The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-12-25
A VERY SERIOUS CHARGE.

Within ten days past the United
! States have been on the verge Of a
war with Spain, and the danger is not
wholly passed. That which brought
about this danger was the Cameron
resolution declaring for the recognition
of Cuban independence Before the
senate committee on foreign relations
agreed to adopt the resolution Secre-
I tary of State Olney appeared before
it and defined the attitude of the ad-
| ministration on the question with
which it dealt. He also defined that
attitude in a published interview. 1t
was that the recognition of the indie
pendence of any country was within
che executive and not the legislative
province. The committee fortified it's
position with a very voluminous report
showing what the practice Of this gov
eminent had been in cases similar to
the present one. Concerning this very
report, upon which the contention of
the senate will stand or fall. Mr.. Will
liam E. Curtis, the Washington cor
respondent of the Chicago Record,
writes as follows:
The recklessness and indifference of
the committee on foreign relations are
illustrated by the fact that the report
which ACCOMPANIES the Cuban reSolu-
tons and was submitted to the senate
this morning was not written by any
member of that body, nor by any per-
son connected With either house of
congress. and it is said to have been
adopted without having been read. The
ant hnrGhin &c attributed N Mr. Henry
Adams and Mr.. William Hallett Phil
hps-the first a literary gentleman and
the latter a lawyer in this city-who
have been much interested in the Gu
ban struggle, Mr.. Phillips having been
acting as the attorney for the Cuban
Junta. 1t is scarcely credible that men
like Mr.. Sherman, Mr.. Cullom, Mr..
Morgan and Mr.. Davis of Minnesota,
in SO serious a matter that involves
the peace and the honor of the country,
would attach their names to a declara-
ton of law principles and facts which
was prepared on the outside of their
committee-room without taking the OPP
portunity to verify or even read it.
But this is only one of several similar
instances since the Cuban agitation be-
gan.
That is most serious accusation, so
serious that it calls for investigation
at the hands of special committee
of the senate. 1t is positively stated
that the report not only was not
written by any member of the foreign
relations committee, but that it was
lot even read by the members. That
was a very, very long document, and
it was more or less of a surprise to the
country that it should have been pre-
pared so soon after the resolution was
framed
But this is not so serious a matter as
that the drawing up of this report
should have been entrusted to the paid
attorney of the Cuban junta, that is, if
the charge be true. If it be true that
the attorney of the Cuban junta drew
up that report, or that he was even
consulted concerning it, either for au-
thorities or any other purpose, it is
most scandalous piece of business. If |
Of American sympathy from the Gu
bans. while the junta will find that its |
in American affairs will |
be resented: it will become even more |
than ever Citizen Genet was.
1t seems incredible that what Mr.. |
Curtis states is correct, vet those
correspondents are pretty
cautious and very conservative when
it comes to such matters as this. At |
all events, it calls for investigation, for
II conveys the idea that the people and |
government of the United States are
being worked"