The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-11
PERSONAL TIFF ROUSES HOUSE
SPAT BETWEEN DEFENDERS Or
NEW YORK AND KENTUCKY.

Bennett Thought His Truthfulness Had
Been Questioned. but the Incident
Closed PeaceTuiIy-Bede HumOrO usly
Advocates Ten Senators From Texas.
WASHINGTON, April 10.-A eli ght tendency
to b~elligerency was manifested in the House
Of Representatives this afternoon toward the
close Of a long and until then a%somewhat
tiresome session. 1t grew out Of the parlia-
mentary controversy between Messrs. Hop
kins Dem, Ky.) and Bennett Rep., N. ~
over the comparative merits Of their re-
spective Commonwealth.
Mr.. Hopkins got the floor to reply to
Mr.. Bennet's recent speech, and was pro-
oeeding ~swimmingly, IL n may say so Of
a state OF proceedings usually described
as dry reading a speech to which APP
parently no one except the official reporter
was listening.
But that wa q mistake. Mr.. Bennett
called Hopkins to order and demanded
that his words be taken down. Then
there was trouble. According to a custom
immemorial when a member reads a speech
the reporters take no notes, and there
was some trouble in finding the passage
to which Mr.. Bennett objected. This was 1t:
H says that 800 per cent Of the voters
in the county In which I live can neither
read nor write, which is not true"
This, Mr.. Bennett insisted, was not a par
liamentary way for one member to allude
to another, but Mr.. Gaines Dem, TENN
relieved the tension, as he has often done
before, by shouting "Why,. Mr.. Chair
man, I've heard that for nine years.
Mr.. Williams, the minority leader, told
Mr.. Bennett that to say a statement made
by a member was not true was not neoes-
sarily to impute falsehood to the speaker.
Chairman Sherman ruled that the " rds
were not obnoxious to the rule, and the in
cident ended.
The subject before the committee OF
the whole was the Post Oflce Appropria-
ton bill. The debate centred around
the subsidy for special mail facilities on
the Southern Railroad. Several Southern
members were In favor Of II.
Adam Bede Of Minnesota entertained the
House for half an hour with a half humor-
GUS. half earnest speech, based upon a
joint resolution authorizing the State OF
Texas to divide Itself into four States. with
a central government at the present capital
and authority to elect two Senators from
each of the four together with two from
the State at large. making ten in. all.
He prefaoed his mark by stating that
he had always voted for the Southern rail-
way subsidy because he believed that the
Southern people should read Northern
papers at the earliest possible moment.
Speaking OF Texas, he said he remembered
when it was a synonym for hell. Now
he continued, 1T is almost as populous and
two Senators are not enough for her" He
wanted more Senators, he said; and il it was
not against the rules OF the House to speak
well OF that body he would like to say a few
clared that the conditions Of political life
which gave rise to reports of graft by pub
lie officials were due primarily to the people
themselves,
If they wanted to have pure servants in
public life, Mr.. Bede said, "let them quit
sending a man with an administration fam
lily Of ten children to the Senate and expect
him to keep that family on the salary allowed
and to give 500 to some charity every time
he turns around.
For himself, Mr.. Bede said, he declined to
90 to the Senate; it was too expensive; but
people that the conditions they impose are
surely driving from public life all but rich
men.
Bede is the Democrat who became a
Republican. His political antithesis, Charles
A.. Towne Of Minnesota and New York,
ton as a text, delivered a brilliant address
upon the, growth. glory, power. achieve
ments and future conquest Of the American
people and nation. He received a great
ovation at the close Of his speech.
General debate on the Post Office Appro-
save that on Thursday Mr.
Cochran Dem, n. W will speak for an
hour. it is understood. upon the railroad
rate regulation question.