The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-03-18
CUBA AND SILVER COINAGE.
THE SENATE HEARS SPEECHES on
THE TWO SUBJECTS.

Morgan Champions the First and I
ruEh the seeOnd-MorgaR CrIti-
ciSes the Speeches of Hale and
Hoar in Connection With the state
ments From the Spanish Minister
at Washington.
Washington, March 17-In four hours
speeeh to-day Senator Morgan closed his
defense of the action of the committee
or, foreign relations in reporting the Gu
han resolutions. He replied to the criti-
cisns of Senators Hale of Maine and Hoar
nj Massachusetts,, in connection with the
statements from the Spanish minister;
and he placed against those arguments on
The side of Spain, the statements of Senior
Oueseda. the Cuban representative in
washington, and various other newspa-
ner publications, besides various written
communications detailing stories and
atrocities perpetrated in Cuba during the
last insurrection. His speech to-day and
Yesterday occupied altogether about seven
hours. 1t will be followed tomorrow with
A speech on the same subject by Mr..
Mills.
Senator Pugh also brought to a close
to-day the speech which ne begun yester-
day in favor of the free coinage of sill
yer.
Mr.. Pugh attacked the national bank
system, declaring that the banks were
known to be the national enemies of me
tanc money. The silver craze" he said,
was nothing compared with the insanity
Of gold spectators in trying TO establish
a despotism of money, to which the peo-
pie would never submit until they were
really crazed. 1t was not within the scope
of human power to place the United States
on a gold basis or to keep it on a silver
basis If the friends of free coinage in
the three political organizations could be
united on one man they would elect a
President by an overwhelming majority,
for it could not be honestly questioned
that an overwhelming majority of the
whole voting population OF the United
States favored the restoration of silver
10 coinage on equal terms with gold. But
unfortunately, the friends of 1ree silver
coinage were fighting with each other in
separate political organizations and this
fact was the greatest and only obstacle
IN the way of their success IN the next
presidential election, and was the main re-
lance of the advocates of a gold plutoc-
racy But it was utterly unreasonable to
expect free coinage democrats, who con-
sttuted four-tifths of the party to go
over to the pOpulist party, which made up
mere fraction of the friends Of free
one man in the white house blocked
the way to free silver coinage, so that
ton friendly to silver could become a
law while Mr.. Cleveland was President.
Mr.. Pugh concluded his speech at 145
p. m, and then the conference report
on the Cuban beligerency resolution was
Mr.. Morgan, a member Of the commit
tee on foreign relations, continued the
speech begun by him yesterday in favor
OF the resolutions. He began by speak
ing of the super-sensitiVeness of Spain
because she felt the sand sliding from
under her feet, while the gem of the An
TILES was passing out of her grasp. Spain
had sucked the orange Wen nigh dry, UNI
til its sweetness was about all gone. Mr..
Morgan spoke of the furtiYe allusion to
sugar in the paper of the Spanish min
lister made public yesterday, and said
that ii was intended TO sWeeten the in
vocation for American sympathy and aid
to crush the rebellion He sent to the
clerks desk and had read what he called
the Spanish minister's diatribe against
the Senate and Senators" He spoke of
Senior de LONE as a "supercllious tor-
egn minister and said that it was high
time for the House and the Senate to
close their doors against such attempts
10 influence them. This was the first
time he said, when the foreign repre-
sentative of monarchy, could Gall in
question the members of those bodies for
words uttered in debate.
Senior de Lomes statement to the press
having been read by the clerk, Mr.. Nor
gan resumed his speech; He spoke OF the
censorship of the cable between Cuba
and America by the Spanish authorities,
and said that, so far the mails were
concerned, he had been informed yester
day by a Catholic priest who knew per-
fectly we'll, both Spain and Cuba, that
the mails between Cuba and the United
States were constantly opened and their
contents examined. 1t was perfectly well
known, Mr.. Morgan added, that all the
Geographic information from Cuba was
doctored unless it happened to be fav-
orable to the Spanish cause. He had lost
respect for a minister who Undertook to
misquote senator as the Spanish minis
ter had misquoted him, and he read from
the Congressional Record the statement
which he (Mr MOrCa0l had made in the
Senate, and which, he said, the Spanish
minister had misquoted.
The facts cited by him (Mr. Morgan)
in that speech stood confessed by Spain
through the lips of her own minister,
who, having the opportunity to make a
denial, evaded the statements and left
them unanswered. He dissented entirely
from the opinion expressed in the Senate
that foreign minister in this country
had the right to resort to the press for
the purpose of affecting any matter pend
ing in congress or in respect to any policy
OF the United States which he might con-
slider to be offensive or Injurious to his
country. He characterized Senior de
Lomes statement to the press as "a fla
grant abuse of privilege"
Mr.. Morgan then discussed thelpoint of
the constitutional guarantee against SEN
ators or representatives being held to ac-
count for words spoken. in debate. He
might, in his place in the Senate, calumni-
ate any citizen of the United States hav-
ing some connection with public affairs
without being accountable for libel.
Mr. Gray asked Mr.. Morgan whether the
queen III question would not nave the same
freedom OF speech. '--''+ ''''
Mr.. Morgan admitted that he would; but
u turned out in this case, he said. that
the minister from Spain was not a citizen
OF the United States. He was entirely pro-
lected by the law of nations against any
proceeding to hold him accountable for
libel, either criminally civilly. There
was where the rule came in which sealed
q minister's lips. .-.. -...
Mr.. Morgan read the historical incident
OF the interview between Jefferson and the
french minister, Seyet and exclaimed pas
slonately: Would to God that we had
somebody here now who had a just con-
eePtlon of the constitutional rights of the
Inherent parts of this government"
Mr.. Hale called attention to the fact that
chairman of the committee on foreign re-
Iauons Mr.. Sherman, did not share in Mr..
Morgan S opinion as to the Spanish min
lster statement and read an extract from
Mr.. Sherman's last speech in the Senate
10 the effect that Mr.. de LONE had per-