Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1906-01-24
DEFENDS COURSE
OF GOVERNMENT
sP0ONER MAKES ADDRESS IN
THE SENATE
Supports Administration in Its Acts
in Relation to the Moroccan
Conference and to Santo
Domingo
Domingo
BY Associated Press.

BY Associated Press
WASHINGTON, Jan. 23.-For more
than three hours today Mr.. Spooner &C.
cupied the time Of the senate in ex-
PLANTATION and defense Of the course of
the administration relative to the
Moroccan conference at Algeciras,
Spain, and in connection with Santo
Domingo.
The speech was delivered to crowded
galleries and to well-filled senate and
received careful attention throughout.
1t was in the main a response to the
speech of Mr.. Bacon and Mr.. Tillman
and its purpose was to Justify the
presidents acts in both the matters I'M
der discussion. There were frequent
Interruptions by Mr.. Tillman and some
sharp exchanges of repartee between
him and Mr.. Spooner. These amused
the galleries, but once or twice Mr..
Spooner showed that he was annoyed
and once he made serious protest
against Mr.. Tillmans imputation that
his appearance in the case was that
of a special advocate for the admin
stration.
There were also Interruptions by
Messrs. Bacon, Morgan and other sem
ators.
In the Moroccan matter Mr.. Spooner
commended that the president had mere
ly followed precedents in appointing
delegates and said that If he had failed
to do so he would have been guilty of
dereliction of duty, while in the case
of Santo Domingo, he asserted, the
president had made no effort to carry
the treaty between Santo Domingo and
the United States into effect in adj
vance of its ratification by the senate.
Mr.. Culberson followed Mr.. Spooner
with a brief speech in which he said
the president had taken complete juris-
diction of the subject matter of the
Dominican treaty, thus usurping the
powers of the senate. Mr.. Lodge gave
notice of a speech on the Dominican
and Moroccan questions tomorrow.
Woman Suffrage Bill
At the beginning of today's session,
Mr.. Warren introduced a bill giving
to women the right to vote in all
states of the United States for rep
resentatives in congress. The bill was
referred to the committee on woman
suffrage.
The pure food bill was laid before
the senate and Mr.. McComber con-
tlnued his speech in support of that
measure.
Mr.. Hepburn also addressed the sem
ate in advocacy Of the bill.
Mr.. Spooner then addressed the SEN
ate on the conduct by the president
of our foreign relations. The precipi-
tatlon of this discussion had, he said,
seemed to him quite unjustifiable be-
cause many of the questions spoken
of involved executive matters and
should have been considered behind
closed doors.
Speaking generally, he said he felt
the plan of dealing with foreign ques-
tons in executive session to be the
wise one. In reply to an inquiry from
Mr. Tillman, Mr.. Spooner said that the
members of the committee on foreign
relations were, like other senators, adj
visers of the president. Mr.. Tillman
quoted a newspaper article referring to
Messrs. Lodge and Spooner of the
foreign relations committee as having
been called upon to pass upon foreign
questions. He wanted to know
whether, as a matter of common sense,
a president would not ordinarily de-
sire to have the advice of such men,
bers of the committee who were also
leaders of the senate.
Referring to Mr.. Tillman's charac-
teriZation of his own observation as
one of common sense, Mr.. Spooner said
that he felt impelled to say that the
character of the remark was such as
to justify that Characterization.
For which" responde Mr.. Tillman
II am duly grateful"
But" responded Mr.. Spooner, IT say
so only from a sense of politeness."
"Then," said Mr.. Tillman, 1.-The sena-
tor convicts himself of insincerlty."
The galleries enjoyed the exchanges
of pleasantries and laughed aloud, sc
much so as to render necessary a re.
Duke from the vice president.
Prerogatlves of Congress
Mr.. Spooner outlined 1.-The preroga-
tives" of the different branches of con-
gress.
"The senator uses the word 'preroga-
tive too broadly" remarked Mr.. Nor.
gan. 1.-The president has no preroga-
tive like that of royalty"
Replying, Mr. Spooner said that in
the last analysis he considered the
Alabama senator to be right. but u
he added, Mr.. Morgan has heard the
word used thousand times as have
used it."
"A thousand times too often" re-
sponded Mr.. Morgan.
Mr.. Spooner said that Mr.. Bacon, the
author of the resolution, calling upor
the president for information about the
Algeciras conference, had deprecated
the departure from the doctrine of non.
Interference in foreign matters laiC
down in Washngton's farewell address
AS for himself, Mr.. Spooner said hC
believed that in appointing delegates
to that conference the president ha(
acted entirely within his constitutions
capacity and in the interest of the
country and just obedience of the de-
mands OF the situation"
He did not believe such action TO bC
in contravention of the declaration o.
the farewell address or the spirit o.
the constitution.
THE trainers of the constitution die
not mean to create baby nation nor Z
hermit nation" he said, and thel
quoted precedents to show that thi
| country participated in internationa