Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-03-20
THE CUBAN RESOLUTION
Was the Only Subject Discussed
in the Senate.
Mr.. CAFFERY OPPOSED 1T
But Messrs. Stewart, Gray and Chiffon War !
Supported II, =
Mr.. HALE WAS COMPLETELY SOU S.ED
Messrs. Sulzer and Gibson Descf ? Into
an Exchange of PERSONALITY the
House-The Bayard Res m on
to Be Voted on Todsss
Mr.. HALE WAS COMPLETELY SQUf

Washington, March 19.-The Cuban de-
bate in the senate today was of a char
acter to maintain interest in the uues-
ton. 1t was to have been opened by Mr.
Mills, but that senator was too i'll to be
present, and the debate was opened by
Mr.. Stewart. He declared himself anx-
ious for action; said that the facts were
too notorious to need further statements;
he favored the adoption of the conference
report, and said that if concurrent res
olution did not produce the desired re-
suit congress ought to pass a joint res
olution and place the responsibility on
the president.
Mr.. Gray, a member of the committee
on foreign relations, rose in order, as he
expressed 1t, to state briefly the reasons
which compelled him to withhold his as
sent from the conference report, but was
subjected to so many Interruptions that
his brief statement occupied over an
hour. 1t closed with an expression of
the hope that Spain, without rupture or
friendly relations, shall sit down with us
at the council board of nations and con-
slider whether there may not be some
other issue in the controversy than the
determination of whole people fighting
for their liberties"
Mr.. Gray was interrupted all through
his speech by Mr.. Hale in the course of
which Mr.. Hale fatty contradicted
statement repeatedly made by Mr.. Sher-
man, chairman of the foreign relations
committee, as to Spain having violated
all the promises and reforms stipulated
in the capitulation of 1S78 when the in
surgents of that day laid down their
arms. Mr.. Sherman had said, among
other things that although representa-
tion in the Spanish cortes was then prom
ised, the Cubans had only one delegate
t.,.f L la of ffrr1n a6
a list of forty-five members in the house
of deputies and fourteen or fifteen mem
bers in the senate from the TWO lSlandS
of Cuba and Porto Rico.
Mr.. Hale declared with warmth that
he was laboring under sense OF lndlgna.
ton at the suppression Of the facts OF
the case by the committee on foreign re-
lations>
Mr.. Gray made a mock apology to Mr..
Hale for interrupting his speech so much,
and spoke of him by an intentional slip
of the tongue as 1.-The senator from
Spain"
The Junior senator from Texas, Mr.
Chiffon, advocated the passage of a joint
resolution rather than of concurrent
one.
The last speech of the day was made
by Mr.. Caffery, democrat, of Louisiana
and was against the entire proposition
as having no better basis than the stories
of the arabian Nights" The United
States, he declared, was bound by inter-
national law not to intermeddle IN the
affairs of Cuba. If the United States
did not cling to that law 1t would be out
lawed from the circle of civilized nations.
Mr. Gray, one of the members
of the committee on foreign re-
lations, said that he wished 10
state briefly the reasons which compeil-
ed him to withhold his assent from the
conference report. 1t was easy to say,
hot thn W ma
of the two houses were substantially the
same. but in all matters of this klnd
words were things. Our government hau
strictly enforced the neutrality laws. II
had suppressed all aid In the shape OF
military expeditions, and had gone 10 the
verge of its international Obligations IN
protecting Spain from the effect of that
widespread sympathy. The feeling lhad
found proper, respectful and courteous
expression in the resolutions passed py
the senate. However much spain inlsht
he jrritated by that action she had no
right in any international point OIL view
to find fault with or to call to account the
government of the United States FOR that
expression of the people. Mr.. Gray ar
eued that there was no reason why lne
senate should accept the house resoiu-
tions after it's own resolutions belng con-
temptuously swept aside lie tnoushl
that there was grave objection ~ the
language of the house resolutions. 1T dld
not put the attitude of congress where IL
ought to be put as correctly as the SEN
ate resolution did -
He was so frequently interrupted by
Mr.. Hale that he sarcastlcally apologized
for breaking so often .iIto Mr.. Hale
speech, and referred to him as if by
slim of the tongue as the senator from
Spain. Gaughter) .,u
In conclusion Mr.. Gray said: "Ali
reasonable men will agree that congress
can do no less than 1t has Done In giving
utterance to the sympathies of the Amerl-
can people for the people of Cuba in this
crisis of their existence, and in express
ing the desire that Spain without rupture
of friendly relations shall SIT down Win
us at the council board OF nations ana
consid-r whether there may not be some
other issue to this controversy than the
determination of a whole people hghtihg
for their liberties"
Mr. Chilt0n spoke against the CUBAN
resolutions in their present form. he was
i'm favor of joint resolution recognizing
the belligerency Of the Cubans, but NOT
as concurrent resolution, and he did
not think that congress alone had the
right to declare war or give belligerency
rights without the concurrence or the
president except when congress accorded
these rights over the presidents veto
by a two-thrds vote. He agreed that
the tone of public opinion while mild in
tne DeBlHnluS' "o, eA"","9
more aggressive with each turn OF the
wheel The original resolutions of the
foreign relations committee were mild
enough and could give no offense to
Spain. but another turn of the wheel was
taken and the resolutions of Senator
Cameron offering the intermedlation of
the United States for the recognition of
Cuban independence were Incorporated
in the resolutions. The senator from
Pennsylvania had distinctly stated in
his speech that Spain's declinatlon Of oGf
intervention must result In war between
the United States and Spain Th+ sena
tor from Alabama, Mr.. Morgan. had also
spoken In the same strain. But not sat
,sfied even with this declaration another
turn of the wheel was taken ana the
house resolutions were to be accepted.
These resolutions were offered to cater