Omaha daily bee., 1896-04-04

tain such an hypothesis, a response that was
greeted with tumultuous applause.
Mr.. Boutelle, who has steadily opposed
the passage OF any Cuban resolutions. then
took the floor. He said he had never re-
gretted his course. and he thought his at
titude had been INDICATED by subsequent
events, This proceeding was a remarkable
Illustration Of "how not to do IT," The reso-
buttons had no legal effect. They amounted
to nothing. That had been proclaimed In
the senate and was we'll understood here.
The chairman of the foreign relations COM
mittee in the senate admitted that the reso-
~lutions, when brought back by the conference
committee, were as dead as Julius Caesar.
They could never have passed the senate.
and therefore the house conferees thought IL
was wise 20 surrender.
QUESTION OF OBSTRUCTION.
Mr.. Hit denied emphatlcally that IL had
ever been admitted in the senate that 1t
would have been impossible to pass them
again in hat body. II was admitted that
a vote could have been INSTRUCTED. but he
declared emphatically that there was in the
senate an overwhelming majority for each
and all Of the resolutions.
Mr.. Boutelle, continuing, argued that pub
lie ardor on the question had measurably
cooled, and that there was no demonstrable
proof of the existence of the fact OF Cuban
belligerency. He tainted the committee
with having refused to make the resolutions
joint and insisted that it was clearly under
stood that the president did not favor bel
ligerency. He did not pretend to voice the
whole public sentiment of the country, but
he did represent the conservative element
that deprecated foreign broils that might
eventuate In a foreign war. lie attributed
much of the feeling in the country to the
sensationalism Of the press. which was con-
stantly seeking pretexts for infaming the
public mind.
Proceeding, he deprecated the tales Of hor-
rible atrocities committed by Spain in Cuba.
which had been detailed in this country with
a view to firing popular passion. He re-
called the burning of a negro. bound to a
gridiron, in a public square in Texas, an
orgie moro horrible than anything that had
occurred in a generation.
Mr.. Grosvenor asked him IL that outrage
had not been committed by an incensed
mob.
Certainly" replied Mr.. Boutelle, "but the
point l am making is that the whole Spanish
people should not be indicted because some
body is hung or garroted under the form of
law, any more than the American people
should he indicted for the act of a mob at
Paris, Tex.
PoKES FUN AT CLEVELAND.
Mr.. Boutelle created much amusement by
a sarcastic description of the presidents
twist Of the British tail in his Venezuelan
message. He painted Mr.. Cleveland in bat
tie array, with plumes streaming and sword
clanking, marching down to the seashore
and shaking his fist at John Bull. crying
Fee fl TO fun, ! smell the blood Of an
Englishman."
-Four days a%fterward," continued Mr..
Boutelle, Just as we were preparing to pack
cur grips and go home for our Christmas
turkey, this great warrior, with the plume
broken and spurs tangled in his trousers,
dragged himself up the steps of the capitol
and made his Macedonian appeal, 1.-The treas
ury's bankrupt, for Gods sake, gentlemen.
don't go home till you have given us money
enough to tide over the holidays"
THAT" he said; sis what you call a
vigorous foreign policy" In support of his
contention against the recognition of bel
ligerency, Mr.. Boutelle read from the mes
sages of General Grant and charged that it
was the boast of the revolutionists that they
had burned and destroyed crops, fields and
villages in order to drive the people into in
surrection.
After he concluded, Mr.. Smith secured a
minute in which to read the declaration of
the Massachusetts, republican convention on
the Cuban question.
Mr.. Skinner closed the debate for the day
with a brief speech in favor OF the adoption
of the conference report.
without action, at $40, the house took a
recess until s o'clock.
At the pension session Of the house to-
night several members attacked Mr.. Erdman.
a member Of the invalid pensions committee,
for blocking pension bills. Mr.. Erdman in
his reply, declaring that he favored merito-
rious bills, but that he had opposed and would
to oppose bills to pension Transfers,
camp followers, photographers, deserters and
others who were not justly entitled to pen
ions. He referred to the pension bills passed
debate this afternoon lover thirty in
number), as a feast spread by the house for
the benefit of deserters, photographers, and
Jumpers.
Eight bills were favorably acted upon.
Among them was che to pension the widow
&c ,;r,li rn,nroI E1,ror5 JprIina