 treaty as we ourselves possess, not only
 with our consent, but with practically
 the unanimous consent of all the civil ized nations of the world.
 ITO my mind you might as we'll say that I cannot administer on the estate of | a dead man without approving of his death as to say that I cannot act upon the admitted fact that Panama Is an in dependent nation without approving of the means by which that independence was | achieved"
 MT. Simmons also announced his inten- tion to vote for the various resolutions of inquiry, and closed with the expres- sion of a desire that Colombia might be compensated for her loss.
 ! COnaidpra hle diScuSsion followed of a hill providing means for citizens of Porto Rico and the Philippines to become citizens of the United States. The fact was de- veloped that citizens of Porto Rico, the Philippines and other countries similarly situated with reference to the United States, have no means of becoming naturalized as citizens of the United
 States and are therefore in that respect
 worse off than the people of other coun- tries.
 Mir. Pettus. during the debate, suggested
 that the island of Porto Rico be mades a
 territory, and MT. Foraker said he had
 not as much objection to a measure with
 that end in view as some of his col
 leagues. Still, he added, the Porto Ricans
 have now a good form of government and do not especially need a change. The bill passed, but MT. Spooner entered a motion to reconsider. which went over.
 | The bill for the relief of persons who made the first payment for desert lands under the act of March 3, 1877. and who were unable to perfect their entries, was taken up. It provides for the repayment to tho entry men of the 9 cents an acre so paid and was opposed by MT. Berry. who quoted the report of the Secretary of the Interior as saying that thousands of acres of land had been taken up fraudu- lently under the desert land law and turned over to corporations.
 Mfr. Spooner moved the re-commltal of the bill to the Committee on Public Lands, and this motion prevailed.
 The following bills were passed:
 Authorizing the Secretary of the h.
 terior to restore to public entry lands em- braced in segregations for reservoirs.
 Authorizing the recorder of the general land office to issue certified copies of patents, records, etc.
 Extended to the hints at Denver, San
 Francisco and New Orleans the privilege of coining minor coins
 Authorizing the purchase of a marble
 bust of General LaFayette
 Authorizing the erection of a bronze
 statute of Henry Wadsworth I.ongfellow
 on government land in Washington.
 The Senate went into executive session
 at 3:S5 and at 4:5O adjourned.
 For Stomach, Liver and Bowels.