The record-union., 1896-03-13

States.
WASHINGTON, March 12-The con-
| ference report on the Cuban belliger-
ency question was again UP in the Sen
ate to-day and two speeches were made
upon it. The first was by Hill of New
York, announcing his purpose of voting
| against the conference report, and stat
| ing the reasons which induced him to
| take that position, after having voted
for the resolution that passed the Sen
ate.
His opposition was to the third clause
of the conference report, which pro-
claims the purpose of the United States
| to be prepared to intervene in order to
protect the legitimate interests of the
United States. He opposed that reso-
| luton. as being liable to misinterpreta-
| ton, and as being unnecessary, and
therefore unwiSe. He thought it was
too much like a threat; too much like
buncombe, and that it was putting in
tervention on too low a ground. He
could not vote for it, and as confer
| ence report is not amendable, he would
vote against the report.
The action of the Committe on For
eign Relations and the Senate confer
rees was defended by Sherman, and
then the matter went over until to-
| morrow, Morgan of Alabama having
the floor.
It was subsequently stated that
Sherman would ask unanimous consent
tomorrow to take up the conference re-
port, displacing the Delaware election
case, and that if objection were made he
would move to take it up SO that the
matter would be decided by a major
ity vote
The conference report on the Cuban
belligerency resolutions was taken up
at / p. M, and Hill (Dem) of New York
| addressed the Senate. He said he should
vote to on-concur in the conference re-
port because he wanted to place the res
olution in such parliamentary shape
! that the third resolution, reading: THE
| United States has not intervened in
any of the struggles between any Eu-
! ropean Government and their colonies
| on this continent" could be amended
and made clear. All depended on what
/ Interpretation was put upon the word
4 ''intervened." We had recognized in
surgents in the past, and that Hill con-
/ tended was intervention of a certain
! kind. The resolution was unnecessary.
/ If we mean that we have intervened
/ with force of arms to assist anyone that
should be stated, but that, Hill said,
/ was also unnecessary.
| The threat that we would intervene
! to protect the rights of American citi-
! zens was unnecessary, and unnecessa-
ries are always unwise. The language
used by the House was capable of
double meaning, and might create
/ trouble. 1t was unwise. 1t was suffi-
cient to let the future take care of it
self. This proposition looking to inter
vention and the statement that we
should "be prepared to protect Ameri-
can citizens" looked too much like
! buncombe.
If it was meant to be serious, the
proposal should be serious: if it was
meant that we should use our army or
navy, that should be contained in bills
! signed by the President 1t was non
sense to say that we are prepared to
| protect the legitimate interests of our
citizens; no one presumes that we would
seek to protect their illegitimate in
! terests. Our interposition in this mat
| ter should, Mr. Hill asserted, be placed
on higher ground than that some of
our people are losing a few dollars by
liberty and seek to save human life
and prevent suffering, but do not, Hill
exclaimed draw the United States into
| this matter because of some little prop
erty that may be imperiled.
| Hill said that he had received a num-
her of teegrams from a man high in
| the commercial world which he read.
1t stated that the present attitude of
! the United States toward Cuba was
! seriously affecting the commerce of
New York Merchants of Cuba were,
it recited, resolving to boycott Amer
| lean merchants, and had cabled the
cancellation of all their orders with
New York houses and, exclaimed Hill,
| with intense feeling: Il am asked to
record my vote on a great question of
| international right or wrong on the
ground that some Of the Spanish mer-
| chants in Cuba were boycotting the
trade of some of my constituents. With
all due respect to these gentlemen, /
must say that we should rest our action
| on more tenable grounds than this. IF
| Congress is to do anything, it should
| be done without buncombe and with
| threat
| He favored the other two resolutions,
| because they were substantially the
same as the Senate resolutions. He
| would not retract his action on those
resolutions He favored these resolu-
| tions, because they expressed the opin-
| ion of Congress. He was not deferred
| by recent events or by any sentiment
| that may have been brought about. He
was not, he said, to be frightened off
by the acts of a few Spanish students
who had stoned our Consulate and de-
| spoiled the American flag. 1t was self
| evident that a state of war existed in
/ Cuba The newspapers were full of it,
and Hill declared there were some reli-
able newspaper correspondents and
/ their reports gave an accurate account
! of the condition of affairs in the island.
| Hill was willing to stand by what these
correspondents said.
1t had been said by some that the
Administration was being embarrassed
! by these resolutions. IF the Admins
/ tration thought those resolutions were
embarrassing to it," said Fill, some
/ one would have knowledge of that fact.
/ cannot believe that the Administra-
| ton would keep its own counsel so
close that no one would know what it
desired
In response to a query from Hoar
/ (Rep.) of Massachusetts,. Hill said he
| did not believe q single law would be
/ changed by the passage of a concurrent