Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1896-12-24
CUBAN INDEPENDENCE.
Senate Committee Agreed to Report
Cameron RESOLUTION.

Senate Committee Agreed to Report
Cameron Res olutiOn.
Washington, Dec. 21-The meeting
of the senate committee of foreign re-
lations was important in two respects.
1t resulted in all agreement to report
the Cameron resolution for the recogni.
ton of Cuban independence, and it de.
veloped, through the statement of Seq
rotary Olley, the administration s pol
icy in regard to the instruction in
Cuba. The secretary occupied the
greater part Of the time Of the meeting
answering questions and suggestions
made by the committee. He and Sem
ator Morgan engaged i'll several spirit
ed colleagues. Mr.. Olney made two
points against the Cameron resolution,
as follows:
First-That the Cuban insurgents
have established no government.
Second-That the right to recognize
new state rests with the president,
independent of congressional action.
He commended, in elaboration of the
first point, that the pretended govern.
ment of the island was without habita-
ton. Suppose you recognize the in
dependence of the island" said he,
what are you going to do with it?''
The secretary said the story which
had been very industriously circulated
that Consul General Lee had provided
the state department with an elaborate
report ON the condition of affairs in
Cuba, was untrue.
at is not true," he said. General
port at all. He has made reports on
several special cases, but not on the
situation as whole.
1t SO developed during the examina-
ton that the government had made no
demand in the case Of the Competitor
prisoners, and in other cases of a SINH
lar character, beyond requests for in
formation.
All the members Of the foreign rela.
tions committee were present today,
except Gray and Daniel.
The meeting was held for the ex.
press purpose of continuing the discus.
sion of the policy on the Cuban ques-
tion to be recommended by the COM
mittee. The meeting was strictly pri.
vate, Olney being the only person not
a member who was admitted.
The committee changed the Cameron
resolution SO as to make it more EN-.
phatio. The title was changed to
read: IA joint resolution acknowl.
edgjng the independence of the repub-
lie of Cuba" the words. 1.-The repub-
lie" being inserted. Instead Of declar-
ing the United States "should use its
friendly Offices" the resolution was
made to read that the United States
will" do so.
The agreement to report the resolu.
ton was reached Immediately after
Olney left, without division or an ex.
pressed difference of opinion.
One member of the committee said:
''Of course Spain will fight, but
there is no danger of other countries
getting in our way. No other Euro.
pean nation wants to fight us, and we
would wind up the war with Spain in
short ORDER"
The opinion was expressed that
Cleveland would veto the joint resolu.
ton. Another member of the commit
tee said he believed that in case the
president should veto the resolution, it
would pass over the veto, as more than
two-thirds of both the senate and house
favored it.
Senator Cameron's report to accom-
paDy the resolution deals at length
with presidents in the matter of rec &.
milton Of independence and interven.
ton, beginning with the Greek revolu.
ton and coming down to the present
tine. The senat - who heard the re-
port say it goes over the entire ground.
The Cameron resolution, as modified
and agreed upon by the committee, is
rs follows:
Resolved, By the senate and house
OF representatives in congress assem-
bled, that the independence of the re-
public Of Cuba be and the same is here.
by acknowledged by the United Statea
of America.
"Section That the Uni:ed Stats
will use its friendly offices with the
government of Spain to bring to close
the war between Spain and Cuba"