Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1854-03-30
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national aag by DE Spanish authoritios q

! where is the former Executive who has peck
| eted an insult from Spain--that inert and de-
! cayed Governments When and where, sir,
has the American flag been insulted by Spainl
| On what occasion What officer Of this Gov
! ernment has demeaned himself as so unwor-
thy Of the name Of an American citizen and
| when did this Government sit silent ander in
suit from the feminine majesty Of Spain, that
weak and powerless nation.
Sir, myself feel that, coming from the peo-
pie Of the United States, and authorized and
commissioned by them, we are authorized to
act upon our own judgments-o1r own re-
sponsibility; and we are not to sit here to
listen to lectures from the Executive up
on the maintenance of national honor, or our
duties. We are not sent here to be dictated
to, from that or any other quarter; and would
that members in this Hall should feel the Dig
nifty Of their position, aud hurl back from this
Hall such efforts to excite our indignation
against the powerless Government Of Her
Most Christian Majesty of Spain. Sir, would
| say to him, consult your owIf duty, discharge
| your own obligations, and we will attend to
| ours. Why, sir, elected as he was by most
triumphant majority, the scepter of his power
has already departed. Ills influence gone, he
| is now paralyzed and unable tc carry ma
| jority of this body.
| Sir, served with that gentleman in this
| Hail. l am an older man than he is, and
| have seen more service than he has-I do not
! say IN war, laughter and l feel as compe-
tent TO examine this subject as he is Sir,
this is depression. l feel, Mr.. Speaker, that
this encroachmentupo our dignity and rights
| should be met by gentlemen in this Hall, and
| promptly rebuked. Other gentlemen may sit
| quietly under it. but will not. The friends
| OF the Administration may pocket these leet-
4l,r - A
| who have acted with the Wing party, may do
| it, but / win not do it,
| However, / viii not detain the House up-
| on that point. The President goes further;
| he says: "The documents in these cases are
voluminous, and when prepared will be sent
to Congress
Who asked the President to send them to
uss Why does he attempt to protrude upon
US documents uncalled for, which he has no
authority or precedent to send us , wish to
impress upon this Executive the fact that heis
our servant, and not our master. / want to
teach him--no that expression is not, perhaps,
courteous-but desire to let him know that
while he executes our laws, and makes sug.
gestions to Congress, under the duty imposed
upon him by the Constitution, as to such
matters ashe wishes to call our attention,
l will respect him. But how stands the mat
ter heres Does he send information to the
other branch of the National Legislatures---
No, sir.
Mr.. Speaker, has this communication been
sent to the other branchs No, SIR Why are
we called upon to prepare for war; The Sem
ate is proceeding as usual with its ordinary
business, just as though there were no war
called for, unconscious of the necessity of call
ing up indignation against her girlsh Maies-
ty. The President does not pretend to COM
municate, underline Constitutional provision,
of calling the attention of Congress to matters
which he may deem important. He says
nothing to Congress. He speaks solely to this
House.
But must hasten to conclusion I have
already detained the House longer than in
tended. | ask attention for moment to what
deem the most important Fart of this most
! extraordinary communication. 1t may be
found IN the two last paragraphs of the mes
sage, which certainly looks ominous, The
President says
''In view of the position of the Island of
Cuba and its proximity to our coast, and tho
relations which she must ever bear to QUE
| commercial and other slsteycst--''
! desire my friends upon the Committee on
Foreign Affairs to look well to these ssother
interests" and see that their slaves do not
suffer a
--''it is vain to expect that series of un-
friendly acts infringing our commercial rights,
and the adoption of policy threatening tie
honor and security Of these States can long ex-
list with peaceful relations
I need not tell gentlemen what that lam
guage means. Every member within the
sound of my voice knows its meaning. The
policy Of Cuba, as it is now known and read
of all men, is '.progress toacGrdS civilization;
it is the emancipation of her slaves, an effort
80 IL Ia A., .rl.,. H. r L L
to allow them to stand forth clothed with the
attributes of humanity" That is the policy
which the President considers as :. threaten
ing the honor and security Of these States He
then, in the last paragraph, advises prepare
ton for war. This, then, is the policy which
we are called upon to guard against, and to
involve ourselves in war, to prevent which we
are to resort to arms, to the last dreadful re-
sort of battle and deadly strife. In order to
prevent the progress of CIVILIZATION and freedom
in Cuba we must prepare to send our country
men to premature graves. Our freemen are
therefore to die that Cuban slaves may
continue to sigh and groan in chains.
The President calls for authority to resist
these encroachments upon the barbarous in
stitution of slavery in Cuba. He no longer
holds to non-intervention that only applies
to Nebraska; but in Cuba he will interfere to
maintain slavery, at the point of the bayonet,
at the expense Of our blood, our treasure. and
our honor. This course Of policy is in pre-
else accordance with the views which the Ex-
ecutive organ has put forth for the last wear.
speaking the sentiments of the President, as I
suppose. Indeed, some of the articles, it has
been said, were written by members Of the
Cabinet. We have seen the administration
press of the country teeming with appeals to
the passions Of the people, in order to prepare
them for war with Cuba. We have seen it
heralded through those presses that her ensan-
cipGdoes were to be set free. We have seen il
proclaimed through the same press, that She
had limited the price Of slaves, that her
scheme of colonization would eventually
emancipate all her slaves and those presses
have appealed to the people to prevent this sad
progress of civilization, lest it should inter-
fere with the slavery Of our Southern States.
Every member is conscious Of our diplo-
matte efforts, under slaveholding President,
when hundred millions Of dollars were offer
ed to secure the slavery of Cuba from the in
huences there operating in 1avor of its then
future overthrow.
Now we are officially called on by the Pres
ident to arrest this advancing Improvement in
the moral and physical condition OF Cuba, by
the most decisive action in the power OF the
nation. Sir. nearly the whole Southern press
is teeminr with articles similar to those put
forth in the Union of this city. have before
me an extract from an article published in the
Fairfield. S. c., Herald, of q recent date,
which will read to the House, It is as fol-