!lL mm VOL. XII. LINCOLN, NEBRASKA, FEBRUARY 7, 1901 NO. 37. 111 f ii i i i n ii i ii i ti i . i i ii i m ii i SCENE H THE SENATE ttiC Lite the WI14 A ! If lteat TkAt Foil wd To' ec lie lta fa I m the fceoate Fer Yeara. Th following description of the area ic the annate At the clow of Toc' i,cli oa the Philippines is from the ra of Jams Creelman: TLre im a thrilhtg scene in the senate today. Oa the very threshold of frtSdnt McKinlcy's startling attempt to fore eoturr to abdicate its whole civil roer ott the Philippine isl ands. Senator Towne made a three tour pcfe ta favor of the Philip pic iO't'pea'lecf a speech that will rack with any oration since Webster. A rain ar.d train the galleries and the a-raate applauded hi lofty appttll for justice acd mercy and when he bad ElfheJ he was surround by bis tolzu"M and rte4 like a hero. It was fVnttor Towne's first speech m the toftr, r. 4 it was hi last. Ten is Inst after he sat down his suc cour took hi oath, ani the orator, who aa1 dyrotxuted the scene for hours, sweeping all before him by the forte and beauty of his extraordinary e!--?Tjenc, the place never to r? tira. The like of it has nerer been w-en fn the senate before. Today the senate ha been in a state tt cerTO'is tension. The president'a deir.n4 for the paaj?e of the Fpoon er till, which will confer upon him the entire authority of conjrreiui In our rait Asiatic possessions, has stirred the senator a they hare cot be-i f ti rr4 . for years. The threat to call an extra session If cor.?r" refuse to yi"M is taken as th s'xxal for a mighty struggle, in whUh the icisw-si rtourcf of the cttlor.s! gm-emmect will bf used to th'tr tit "sort to srare victory. Mr. MrKmley is determlnM to have th twer he asks for. He is not mat-!.'-' with bis tctuporary military au thority. grat aa it Is. He desires pow er t'j distribute franc hi and conces sions, sell or rite away ,000.000 acres of the pib'Ic lands, confer min !r.ir riahta and timter cutting rights, ttow special privilg to. railway syndicates, settle the Chinee question as he p-j and appcj'.ct as many civil crs to as many plaes as he cLome to crest, at salaries to be de termined by him. The fart that Mr. MrKinley held bark the rport of the Taft comroi t?on and rae no hist that he Intended to pr- for the enactment of the Fp'orvcr till tint! congresa had raised tin p- rz-.s-Z'-ui sxa tiling array to 10).- ej3 a 1 had empowered the presi de it to red ace or Increase its size at will, ictrcfsaed the bittemefs of the opposition. So whea Tcwne rtJe to rpeak the f oor of the snat' ws crowded. Score of rf preeraatives mere present. The galleries were parkM. Away up fa a diss romr eat Senor Iopet. the Ixil.'ppine reprewctatlve. who leaned his h!n a his utabrella handle and watched it defender of his people wth 5ep emotion. It is no exaggeration to say that Mr. Towne was master of the senate while he t-poke. Sot evrn Mr. Hryaa In his mcit Jtapasioned Sights can sarpats his power of earnest speech. Tall. lender, clad in a ministerial frock coat, the face of a scholar and tabt, the brow of a philanthropist, the heal of a fighter, the breast and shoulders of an athlete, his voice ran clear and distinct from beginning to end, Eery word, every syllable, was heard. Hi face grew whiter, his ges-tUf-s core dramatic aa his spirit rose with his s'lhict. "They owed i no allegiance when the war began. he cried. They bavo never assumed any since. To call theis traitor because of a transaction la which they had no part and which took effect long after they had begun to shed their blood in honorable war. Is condaet unworthy of a just and chivalrous nation. -Fight ihera if yoa will. burn, kill and destroy. Write large the precepts of Christian charity in their blood and oars opoa the tropic sanda. and let the names to which we feed their homta Saab as new beacons of civilization across the sxpati.se of summer seas, but spare them, in mercy name, the I zs puled infamy of treason. lf we are bent upon slaughter, let it I la op-a rale. If we lust for the people" land, let us not giaxe over j our er,terprie with false and sinister preteace. Itrlher let us boldly rai se the sombre Sag of International pir- i acy. whiatle 'scrapie down the wind.! and then cloee In upon otir feeble vic tim to the cry of 'Loot and Glory! " There was a panse. The orator's ' hands wer? outstretched. His face was : radiant with the passion of his utter ance. S-uddesly a roar of applatJS-s swept the hall. A dozen senators leaped to their feet. President Iro Tempore Frye threatened to clear th galleries. "We hold the ground our troops stand oa. practically nothing more. Towne continued. There is no evi dence that any strong native pro-Am-e-kaa clemrt has any existence whatever. The Filipino are answt iag the cry of extermination or sur render with another cry which has exroe echoing down through all our fcbnory: 'Liberty or death. "Is it ever too late to be just and J0nt? aakiMl the speaker. "No. no! It is nobler to get right than to re .xsaia wrong. "Already t feel the -virus la our vein. The president felt it and Itched for Ltx?a The fever grew and the whole Tagalog and Viscayaa groups cf island were sacrif.ced. The tecperatcre raotinted higher and the tultan of Sula was absorbed. The disease Is fiercely contagion?, ard the wfcele republican organization at Srst unsympathetic to the bacil) ttBTeriii. ia tow at last fairly raging wit's dtHjiuxx The ctier day. It hav I ... I I 1 - - ....... - .. mmmmmmmmmi ing transpired that in some unaccount able manner a miscellaneous assort ment of islands on the outer fringe of the delectable Jolo collection had es caped the drag net at Paris, the ma jority of even this staid and self-possessed body bestirred itself with anx lors voracity and swept them In." And the orator had piled climax upon climax, weaving all the circum stances of the alliance with Ag uinaldo. the establishment of the Philippine ?c public, the native conquest of Luzon, the outbreak of war vlth the Filipinos, the refusal of General Otis to hear the native leaders, and the present re fusal of the senate to consider the na tive petition for a hearing. He ended by reading Edwin Mark ham's poem on the "New Century." For more than twenty years I have watched the senate at odd times, but never before have I witnessed such a scene of congratulation as that which followed the close cf this speech. But even while the senators were pressing around Senator To wne, his successor. Mr. Clapp, came Into the senate to take the oath and he was compelled to withdraw. This remarkable demonstration ia an Indication of the spirit in which the president's demand for unlimited civil power In the Philippines will be met. REDEEMING SILVER Tta minority Report of th Committee HU In lr-l Opposition to ifith erto Gold StMdwrd Arg-u-tneaU. Congresiman Shafroth. of the com mittee on coinage, weights and meas ures, has prepared the minority report upon the bill directing the secretary of the treasury to exchange gold for legal tender silver dollars when pre sented to the treasury. The report says: "We object to the passage of this measure "First Because It will Impose in creased burdens upon the gold reserve of the treasury. To say that it wilt not is to deny the recognized principle of supply and demand. To add the O.OfiO.OOO of silver dollars which now act a redemption money for the sil ver certificates and are not a charge upon the gold reserve, the moneys which are redeemable in gold must greatly Increase the burdens upon the treasury reserve. It cannot be safe for a nation to increase Its gold obli gations without Increasing its reserve. "Second Because It will create a new endless chain on the gold reserve. The policy of the government has been to diminish the obligations redeem able In gold and thereby prevent runs upon the treasury. The gold standard advocates have unanimously contended that the greenbacks should be retired, necessity and cost of maintaining a gold reserve. They contended that the government should go out of the bank ins business. This measure Is a re versal of that policy. It creates new obligations upon the reserve; it plunges the government deeper into the banking business. Third Because It facilitates the exportation of gold. By making the principal medium of exchange used by the people redeemable in gold it be comes much easier for the exporter of gold to gather up obligations pa' able in that metal and present them to the treasury for exchange. No other cation on earth facilitates the export of gold. The scramble of the Euro pean nations at the present time for the gold should demonstrate the ne cessity for legislation discouraging the exportation of gold. "Fourth Because it will produce the destruction of sliver dollars and sliver certificates as money. When silver dollars are made payable in gold they become simply promises to pay. What government would maintain promises to pay stamped upon as dear material as sliver when they could be printed upon paper at no appreciable cost? Would It not be foolish for the naticn to keep invested In promises to pay say 250.000.000 (the bullion value of her silver dollars) when she could print them upon paper and save that amount? Nearly every witness that testified before the committee admitted that the measure would ultimately pro duce a retirement of the silver dollars and a sale of the same as bullion. This Is a new policy in the treatment of precious metals. No nation on the face of the globe discredits its sliver coins by making them simply promises to pay. No government redeems its sil ver In gold. "Why should this nation, which pro duces one-third of all the silver of the world, be the very first to strike down one of it own important Industries? "Fifth Because it will depress tha price of all commodities and proper ty. This measure will make gold do all the work of basic money now done by both gold and sliver. We cannot thus Increase the burdens upon gold with out Increasing the demand for the same. The increase in the world's pro duction of gold is not sufficient to dis place the silver stocks in existence. Statistics show that more than 50 per cent of the gold product Is used In the arts or lost to commerce, which leaves only about $150.00,000 a year to supply the needs of all Christendom. That Is Jess than 3 per cent of the gold stocks of the world and is no more than the legitimate requirements of an increas ing commerce. "Sixth It is impossible for sliver dollars to go to a discount as long as they are limited In number as now provided by law. and hence there is no necessity for this legislation. As it is Impossible for silver dollars as now limited by law to depreciate in value, why should we run the hazard of mak ing increased burdens upon the gold reserve of creating a new endless chain upon the treasury, of facilitating ex norts of gold, of annihilating silver and silver certificates as money and of producing an era of falling: prices?" REPUBLICAN PLOT EXPOSED Why McKlnley, Mark Hubs and the Capitalists are Extremely Anx ious to Have the Spoener Bill Passed. Washington, D. C, Feb. 5. (Special Correspondence.) The last ten . days have developed an unusual amount of extra session talk. It Is really the ship subsidy bill which will force it if anything. The decent pretext of legislation top Cuba and the Philippines is being put forth. Senator Frye lost his temper the other day and declared that the ap propriation bills would be held up if the ship subsidy bill were not given right of way and passed over every thing. The democratic minority have about concluded to give the republicans all the rope they want. If the appropriation bills " are not passed and It becomes necessary to call an extra session the odium will rest with the domineering majority which preferred to loot the treasury for a few selected ship builders in stead of attending to the legitimate business of congress. The democrats can well afford to take responsibility for defeating the subs'idy bill. " They can go before the country on that one Issue and elect a democratic house in 1902. The administration insults the in telligence of its own party, let alone the mass of voters, by its attitude In relation to the Philippine question. Iu order to get a big standing army the republicans solemnly vowed and de clared that we would need that im mense force In the Philippines for some time to, come. Having secured the military arm of the imperial policy, the administra tion drags out a lot of rubbish from the Taft commission, dusts it off, sends it to congress in the closing days of the session and declares that the time is now ripe for giving the Philippines a "civil government." Let It never be forgotten for a mo ment that the aforesaid civil govern ment means the vesting of absolute power in the president to devise any sort of government which suits his policy. Neither congress nor the peo ple are to have anything to say about It. ... Let's look Into this a little. If the administration is nonest in its demand for a big army, then the time is not ripe for a civil - government. ' If the Filipinos have been subjugated then there is no need of a big army." Here is the real point of the whole matter. The president desires the Spooner resolution passed, vesting ab solute civil control of the islands in himself because under military rule he -cannot grant franchises and give the other "civil" privileges of loot and plunder which his owners and bosses so earnestly desire. 1 They need the army also to protect them while they pillage the people whom we have been trying for two years to conquer. The Taft commission mentions the vast mineral and other natural wealth of the islands though they probably exaggerate it considerably and they point out that the time has come 'to grant franchises and - put capital at work to develop and civilize the isl ands. , While the islands would never be a paying investment in the long run: yet there is no doubt but a well organ ized band of robber capitalists can ax plolt first one section of the Islands and then another always with a for midable military doing police duty and protecting capital while it - robs the natives of everything they value in cluding life itself. The islands will look as if a de vastating cyclone had struck them, but meanwhile the speculators who elected McKlnley and who have al ways owned him, will have reaped their harvest. What do they care what direful results follow: ? While this Imperial scheme of plun der is going on the people of this country will continue to pay war taxes in order to keep a standing army doing police duty. This is exactly what the imperialists contemplated from the beginning. They don't propose to wait a day after March 4 if they can help it to begin their work. It is a pleasant spectacle isn't it, for a country which has hith erto prided itself on its free institu tions. If possible the Spooner bill is to be attached as a rider to one of the ap propriation bills. The administration doesn't want any discussion of the Philippine ' question in congress, it prefers to have the transfer of author ity from the legislative to the exe cutive branch of government made as unostentatiously as possible. In fact It would be glad If the people knew nothing about it until too late to undo the mischief. The Cubans in the innocence of their hearts are going on drafting a consti tution giving universal suffrage and all the other appendages of a consti tution for a free people. The repuolicans are much worried. The president intimates that when he received a' copy of the Cuban consti tution which will be about February 15 he will submit it to congress tor action. - Congress in April, 1893, passed a joint resolution declaring that the sole interest of this country was in the pacification of Cuba and distinctly as serting our determination to leave fhe government and control of the island to the people. The Cubans are taking us at our word and going about the business of organizing their 'own government. The administration was not In real ity In any notion of getting out, leav ing Cuba free. But the terms of this resolution makes it difficult to inter- fere without going: back upon our dis tinct pledge. - Still why . should the republicans mind a little thing like that. Since 1898 they have gone a long way from the established path of freedom. They have declared, that the constitution does not follow the flag to the Philip pines, why worry over a little thing like breaking faith with Cuba? A Question for Thoughtful People Dec. 7, 1897, the Chicago Record sent to Washington a petition for postal savings banks containing ' 662,257 names. At least "three out of every four persons favor it, but no move in that direction is made. WTiy so sim ple and easy a thiiig. to accomplish, something in successful operation in almost every civilized country on earth and which would-be) so advantageous to the whole people, Is not established is a question for thoughtful people to consider. Wellington (Kae.) Voice. ; The . principal objection raised to the establishment of postal savings banks in this country has been that we have not a sufficient amount of secur ities in which to invest1 the deposits. And, strange to say, the principal ob jection to the purchase of the, railways by the government .has been that-we. would be unable tomorrow the neces sary capital abour $7,000,000,000. Per haps some day these two classes of ob jectors will meet by accideht. IRRIGATION DEBATE Government Reservoirs and Control of -Water Was Discussed for the First Tli In Congress. - - Washington, D. C.,-Feb. 4. The ir rigation debate in the house of repv& sentatlves, in connection with the river and harbor bill, brought forth the best showing which has yet been made In that branch of congress on this subject. ; " The managers of the river and har bor measure claimed: ; that irrigation and the reclamation Of the arid west were not subjects properly under; the jurisdiction of the river and harbor committee, and that! appropriations for reservoir ' construction should not be inserted in the river and harbor bill. The western members, however, took the ground that the control of the floods and regulation of the flow of the streams by reservoir construction were properly within the scope of the river and harbor bill, and the ruling of the speaker that the amendment of fered was germane to the -bill is sig nificant. . The reclamation of the arid region is a question which is strong enough to stand entirely upon its own foundation and be treated as a separate proposi tion. At the sams time the problem of river control and of the utilization of the flood waters for irrigation are so inter-related that it is inevitable that appropriations will ultimately be made along the same lines as they are for river and harbor improvements. The sentiment in the house in favor of irrigation recognition of some sort is becoming, stronger and 'stronger and cannot much longer be successfully overcome. In the senate the sentiment favorable to arid land -reclamation is yet stronger. Meantime ; the feeling throughout the country generally is growing, growing, east as well as west, into a great national movement which will sooner or later have its way. The time is approaching. It cannot be far distant. The average objector to federal ac tion on the irrigation question objects because of an entire lack of knowledge of the matter. He opposes the govern ment going Into the irrigation business just as he would opose its supplying every farmer with free fertilizer. It is not asked that the government should .undertake to supply water to farmers; only that It so store waters that th western rivers, which are now sometimes high,: sometimes low, shall .he provided with a reserve stor airfi sutrolv of water which will give them a reeular flow, and thus con serve the waters that now go to waste. just as-thepreservation of the forests by the national government conserves the water fcunnlies. If. during the low water period, the water stored by the government is let out into the streams, the Irrigators will attend to its di version and its use, just as they now do -with the rivers which provide a good ; perenmal flow. , What Populists Did The Broken Bow Beacon asserts that "the populists took control of Custer county with a debt of $46,000 hanging over it; they have paid that debt, raised county warrants from a dis count of 10 per cent to par, and claims from a discount of 55 cents to 90 cents on the dollar, and turned the county over to the present republican board entirely free from debt. We are not paying Interest on a cent of indebted ness, our taxes are lower by eight mills on the dollar, and nearly all the taxes levied for 1900 are yet unpaid." The . fusion state government 1 made the same kind .of a record better, if anything but the people of the state and of Custer county did not like that kind of government so they turned the pops out and put the "redeemers" in. They didn't want state and county debts paid off and ; warrants brought to a premium. They liked the Moore Bartleykind of officers better than they did the Meserve-Wolfe kind. If the rumors prove true that are already being heard around the capitol they will find that they have the Moore Bartley kind sure enough. It Is only fair,' however, to say that a majority of the legal voters of the state did not do this thing. It was the scurvy mi nority, assisted by 20,000 men brought into the stale with Mark Hanna boodle aided by the railroaas. HADA'S SUBSIDY BILL How and to Whom Millions of the Money Taxed Out of the People Is to be Distributed to the 111 ; llonaires. Hanna's ship subsidy bill is ex ceedingly longhand full of technical terms. " The busy man could hardly find time to read and cypher out its meaning, but the following synopsis which was printed in the Congres sional Record (pages T492-93) gives the substance of the-whole thing: (1) Every sail and steam ship be longing to citizens of the United Stat es on the register of the United States shall receive after July 1, 1901. for not exceeding 16 voyages in any one jrear, if entered for the foreign trade, from any port of the United States to a for eign port not less than 150 miles dis tant, a subsidy of 1 cents per gross ton for every 100 nautical miles up to 1,500 on the outward and homeward voyage and 1 cent for every 100 nautical-miles over 1,500 miles. (2) In addition to the above subsidy all steam vessels belonging to citizens of the United States, entered for the foreign trade as above stated, which are suitable for carrying the mails or to be auxiliary ships in time of war, shall receive the following additional subsidies per ton for each 100 nautical miles, viz: Vessels over 2,000 gross tons: First Twelve knots and less than 14 knots, five-tenths of 1 cent per gross ton. Second Fourteen knots and less than 15 knots, 1 cent per gross ton. Third Fifteen knots and less than 16 knots, 1.1 cent per gross ton. Fourth Sixteen knots or over, 1.2 cents per gross ton. Vessels over 4,000 gross tons: Fifth Seventeen knots and less than 18 knots, 1.4 cents per gross ton. Sixth Eighteen knots and less than 19 knots, 1.6 cents per gross ton. Seventh Nineteenth knots or over, 1.8 cents per gross ton. Vessels over 10,000 gross tons: Eighth Twenty knots and less than 21 knots, 2 cents per gross ton. Ninth Twenty-one knots or over, 2.3. cents per gross ton. (3) ' All foreign-built vessels belong ing to citizens of the United States which on February .1, 1899, were en gaged in an established freight and passenger business, or both, from a port of the United States, ..and which are classed as "Al;" and, All f orei gn-built steamships , owned by citizens of the 'United States, which were conpleted prior to February 1, 1899, or, if in process of construction, the contracts for constructing the same shall " have been filed with the secretary of the treasury prior to Feb ruary 1, 1899, shall be admitted to Ara erlcai registry: Provided, That the full title ' to said ships shall be ob tained by said citizens of the United States, and they shall bind themselves to construct in the United States with in 'ten years vessels; of an equal ton nage. ' ' - (4) All citizens of the United States may, within five years after the pas sage of this act," contract with the sec retary of 1 the treasury to construct within five years any of the vessels heretofore mentioned, the same to be admitted to registry and to become en titled to subsidies herein provided. (5) The owners of all vessels built in the United States under the pro visions of this act shall receive sub sidy for ten years, if said vessel shall have been completed prior to January 1, 1900, and full subsidy for twenty years if such vessels have not been completed prior to said date. (6) No subsidy shall be paid to the owners of any existing vessels of the United States until they give bond for the construction, within five years, of at least 25 per cent of the tonnage of the vessel receiving subsidy. - : (7) All foreign vessels admitted to registry in the United States under this act shall receive only 50 per cent of the subsidy allowed to United Stat es built vessels of the same tonnage, and no contracts shall be made by the secretary of the treasury . after ten years from the passage of this act; nor shall any subsidies be paid after twenty years from said date, the amount of subsidy being limited to $9,000,000 for each fiscal year. (8) No vessel registered in the Unit ed States shall be entitled to subsidy unless one-fourth of her crew shall be citizens of the United States, but if such proportion of citizens of the United States cannot be reasonably ob tained the shipping commissioner or consul at the port ma y allow the whole crew to be foreigners. (9) No vessel of the United States shall be; entitled to full subsidy unless it shall have cleared from a port of the United States with a cargo to the amount of 50 per cent of its capacity for ; carrying commercial cargo. In calculating the amount of commercial cargo, 2,240 pounds, or 40 cubic feet of space, shall constitute a gross ton, and In the " case of passenger vessels carrying the mails, a condition prece dent to allowing subsidy shall be that the said vessels carry cargo to an amount equal to one-half the differ ence between the gross tonnage of the vessel and its commercial capacity. If the space representing the commercial capacity of any ship shall be sold for any length of time, then the space so sold shall be counted as If filled with cargo. ' (10) All documented vessels of the United States engaged in the deep sea fisheries for three months in any year shall receive $2 per gross ton for the 'year, and every citizen of the United States serving as a member of the. crew for three months in any year shall receive $1 per month for the time he Is so employed:. Provided, That one-third of the crew of said vessel shall be citizens of the United States. Christian Looting The Independent has put . very little faith in stories that have come , from China declaring that the American troops took no part in the looting of the Chinese inhabitants. That the troops from all the so-called Christian nations have engaged In wholesale murder and robbery of the noncombat ant inhabitants and that the German troops are still at it, there can be no reasonable doubt. The Worcester, Mass., Spy, prints a letter from a pri vate soldier In the Ninth infantry which contains the following: . "If I could have taken care of and safely handled all the loot and plunder which I had and could have got, I would return to the United States a rich man, easily worth from $25,000 to $30,000, but I couldn't do it, and had to get rid of what did fall into my hands as quickly as possible. I sold nearly $1,000 worth of loot. I had silver bul lion galore, beautiful and costly furs of all kinds, silk in abundance and a great variety of precious stones and jewels, but I could not carry it, so had to dispose of it as quickly as I could. I sold $1,500 worth of pure bar silver for $200 Mexican money, equal to $100 in gold. I have often stated in my palmy days that I would like to have all the wealth I could carry, and here is a case o'. where ! have it. But it avails me nothing, as the poor enlisted man gets nothing out of the affair but hardtack and with but one-fourth rations at that. Many of the officers have secured enough out of the affair to be wealthy for life, and the higher the rank the more loot they got. When you read in the paper of the Americans not lo tlrg, you can just wink the other eye and be wise. The Americans and the English were dead in the game, and the English got a trifle more than the Yanks, because they were a trifle smarter. The Japan ese are the finest soldiers in the world today, any way you take them, and any nation wants to think twice before bumping up against -them " COL. ST0TSENBUR6 A Tribute to His Memory by the Offi cers and Men of the First Ne braska. Columbus, Jan. ,31, -1901. Edi tor of The Independent, Lincoln, -Nebraska. Dear Sir: Herewith you V.U please find letter of Mrs. Stotsenburg, which I desire to bring to the atten infantry United States volunteers. As Iinfantry United States volunteers. As the public is also Interested in this matter,, J" wish to state in explanation, that when the regiment was mustered out of the service at San Francisco on August 23, 1899, there was a balance in the regimental fund of something over $200. The matter was discussed of starting a fund for a monument dedi cated to the' memory of those who fell in battle or succumbed to disease, and finally it was decided to ask an expres sion of the officers and men of the regiment whether it would not be as good a tribute to send it to the widow and children of our heroic Colonel as a slight token of condolence and ap preciation of the esteem In which the husband and father was held. Through the Regimental Adjutant Whedon of Lincoln, Neb., it was ascsertained that the officers and men of the regiment concluded, unanimously, that this lat ter proposition was in accordance with their wishes. . Major Mulford, it seeto3, has just sent this balance to Mrs. Stot senburg, who wishes me to convey her gratitude and appreciation to all the members o? our regiment, so if you will please kindly Insert this in your paper, you will greatly oblige. Very respectfully yours, J. N. KILIAN. The following is Mrs. Stotsenburg's reply: - . 531 Eighteenth Street, N. W., Wash ington, D. C, Jan. 28, 1901. To the Officers and Men of the First Nebras ka Volunteers, Lincoln, Nebraska. Gentlemen: I find It extremely diffi cult to convey to you any adequate ex pression of my gratitude for the very kind expression of your esteem and ap preciation of the sacrifice made by. my beloved husband in his fall at the head of your regiment on the fated field Of Qulngua, as indicated by the very gen erous offering made by you and re ceived by me through Major Mulford, 39th infantry, several days since. . It brings to my mind very vividly the long days of preparation before leaving this country, those of suspense in the lines around Manila when he and you learned to appreciate each other, the later days of the struggle and danger which had so sad an end ing, and still later, the home-coming of those who were spared to share it. And then, I picture you in my mind, as in your homes happy in the con sciousness of having performed well your duty, and proud of the record you, as Nebraskans, and as soldiers of this great, grand country, have made. For those comrades of my husband, who, with him, gave their lives to the. cause of humanity, my sorrow is last ing; and for those they left behind, my sympathy is . - unbounded. - May God bless you one and all, and speed the days when war shall cease and white wings of Peace brood over all nations and races of men. Very sincerely yours, - MAKi JU STUlSlSNBUKlr. The United Mutual Hall Insurance association held, their annual meet ing in this city Monday. All the mem bers present expressed entire satisfac tion as to the successful conduct of the business during the past year and all the present directors and officers were re-elected. The business for the year just closed was large and a material Increase is expected for the coming year. " Auburn, N. Y., in 1899 paid $20,000 of its water bonds, laid four miles of mains, reserved $10,000 for a new pump and announced a reduction of 25 per cent in the charges to consumers. SENATOR TOVHPS SPEECH J . . . , i I Will be a Hlstorle Document ef Use t Historians for all Time to ; Come. The speech of Senator Towne will be printed in full and become one of the1 most important documents in future' discussion as long as the question of Imperialism is before the people. More! than that it will be a document that' the historians of the future will relyj upon for facts when they write the dark records of these days or comm-jr-, ciallsm and the grasping for powerJ It Is too long for publication In The Independent, but the opening and closing portions are here given: Mr. Towne: Mr. President, I should like to have the joint resolution intro-i duced by me last Friday read for the information of the senate: The President pro tempore: The joint resolution will be read. ! The secretary read the Joint resolu-i tlon. as follows: A joint resolution (S. R. 155) In favor of recognition of Philippine Indepen- Resolved by the senate and house of representatives of the United States in1 congress assembled, That Justice, .th! public welfare, and the national honori demand the immediate cessation of hostilities in the Philippine islands upon terms recognizing the Indepen-1 dence of the Philippine people and conserving and guaranteeing the In-; terests of the United States. j Mr. Towne: Mr. President, the pre sentation on the 10th Instant, by the distinguished senator from Colorado (Mr. Teller), of a petition signed by more than two thousand inhabitants of the city of Manila was an unexara-1 pled and most remarkable circum-i 6tance. Whatever the future has in store, this document is historic. It, Is spread upon the records of the sen ate. There It must remain so long a? our archives are preserved. To all. coming ages its mute eloquence will, speak "with most miraculous organ." Either it will have proved a quicken Ing appeal to the ancient spirit of tnei republic, or, in my opinion, its rejec tion must dedicate the twentieth cen tury to a reaction prejudicial, If not: fatal, to free Institutions. i Who "ai e ' th 'signers of this petl tlon? They are peaceable -tradesmen; merchants, lawyers, doctoi,3,.teacner3' mechanics and artisans at'fanila Whom do they represent? They ci&irc to speak the sentiments and asplra" lions of the Philippine, people. Ol! what do they complin? ' Of the as sertion over them by force of arms ol! an aMen and arbitrary rule. . What na tion thus asserts Its power against, them? The republic of the United. States of America. What is it they desire? Independence and self-government. To whom do theypresent their appeal? Let the answer be made in the words of the petition itself: , "We have not hesitated, therefore, to present this appeal to the United States congress, trusting that the lat ter may better understand the real aims and aspirations of our people. Therefore the Philippine nation, bear ing in mind not only the heroic his tory of . America, but also her sacred traditions, her humanitarian doctrineii and her democratic institutions ask,s of America to cease her persecution of men struggling to be free against greater odds and greater wrongs than those which inspired the fathers of th5 American republic. We ask this of Americans in the name of Washington, in the name of Jefferson, in the nam of Lincoln, In the name of justice, and 1 A. 1 "I 1 T t the world." , J Sir, I confess that this appeal moves me. What American can remain In sensible to the unhappy plight of a small and relatively feeble people en gaged In a hopeless contest with a vastly stronger antagonist for the sac red privilege of self-government? Is not there something Infinitely pathetic In the circumstance that we should to day be using the very powej conferred upon us by our liberties to subjugate a weaker nation invoking those very liberties against us and whom our own glorlQU3 example inspires to re sist our aggression? Their summons in the name of Washington, Jefferso:a and Lincoln challenge justice In the court of heaven is a most solemn ad juration. Never heretofore would the United States have hesitated to stake Its cause on such an Issue. Do we dare to do It now? In my opinion, Mr. President, the prayer of this people should be granted Not less advantage than justice, net less glory than duty, demands It. As tending to , support this contention, therefore, I propose, as briefly as is consistent with the importance of the subject, and considering that atten tion, has been heretofore repeatedly called to them In this chamber, to re view the circumstances of the origin of our interestin the Philippines, the conditions existing in the islands f.t that time, and the present situation there, as well as some of the argu ments employed to justify both the conquest and the arbitrary government of the archipelago by the United Stat es. I shall also endeavor to show ths the present policy of imperialism and militarism, toward which there has been for some years an accelerating tendency In Europe an abandonment of the fnost glorious traditions of-the republic and recreancy to her noblo and peculiar mission among the peo ples of the earth. In classic times, sir, long after the skeptic philosophers had ravished Olympus of . Its terrors and Helicon of its charms, it still remained the cus tom of the poets to invoke the aid of gods and muses whose existence, for both writer and reader, had become a, tarn intellectual fiction. Today a somewhat similar imputation attachoa ? t 1-,