Show GENERAL WEB EXPLAINS Speech e Itended to Hake In the House Washington March 4Wit1 reference refer-ence to his attempt today to ccure reognon for the purpose of addressing address-ing the house General Wheeler said tonight to-night Seeing there was nothing to be done in the house I asked unanimom consent con-sent to speak for five minutes I was not recognized but Mr Pal was rae ogized to meve a recess for the nun ute I then asked that beor that motion was lt I be permitted to address ad-dress the house for three minutes J the speaker had submitted my request I am confident that no member of the house would have objected What I intended to say was as follows Xo one reveres the constitution more than myself and I could not be induced to advocate a construction contrary to the intent of its framers When I receIved the appointment as major general of volunteers lust May 1 was requested by persons whose desires de-sires 1 could not disregard not to resign re-sign my seat in congress I found in the present congress thirtythree members mem-bers had been appointed to offices and that none of them had resigned their seats in congress I examined the decisions de-cisions and Dreeedents on the subject and found that during the 10 years of the existence of our government hundreds I hun-dreds and possibly thousand of menu I hers of congress had aeceDted offices during their term and that none of them holding tenloorary offices hike mine had ever been unseated > I found that the decisions of courts even Including four decisions quoted bY General Henderson In his report tbol the round that inhibitions found in the constitution with regard to offices referred to offices of a permanent character char-acter and not of a temporary charlC tel I also found that the attorney gen elal of the nled States had rendered an elaborate opinion on the subject in which he tool recisely the same ground and h5id that an office In the volunteers was not such an office as was inhibited by the constitution I was anxious for the ntater to be brought u In the house and fully discussed dis-cussed 50 that the decision would be In harmon with the spirit of the constitution |