The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-12-11
THE CUBAN QUESTION.
Senators Call and CuI|om Spoke
Yesterday.

" ".'"SIoH, Dec. lU.-Ihe Senate got
into the regular channels of business to.
day, taking up the immigration bill and
partly pertecting it and also hearing the
first OF the speeches on Cuba, those of
Mr.. Cuilom and Mr. Call. The dispos
ton TO put through the immigration bill
was shown by the defeat of "A motion by
hr. Gibson, of Maryland, to postpone the
measure until after the HOLIDAYS. Only
thirteen votes, all Democrats, were given
in favor of the postponement. The prom
ositlon served to involve Messrs. Chan
dier, Lodge and Gibson in several spirited
coiloquys. The merits of the immigration
question were discussed in general way
on several proposed amendments, Mr.
vest ana Mr.. Palmer suggesting that
limits should be placed on the restrictions
while Mr.. Lodge and Mr.. Chandler urged
that the restrictions be sweeping in char.
acter. The bill was not passed UP to the
time oil adjournment but the Senate
agreed 10 what is generally known as the
Lodge Dill as substitute to the House
measure. The measure requires that all
immigrants over the age of fourteen
years shall be able to read and write their
native language end shall he required to
read ana write in the presence of Uni.
ted States officer ut least five lines of the
oiioSu ''e''IcS CONSTITUTION.
The coming inauguration of Mr. Me.
kinley was forcshadowed by II resolution
offered by Mr.. sherman and agreed to.
providing for il committee of three Senn-
tors to he named by the presiding officer
60 make necessary arrangements for the
inauguration of the Presidents
MI. Cuilom was then recognized for n
speech on the Cuban question, of which
he had given notice. The public interest
in the question was evidenced by full
Attendance in the public galleries None
OF the foreign representatives were in the
galleries reserved for them. Mr. Sher.
man, Mr.. Hoar, Mr.. Mills and others who
have been prominently identified with
the Cuban subject gave the speech close
attention. Mr.. Cullom was in vigorous
voice, which added emphasis to the plain
words employed in arraigning Spain.
The Senator preceded his speech with
this resolution:
Resolved by the Senate and House of
Representatives, That,,the extinction OF
Spanish title and the termination of
Spanish control of the islands ut the gate
way of the Gulf of Mexico are necessary
to the welfare of those islands and TO the
people of the United States" ii
After historical reference to Spanish
cruelty in America, Mr.. Cullom said:
while all the provinces which have
reDelled and separated from Spain have,
as | have shown, become prosperous and
fairly well conditioned, independent coun-
tries, the feeble old mother country has
gradually fallen into II lower and lower
estate. depending and almost relying for
existence upon the stolen gold levied
from Cuba. Porto Rico, and'thc Philippine
Islands. spain continues to he what she
has always bcen--a robber nation
speak now of the nation and not of her
people
IF we wait for precedent we shall
wait forever. If II precedent is needed we
shall make one. We violated every pre-
cedcnt by the declaration of our own in
dependence on July 4, 177G We had no
precedent, nor did we even ask for advice
so to the change in 1889 from II confede-
ration to IL union of States. Vixen we
announced the Monroe doctrine in 1923 it
was defiance of precedent and was the
determination of II rule which has become
law and will never be gainsaid. When
we announced not many months ago that
we should intervene in the Venezuelan
boundary and see for ourselves if our
rights were to be concluded by foreign
dictation, we followed no precedent but
that of good American common sense.
And common sense has won.r
Continuing, Senator Culom said that
government of Cuba by Spain was merely
tyranny: that Cuba had already attained
condition emitting her to be free; that
the American people warmly sympathized
with the struggling patriots and were
anxious to extend IL helping hand. He
said spain had already wasted over n hun
dred millions in the vain endeavor to put
down the revolt. 1t was not the policy
of the United States, he said, to annex
Cuba. but to secure to the. striker island
crs the inalicnable right of self govern
ment, Il principle which distinguished the
Western hemisphere from the rest of the
world.
MIR. Call followed Mr. Cullom, address
ing himself to his resolution introduced
yesterday for the recognition OF Cuban in
dependence.
Mr. Call began by having the clerk read
several official communications. One by
United States Consul Brice, of Matanzas,
Cuba, to Assistant Secretary of State
Rockhill, stated that the military gov.
crnOr had turned over Oscar Crspides TO
the civil authorities, making profuse
apologies III the case. The deposition OF
Ccspides, taken in the Mantnnzas JAIL
was read 1t recited that he was IL native
born citizen of the United states who
went as IL reporter To Cuba on board the
Commodore He was captured while
laying sick under IL tree, not having arms
and without any conncc' ion with the rev.
olution y letter to Mr.. Call added the
information that Hosea Gonzales, i'm apell
citizen of Florida, was in ii Cuban prison,
although no just charges were against
him.
| Mr.. Cali referred to these communion.
tons as showing the extent OF Spain's ar
| hitrary course in Cuba AGAINST United!
| states citizen. The first duty of the Uni
ted States, he said, was to protect its own
| citizens. He could see no reason for
| withholding immediate recognition OF
4 n In = inIopopdopca