The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-03-03
LOYAL TO CUBAN LIBERTY.
THE HOUSE PASSES BELLIGEREN-
CY RESOLUTIONS.

Total Vote of 2sO-The ResOlu-
tions Somewhat Stronger Than
Those Passed by the Senate-Thir-
ty-Five Minutes Allowed Each
side for Debate on the ResOIu-
tiOns.
Washington. March Am the early
proceedings of the House to-day the
Senate joint resolution authorizing the
continuance of the improvements OF the
Mobile harbor was agreed to. Also bill
authorizing the Arkansas and North
western Railroad Company to construct
and operate a road through Indian Ter
ritory.
On motion of Mr.. Willis, rep. OF Della
ware. the rules were suspended. ana the
Senate joint resolution was agreed to au-
thorizing and directing the Secretary Of
Agriculture to purchase and distribute
seeds, etc, as has been done in preceding
years.
Mr.. HIT rep. OF Illinois. chairman of
the foreign affairs committed, then called
up the Senate Cuban resolutions and
moved to suspend the rules and pass
the resolutions reported by &the House
foreign affairs committee, in lieu of the
Senate resolutions. The House resolu-
tions were then read at the clerks desk.
Their text follows:
Resolved, by the House Of Represent
atives (the Senate concurring) that in
the opinion of congress a state of public
war exists in Cuba, the parties to which
are entitled to belligerent rights and the
United States should observe a strict
neutrality between the belligerents.
Resolved. That congress deplores the
destruction of life and property
caused by the war now wag-
ing in that island, and believing that
the only permanent solution of the con-
test equally in the interest of Spain, the
people of Cuba and other nations, would
be in the establishment of a government
by the choice of the people Of Cuba, 1t is
the sense of the congress that the govern
ment OF the United States should use its
good offices and friendly influence to that
end.
Resolved, that the United States has not
intervened in the struggles between any
European governments and their colonies
on the continent, but from the very close
relations between the people of the United
States and those of Cuba, in consequence
of its proximity and the extent or the
commerce between the two peoples, the
present war Is entailing such losses upon
the people of the United States that con-
gress is of the opinion that the govern
ment of the United States should be pre-
pared to protect the legitimate interests
OF our citizens by Intervention II neceS-
sary.
Mr. McCreary, dem, of Kentucky, de-
sired to know why the fourth in the above
| series of resolutions was not read This
resolution pledged to the President the
support of congress in carrying out the
foregoing resolutions.
Mr.. Hit, replying, said that the fourth
resolution had been omitted, because the
greater number of the committee had re-
quested him to drop 1t, since, in their
opinion, the sense was contained In the
preceding resolutions and was, therefore,
| unnecessary.
Mr.. Boutelle demanded a second to the
motion, and it was ordered by a vote of
175 to 49,
At the request of Mr.. Hit. thirty-hve
minutes on each side was allowed for
| debate.
The debate was opened by Mr. Hit. The
resolutions, he said. had been considered
with great care by the committee in many
meetings, passing through several months,
| and after consultation with many emf
| nent jurists. 1t was the belief of the COM
mittee, that in the interest of peace i'm
| the United States and of them who are
| struggling in Cuba, and with whom the
| committees sympathized, the resolutions
presented a practical, conservative and
| effective method of action The United
| States government, he said, should be
| prepared to protect the interests of Amer
| lean citizens, but to Intervene If neces-
| sary.
All the resolutions had been carefully
considered so that they could not and
| certainly ought not to cause any trouble
| between the United States and any coun-
try that is not seeking to pick trouble
/ with us"
That belligerency was fact, was prov
| ed, not by newspaper reports alone, but
| the reports of United States consuls in
| Cuba. The war in Cuba was not a repro
| duction of that which prevailed from 1868
| to 1878. 1t was a far greater one, three
| times greater 1t had gone until II had
| swept from one end of the island to the
| other, until the Spanish authority was not
| IN fact exercised over more than third,
| probably not more than one-fourth of the
| 41,0O0 square miles of surface of the ISL
| and. The Spanish minister at Washing
ton had made statement Feb. 2 to the
| effect that 12500O troops had been sent 10
| Cuba by Spain. Was not that war? Was
| that police putting down disturbances
| Recently the captain general OF Cuba
| had issued two long proclamations which
| had been read with horror. 1t would not
| do, Mr.. Hit said, to say that the strug-
| gle in Cuba was a guerilla war merely.
| Guerilla warfare was great and terrible
| instrument in the genius Of the Spanish
/ race. One hundred and fifty thousand
| of the finest soldiers of the world had
marched into Spain and attempted TO
| subdue a people which could only resist
| by guerilla warfare, and the Spaniards
/ destroyed the French army. Was not
/ that, Mr.. Hit asked, war?
Should any Spaniard deny that it was
| There was not Spaniard who was not
| proud of that history. Mr. Hit recalled
! the fact that the belligerency Of the
southern confederacy had been recogniz-
/
4 tie OF the war-the battle Of Bull Run
| The government of the United States
| should now through its state department
| ask that the people of Cuba should have
/ a government of their own choice Wher-
| ever American interests were imperilled
| Mr. Hit declared in conclusion, marines
/ were landed to protect them. The great
arm Of the republic, he exclaimed, ought
| to be ready always to follow its people and
/ protect their interests, their property and
| their rights, anywhere in the world. Gap
/ plause on the floor and in the galleres)
| Mr. McCreary, member of the commit
! tee on foreign affairs, declared himself en-
/ phatically in favor of the pending resolu-
| tions He was not yet, however, in favor
| of annexing Cuba to the United States
| He was ready to do everything consistent
| with the honor and integrity of the United
| States TO give independence to Cuba zap
! pIause), and to free the struggling pa
| triots from a cruel and relentless despo-
| tism.
Mr.. McCreary spoke of the brutal out.
| RACES and barbarous atrocities of the
| Standards in Cuba. The time had come
| ne declared, when congress should dc
| something. The time had come when the
| inhuman war in Cuba should be stopped
! Cuba had an organized government, q
| legislature, an organized army and her peo.
| pie had successfully met 10000 Spanish
| soldiers. In his opinion the resolutions re.