Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-03-04

| II o'clock today by far the largest part
| OF the Senate was devoted to a filibustel
by the Democratic senators against
a ship subsidy bill as it passed the
House and when the Senate adjourned
| a few minutes before midnight the bill
was still pending, but it was facing the
| absolute certainty of failure with the
| close OF Congress at noon tomorrow.
Speeches intended for no other pur-
pose than to kill time We're made by
Senators Carmack, Dubois, Overman,
| Newlands and others who frankly con-
| fessed their intention of defeating con-
sideration of the Objectionable measure.
When the recess was taken at 11.40. the
| friends of the bill had given up all hope
| Of securing any shipping legislation
during the present session.
| The sundry civil appropriation bill,
| the last of the general appropriation
bills, was agreed upon at 11.30 tonight
after conference extending over two
days.
Never before has the Senate appear
| ed to relish such an attempt to kill
| legislation by hlbustering methods. Mr..
Carmack as the director of the minor
| ity movement against the bill, kept the
members convulsed with his sallies and
at no time did he try to hide the fact
that his effort was a filbuSter pure and
simple. lie scorncd subterfuge and 1T
the onset Of his rem IikS came into the
open by addressing himself principally
| to the term ''f'ilbusterers' which <Cial-
Finger on yesterday applied to the Dpn?-
ocratic senators who have undertaken
| to defeat tho measure.
After reading Wcbster's definition Of
"Eibustcrer" with its varying uses and
synonyms. Mr.. Carmack said that the
remark of Gallinger had branded him
as u maurauder, a pillager. Il bucca-
neer, n sea robbeT, u freebooter and q
pirate upon the high seas. in fact he
said. II have been accused of almost
everything except appendicitis. So
branded, ! am to retire from this body
and be sent to my home. for [ cannot de-
fenti myself by attacking the character
of the crcdibility Of the senator from
New Hampshire. l cannot discredjt
him trutnully. and therefore, ! cannot
discredit him at all" When he had
spoken for about IS minutes with the
obvious purpose of killing time. Car
mack paused. looked at his watch, and
remarked:
"Wcll, | sec I must he hurrying
along"
At this the senators on the floor
shouted their amusement.
TO give Carmack a rest. Dubois ask
ed to be permitted to read from very
interesting document on the subject OF
ship subsidy. ana Spooner protested
that as Carmack was in so great a
hurry to conclude it would not be fair
to interrupt him. The Tennessee soma
tor, however. said he was sure that
any contribution from dubois would be
valuable and he should be glad to Per
nit it to Ee read and Incorporated in
the body of his remarks. Dubois thcn
read at length and when he had con-
Guided a very technical paragraph to
which few senator's paid any attention.
Carmack asked that the last para
graph be repeated, as he regarded il Of
great importance.
Laughter followed and as Dubois sat
down. Gallinger interrupted to reply
he said, to what he thought had been
an unwarranted attack upon him.
AT this juncture q colloquy oc-
Cured between Gallinger and Carmack
owe! tIe ueIllllllOT Oh the WOrQ 0IlDuS-
ter, as given by different dictionaries
and the latter charged that Gallinger
had simply been trying to filibuster ac-
cording to his own definition of the
word.
Charging that the pending measure
was for the purpose of footing the
treasury Carmack referred to the bill
as voting a subvention. and McLaurin
asked the difference between Subsidy
and "Subvention." Carmack answered.
Subsidy by any other name smells
as bad
Carter added to the spirit of levity by
interruptirg the reading of letters
from shipbuilders by Overman, who
was giving Carmack a respite.
81 want to know" said Carter "what.
if any. dictionary is use in Tennessee.
and what, if any, standard of spelling
exists. and if it is Uniformly applied"
This gave Carmack an opening which
he took advantage of to taunt Carter
and Gallinger with being parties to a
flibuster