Show OLD GLORY MUST 1 I PROTECT US ALI Morgans Vehement Speech ir the Senate DUTIES OF OFFICIALS AMERICANS NOW IN FOUL SPANISH DUNGEONS No Matter What Number of Citizens Cit-izens of the United States Deprived De-prived of Their Liberty the Flag of the United States if it Reuses Ito I-to Shelter Them is a Disgraced Bag Continued Debate on the Torrey Bill Some of the Greatest Objections to I Washington April SThe senate today to-day heard Mr Morgan of Alabama for the third successive day on his resolution declaring that a state of war exists in Cuba He wits severely critical of Spains methods against American prisoners and went over in I detail the circumstances in the Competitor Com-petitor case I Mr Morgan said he would close his speech at the next meeting of the senate when he would present a letter I let-ter from one of the Cuban officials of the eastern province of the island showing the complete civil system of government now maintained by the Cubans OPPOSED THE TORREY BILL Mr Nelson of Minnesota spoke for two hours on the bankruptcy bill opposing op-posing the pending Torrey bill as excessively ex-cessively harsh and designed a a collection col-lection agency for large creditors and urging his substitute as a measure drafted in the interests of thousands of poor debtors struggling to get cm their feet Mr Chandler offered a resolution which was agreed to as follows Resolved that the committee on interstate commerce be directed to investigate the payments made or agreed to be made by the interstate commerce commission for attorneys fees and also to inquire whether in any case the attorneys of the commission com-mission have been also employed by railway companies in similar cases and further whether any additional authority from congress is required for the employment of counsel in any i pending proceedings which have been instituted commission by or on motion of the I The resolution of Mr Earl Dem S C for the reorganization of senate committees went over Mr Chandler I resenting an amendment to be urged vhen the resolution is taken up The imendment provides that on Tuesday kpril 20 at 2 p m the senate will pro eed to appoint Its commttees I MORGAN RESUMES In resuming his speech on the reso utlon declaring that a state of war xists in Cuba Mr Morgan reverted Ito I-to the statement of Mr Hale yester Ida I-da that the number of American prisoners in Spanish prisons was reduced re-duced to 12 In sarcastic tones Mr Morgan said that such releases as had occurred were the result of supplica ion by our government and perhaps it would be appropriate to adopt a rote of thanks to Spain for not slaying hese prisoners outright Aside from he official testimony as to the condi ion in Cuba the newspaper press had pied ton up a mass of testimony which I stablished beyond question that the war was being prosecuted by Spain ontrary warfare to all the rules of civilized WAS INADVERTENT Mr Morgan commented on a letter rritten by Dupuy de Lome the Span ish minister to Miss Clara Barton elative to Red Cross work in Cuba In the course of the letter use is made of the expression during the present a This declared Mr Morgan was an inadvertent admission by the Spanish minister despite all his diplomatic unntag that war was going on And yet congress and the president would I congess not recognize that as a statement of I war which would assure to the Amen can prisoners the treatment of prison ers of war and not of insurrectionists existed The United States had warned off European nations from attempting I control of Venezuela said Mr Morgan Mor-gan We seemed to exercise a sort of uardianship over that island against I gar nations But exclaimed the al orator guardianship if we have it I is i like the guardianship of the devil over a condemned soul We are warning I warn-ing nations that they must hold aloof whie we stand by and see the inquisitorial inquisi-torial methods of Spanish warfare panish dungeons and Spanish tyranny ty-ranny against Cubans and against our own people without one word of pro tet I COMPETITOR EXPEDITION I Mr Morgan spoke of the Competitor I expedition and took up the case of young Owen Melton one of the Competitor Com-petitor prisoners and followed the JJettor prsner progress of his trial and bl iT IC I ment incommunicado in the Spanish dungeons Young Melton said he was held today to-day in a loathsome dungeon not because I I i be-cause guilt had been established but because he is a young American bOY He was held In a miserable place in which at times 40 other prisoners were crowded Three pails of water were I lrought to them daily to quench their thirst from rations of dried fish Mr I I Morgan then reviewed the case of Rev Dr Diaz While preaching at Havana bombshells had been thrown into his I church and he and his brother were arrested and held for seven days incommunicado I in-communicado GROWS VEHEMENT I Mr Morgan read from the laws and treaties to show the unjustifiable character of Meltons imprisonment Then the senator exclaimed with great vehemence Whether there are 74 prisoners in Cuba or 74000 or whether i is one in the erS of Owen Melton this Arkansas Ar-kansas youth the flag of the United States if it refuses to shelter him Is a disgraced rag THEN BANKRUPTCY Mr Morgan gave way at 2 oclock to the bankruptcy bill stating that he would conclude his speech at the next meeting of the senate Mr Nelson Rep Minn addressed the senate on the bankruptcy bill He said there was no public demt tjl for the drastic machinery provided by the Torrey bankruptcy bill When the measure came up the other day he received a shower of telegrams favor receivc ing it evidently inspired by interested parties in Washington but the men whO wanted a harsh collection system who loaned money and clipped coupons should not be aided by a bankruptcy bill It was the honest debtor who was struggling foget en his feet Mr Nelson Nel-son criticized the Torrey bill in detail saying i was vicious and complicated providing 15 distinct causes for bankruptcy bank-ruptcy The bill also created 34 crim jnal offenses with severe penalties There was he said no limit to the fees that attniieys might charge under the bill This was one of the crying evils of the law of 1878 under which so many attorneys made fortunes Mr Nelson then discussed the main features of his substitute bill The purpose of the substitute was to make I the proceedings simple and inexpensive limiting bankruptcy to a few causes and leaving creditors in all other cases to the state laws There was no demand outside for a few jobbers and wholesalers in favor of the excessive Torrey bill times had In the northwest the hard tmes nearly shipwrecked many worthy business busi-ness men They were Jaded with debt and it was to the interest i of that whole section and the country to give them a law to put them on their feet not t strangle them by1 a harsh engine of col lecions I Next to the tariff bill Mr Nelson Nel-son said he regarded a conservative bankruptcy bill designed to help debtors debt-ors as the subJectTof chief importance before congress JHe hoped congress would not adjourntiefore passing some bankruptcy bUe J Yen said he would be willing to takaiftthe harsh Torrey bill rather than seal legislation fail HOAR INDEFENSE I Mr Hoar defended the orrey bill against Mr Nelsons charges of harshness harsh-ness He said that 500000 debtors were awaiting the relieffpf this humane bill The Nelson substitute Mr Hoar Nelsn I regarded re-garded a impracticable Mr Lindsay I of Kentucky gavejnotice of a speech at the next session In answer to criticisms I criti-cisms of the committee bill 11 Thurston Rep Neb gave notice no-tice that on next Tuesday he would address the senateon the subjectof the Pacific railroadi debt settlements At 445 the 5 mae adjourned until Monday ftO l |