The Portland daily press., 1896-12-08
WHAT is THOUGHT OF IT.
Comments Of Congressman on Presi.
dents Message.
SPEAKER REEDS VIEW OF THE
DOCUMENT.

by Borrowing Seems Hardly Tenable to
Him-Treatment of Cuban Question
Generally Regarded With Favor.
Washington, December 7.-Neither the
Senate nor House had good opportunity
of Judging Of the Presidents message by
| the public reading of it, which was done
in the most perfun ctory and monotonous
manner. No one in either chamber paid
marked attention to it after the Cuban
passage had been read.
The report of Secretary Olney, copies
OF which had been obtained, seemed to
attract as much interest as the message
itself. Members and Senators were chary
In comment afterwards. Some opinions
were expressed as follows:
Representative Barrett of Massachusetts,
-"The message shows that the adm in1s-
tration Will do nothing regarding Cuba.
The attempt will be made to get Con-
gress 60 force the President into some
radical measures. do not belive it will
succeed. That and the Hawaiian
question will go over to the new admin
purpose to veto every Republican protec-
| tion bill.
| Mr.. Morse of Massaohusetts-"W What
the President says of the Turkish situa-
tion does credit to his humanity. What
he says about the struggle in Cuba and
his intimations to Spain are patriotic,
humane and perhaps as far as the
country is justified. in going in the
present situation of affairs"
Representative Walker Of Massachusetts,
=" What the President says about the
| weas ness OF our banking System and its
reform, is most admirable. When he
suggests that the greenbacks be retired
by issue OF bonds he forgets that we
passed an act in 1866 to retire them, and
when only $50, 900, 900 had been retired
the people rose up and Congress repealed
| the act. In 1875 an act was passed to re-
| tire them, with the same result rs in
1866. The same thing woula OCCUR if
Congress passed similar act"
| REPRESENTATIVE Grosvenor-" The treat
ment of the Cuban and other foreign
matters will not be satisfactory to those
who have so earnestly hoped for early
| action of our country in the interest CT
cessation of wholesale murder in Cuba.
That portion of the message which treats
| of the spells system would he better un-
derstood and more fully appreciated if
| the President had frankly stated that he
and his department. officers had within
the past four years swept out 30, 600 faith
| full and eff ioient employees of the govern
ment and filled their places with unex-
amined and competing applicants,
| all Democrats, many of whom were unfit
| for the places they got.
| Representative Bartlett, Democrat of
| New York, expressed the opinion that
| the time had come when the United
| States should interfere in the struggle
| between Cuba and Spain.
| Representative Dolliver, Republican of
| t., bo r,rqefiN N5!I T}o6nnc
the Cuban problem.
| Representative Livingston, Democrat
| of Iown.-'I think that the President has
made an unquestionable showing of the
necessity of our interference in Cuba
| now.
Representa- Paine, Republican of
New York-"The President adheres with
a tenacisy which is remarkable to his
| hope that the Wilson-G Gorman tariff law
will in the near future produce sufficient
revenue to support the government.
Since he expressed this hope year ago.
| the deficiency has increased with every
month, and is now going on at the rate
of $50, 900, 600 per annum.'
Speaker Reed-''lt seems hardly neces-
sary to comment on the message. 1t is
| calm in tone and on the Cuban question,
much more satisfactory to tho COM
munity than it would have been a year
| ago az much sounder ideas prevail. than
prevailed thens / wish there had been
as frank an acknowledgment year ago
as there is now. The idea that the
revenue is sufficient because it has been
-nade so by borrowing, seems to me hard
| IL tenable.
Of the members of tho committee on
foreign relations. Senators Sherman,
Davis, Cameron, Lodge, Gray, 1urpie,
Daniel and Mills refused to discuss the
m essage in the most formal way. Other
senators of prominence who declined TO
talk were Aldrioh, Vest, Faulkner, Hill,
Wolcott, German and Il. Jones.
Senator Morgan of Illinois said the as
sertion by the President that 70 other
nation must interfere in Cuban affairs
was the most decisive deolar@@ @@tion of the
Monroe doctrine til at had yet been made.
The message called tine great civil war
in Cuba an insurrectiou, and on this false
declaration it Justified active aid to Spain
in furnishing all kinds of military mu-
nitions and refused the right to send
anything to the insurgents. MI. Morgan
regretted that this national action was SO
illogical and unjust and must still cost
many lives and suffering to a people ad
mitted by the message to be at war for
the sake of liberty.
Senator Frye of Maine, member of the
committee on foreign relations, said
''The message is commonplace. AS far
President argues on both sides of the sub
ject.
Senator Cullom, member Of the COM
N ittee on foreign relations: "On the
Cuban question the President talks all
around this subject and takes no deoid-
ed stand. The time has arrived when the
su bjecG should be settled" :"
Senator Chandler said: 'tTho message
is strong on Cuba and it's treatment is
adequate to certain point, but it does
not go as far as l would wish. On the
tariff it is weak and continues to rsit-
crate tile fsllaoy that the tariff is a tax.
Senator PETER Of Kansas said: "The
message. with the exception of the finRn-
oial part, is able and conservative"
Senator Platt said: 'The message is
conservative. but contains the informa-
tion to Spain that if the war Is not termi-
mated by according home rule in
Cuba the United States will be called
to act. In this the people of the United
States will sustain the President. On
the tariff question he has manifestly not
seen any change Of heart from his free
trade fallacies. -
Senator Tillman Of South Carolina
said: ''1t is commonplace and tame all
the way through. l do not expect to see
the President do anything for Cuba. -
Mckinley Read the Message.