Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-06-10

| ton on their platform, and then have
the gall to come before the country
and say that honor requires them to
have lied to their constituents. cloud
applause on the Republican side.)
Honor! You who adopted a platform
| in express language and were elected
upon that platform of express lam
guage propose now to repudiate the
platform upon which you were elect
ed In order, as you say, to keep a
promise made by Republican Presi-
dent and a Republican Senate Il
! years ago. Honor! uaughter) And a
gentleman here on the floor of this
House said that his honor was saved
because Democratic Member of
Congress must not construe any plank
in the platform; that the construction
/ by the President was "infallible." In
! fallible! On our side of the House
| Members of Congress may think
| Cloud applause on the Republican
side); we may use our judgment; we
have a right to read. On your side
| of the House you are bound by an
infallible construction. You ought to
be Indian tobacco signs-wooden men.
And then you have the nerve to say
that the plank IN your platform for
free tolls is in violation of your plank
against ship subsidies, and both pro-
visions appear in the same section of
the platform. applause on the Repub-
! lican side.) First in your platform
you oppose subsidies and Immediately
following it, as part of the same
plank, say that you are in favor of
no tolls on our coastwise trade, and
| then have the nerve to say I'VE We're
facing both ways; we were appealing
to both sides; we have no honor in
appealing to the American people;
but we are great on honor in dealing
with England. cloud applause on
the Republican side)
We are not without advice on the
subject of party platforms. The
Payne tariff bill which passed this
House you alleged throughout the
country was violation of the Re
publican platform of 1908, and though
the claim was denied, you won the
victory before the country on two
charges. One was the gagging of de-
bate and the right Of amendment and
consideration in the House of Repre-
sentatives. and the other was the
| failure of the Republicans to carry
out their platform pledges of 1905 You
WOE the election when there was
form There will be no dispute this
time. From every rostrum of the
country, both Republican, Progress
sive. and, in many cases Democratic,
/ you will hear resound from one end
of the land to the other, THE Demo-
| Gratis gained power under false pre-
lenses; they put the gag rule in force;
they repudiated the platform; they
said they had lied to the American
! people. Turn them outl" cloud ap-
plause on the Republican side)
Now. there are some gentlemen here
like the gentleman from Tennessee,
who excuse themselves for voting in
favor Of this bill because the Presi-
cent tells them to do SO. Let me quote
you a line or two from a very dis
! tinguished leader of your party on
the subject of following the Presi-
dents will instead of your own judg-
ment. Secretary of State Bryan was
a Member Of this House in 1893, when
a special session of Congress was
! here for the purpose of considering
the repeal of the Sherman silver pur-
chasing act. Mr.. Bryan said on the
floor of this House,
TO whom are We responsible? It is be-
/ fore the tribunal established by our con-
stituencies and before that tribunal on
| ly. that we must appear for Judgment
upon our actions here. When we each
| accepted a commission from 10000 peo-
| pie we pledged ourselves to protect their
| rights from invasion and to respect their
wishes to the best of our ability, and we
must stand defenseless before the bar II
our only excuse is. HE recommended 1t.
applause on the Republican side)
IN TIME OF WAR.
Mr. Speaker, if we shall reverse our
position, repudiate the many construc-
tons of the -Pauncefote treaty
! heretofore made by us, and adopt the
English contention that the United
States has no greater rights in the
canal, except to pay the expenses,
than any other nation, we shall in
the future meet many grave problems
and come up against many strong
contentious which will embarrass us
beyond our present conception.
For instance, the Panama Canal act,
which we passed two years ago, con-
tains a provision which was then fav
ored by everybody in the House and
the Senate, and which reads s fol-
lows:
Sec. 10. That in time of war in which
| the United States shall be engaged, or
when. in the opinion of the President,
war is imminent. such officer of the Ar
my as the President may designate sSall,
| upon the order of the President, assume
and have exclusive authority and juris-
diction over the operation of the Panama
| Canal and all of its adjuncts appendicitis,
and appurtenances. including the entire
control and government of the Canal
Zone.
This provision of the law assumes
that In time CT war we shall treat the
canal us though we had full military
authority there. and we can not de-
fend the provision if we admit the
correctness Of the present English
contention.
What will be our rights at the ca
nal if we shall ever be engaged in
war with some other nation? Gentle
men have frequently stated that war
ended all treaties, and hence the Hay
Pauncefote treaty would not be bind
| ing on us in case of war. Admitting,
for the sage of argument, that that
contention be correct as between the
United States and Great Britain, it is
certain that the treaty with Great
! Britain would not be set aside by a
war between the United States and