The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-05-17
MUST SHOCK
THE WORLD
Position of the United States OH
the Situation iE Cuba
MORGAN'S STRONG APPEAL
RMPATIENt1E OFF AMERICANS Al
READY MANIFESTED.
every Day of Inaction is u Day of
National Humiliation to Us as a
People"-Empty Assertions of
Carpet Knights and Chiyalric
Warriors That There is Not a
State of War in Cuba.


State of War in Cuba.
WASHINGTON, May 1.-THE Cuban
question was revived in the senate today,
when Mr.. Morgan of Alabama, who re-
ported the original resolution, spoke in
favor of further and more decisive ac-
ton toward the recognition of the Cubans
as belligerants. The senator declared it
to be the duty of congress to adopt joint
resolutions on belligerency, which, I'M
like the previous concurrent resolutions,
would require the approval of the presi-
dent and thus fix responsibility
At the close of Mr.. Morgan's speech,
the senate adopted, without division, the
resolutions introduced by him, directing
the committee on foreign relations to in
quIre into and report on the treaty rela-
tons between the United States and
Spain, relating to the Americans now
under condemnation at Havana; also re-
questlng the president for the recent
diplomatic correspondence with Spain on
this subject. The resolutions have no
reference to the recognition of belliger-
ency, although they served Mr.. Morgan
as a text for his speech on that line.
Eulogies We're delivered on the late w.
r. Grain, of Texas, after which. as a
III.
the senate adjourned.
THE PROCEEDINGS.
Bills were passed giving compensa-
tlon for bridge buflt in the Yellowstone
National Park; granting a right of way
TO the Denver, Cripple Greek & South
west railroad through the South Park
ana Plum Creek forest reservation, Colo
rado; appropriating 100000 for a public
building and site at McKeesport, Pa
MI: Morgan, in his speech, said the
proximity of the island to our shores, our
commercial relations with the Cubans,
Inc American ownership of much prop
erty there, the actual residence of many
Americans, ETC., all combine to compel
US to examine into the conditions exist
ing in Cuba and to determine for our
serves whether state of war or a state
OF peace existed. He spoke of the i'm
patience of the American people in wit
Messing the painful occurrences in Cuba,
While our government measured the
losses by dollars and then submitted
claims for compensation for individual
losses. A great civil conflict had waged
in Cuba since the fall of "a, he said, and
had increased
WITH STARTLING MAGNITUDE
until 10000 Spanish troops were in the
field. Yet upon a denial of these self
evident facts, rests the position of Spain
that the United States must not re-
cognize condition of war as existing.
existing might escape the attention of
those in authority, yet it must shock the
world that diplomatic fallacy permits the
assertion that no war exists. The diplo-
matte fallacy is sustained by the claim
that the Cubans have no forts, when the
wise generalship of the Cubans kept
them from concentrating in forts. 1t was
sustained also by the claim that the Gu
bans had no fleet and no seaports, when
it was evident that these could be main
tanned only by heavy artillery and
equipments not possessed by the insur-
gents.
These, said the senator, were the
ASSERTIONS OF CARPET KNIGHTS
and chivalric warriors, but to sensible
military leaders bent on gaining indie
pendence rather than display of senti-
ment they were the climax of absurdity
The senator declared that the offenses
committed by those Americans now held
at Havana were more serious than
smuggling. 1t was the first duty of this
government TO demand that the military
trial of the prisoners be set aside. Until
this was done no other or further nego-
tiations should be considered. Until set
aside, declared Mr.. Morgan, every day is
a day OF national humiliation to us as a
people. After reviewing the course of
the United States in the struggle for free
institutions, the senator compared it with
the search for technical and frivolous
excuses to debar from remedies against
''sltch tyrants as Weyler He referred to
the conclusive
EVIDENCES OF ATROCITIES
and the shooting of non-combatants
With war recognized as existing, the
laws of war as applied by the law of ma
tons would become applicable to our
citizens now serving In Cuba, and would
forbid Spain from treating them as in
surrectioniStS.
Mr.. Morgan said in conclusion:
1T is, Therefore, the proper course for
congress to observe to send joint reso-
luton to the president declaring that
state of public war exists in Cuba, and
that the parties engaged in that war are
belligerents, to each of whom the laws
of nations equally apply, If such is the
opinion of congress. This is duty OF
wise and sincere patriotism, although 1t
may not be otherwise imperative for the
reason that such a declaration is not
legislative act and is, therefore, required
to be sent to the president for his APP
prevail. Congress can waive that ques-
lion and should not raise it in a matter
that does not necessarily involve enc
status of the constitutional distribution
of the powers of our own government,
whether it is in a state of
WAR OF PEACE,
but only concerns a duty we owe to our
own people in determining for ourselves
whether a state of war or condition of
peace exists in Cuba. If the president
acting on the assumption that declara-
ton of the existence of war in Cuba and
a recognition of the rights of the parties
engaged i'll that war as belligerentS falls
within his exclusive constitutional power
in conducting diplomatic intercourse with
foreign governments, should choose to
ignore the existence of such war; con-
gress after the almost unanimous express
sion of opinion on that subject, owes it
to the honor of the body to devolve the
responsibility upon the president. Under
existing circumstances some department
of the government must become RESPONSE
BILE to our own people and to the judgment
of mankind for continuing to permit the
falsehood to remain unrebuked that peace
prevails in Cuba and that war does not
exist there. Whether it is congress or the
president that denies the fact and repud-
iates the appeal to the
SENTIMENTS OF OUR PEOPLE
and the honorable duty of our people, and
the honorable duty of our government,
there will be a great account to render in
the end for the blood that patriots are
shedding every hour in the cause of hui
man liberty, that word from congress
or the president would STOP.
The resolution was adopted after being
changed so as to request the president
instead of the secretary of state for copies
of the correspondence regarding the pro-
tocol and its bearing upon the trial and
condemna ton of United States citizens
captured in or near Cuba.
Then, after the Grain eulogy, the senate
adjourned.
COAST DEFENSES.
A Significant Step to BE Taken BY