The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-03-20
BATTLING ON BELLIGERENcY.
THE SENATE DEVOTEs THE DAY To
THE SUBJECT.

Senator Gray of Delaware AIIudes TO
Senator Hale of Maine as "The SEN
atOr From spain--SenatOr Gray
Explains His Objections to the Con-
ference Report-senators Chiffon
and CaRery Also Oppose the Re-
port.
Washington. March 19-The Cuban de-
bate in the Senate to-day was of char
acter to maintain the intense public in
terest in that question. 1t was to have
been opened by Mr.. Mills, but that sena-
tor was too i'll to be present, and the de-
bate was opened by Mr.. Stewart. He de-
clared himself anxious for action; said
that the facts were too notorious to need
further statements, and favored the adop-
tion of the conference report; and said
that if concurrent resolution did not pro-
duce the desired result congress ought to
pass joint resolution and place the re-
sponsbility on the President of the Unit
ed States.
Mr.. Gray, a member of the committee
on foreign affairs, rose in order, as he
explained it, 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 of friendly
relations, shall sit down with us at the
| council-board of nations and consider
whether there may not be some other
issue of this sorry 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 a state
| ment repeatedly made by Mr.. Sherman,
| chairman of the foreign relations COM
mittee, as to Spain having violated all the
promises and reforms % stipulated in the
| capitulation of 1873, when the insurgents
| OF that day laid down their arms Mr..
/ sherman has said. among other things,
/ that, although representation in the Span-
! ish cortes was then promised, the Cubans
had only one delegate there; but Mr.. Hale
affirmed that he had a list Of forty-hve
/ fourteen or fifteen members in the Senate
| Rico.
Mr.. Hale declared with warmth that he
/ was laboring under a sense of indigna-
| 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 "the senator from
Spain"
The junior senator from Texas, Mr..
| Chiffon, advocated the passage of a joint
| resolution rather that of a concurrent
| one, and declared his belief that inter
| vention by the United States meant the
ultimate annexation of Cuba, to which
| he was opposed.
The last speech of the day was made
| by Mr. Caffery of Louisiana, and was
against the entire proposition as having
no better basis than stories in the Arab
| ian Nights. The United States, he de-
clared, was bound by international law
| not to intermeddle in the affairs of Cuba.
| II the United States did not cling to
that law, it would be outlawed from the
| circle of civilized nations.
! Mr.. Gray, one of the members of the
| committee on foreign relations, said that
| he wished to state briefly the reasons
| which compelled him to withhold his
assent from the conference report. 1t
that the resolutions of the two houses were
| substantially the same but in a matter
/ of this kind words were things. II would
/ be vain to attempt to disguise the feel
/ ing of sympathy that occupied the breast
| of every true American in regard to that
struggle. And yet the government Of the
| United States, as in duty bound, has been
| strictly observing its duties toward the
| friendly government of Spain. 1t had
| strictly enforced the neutrality laws. 1t
| had suppressed all aid in the shape of
| military expeditions, and had gone to the
very verge of its International obliga-
| of that widespread sympathy That feel
| ing had found proper, respectful and
courteous expression in the resolutions
| passed by the Senate. However much
| Spain might be irritated by that action
| she had no right in any international
| point of view to find fault with, or to
| call to account the government of the
| United States for that expression of the
| opinion of it's people.
Mr.. Gray argued that here was no reas-
/ on why the Senate should accept the
| House resolution after its own resolutions
| had been contemporary swept aside. He
| thought that there was grave objection
l Tr.-, Of 4s,n4
| 1t did not put the attitude Of congress
where it ought to be put as correctly as
| the Senate resolution did. He was so
! frequently interrupted by Mr.. Hale that
| he Sarcastically apologizeds for breaking
/ so often into Mr.. Hale's speech and re-
ferred to him. as if by slip of the tongue,
/ as the senator from Spain. Q4aughter)
| In conclusion Mr.. Gray said: 'fAll reas-
/ enable men Will agree that congress can
do no less than it has done in giving ut
terance to the sympathies of the American
/ people for the people of Cuba in this crisis
/ of their existence, and in expressing the
| desire that Spain, without rupture of
| friendly relations, shall sit down with us
| at the council board of nations and consid-
er whether there may not be come other
/ mination of a whole people fighting for
| their liberties.
Mr. Chiffon spoke against the Cuban
| resolutions in their present form. He was
| in favor of a Joint resolution recognizing
| the belligerency of the Cubans, but not
| as a concurrent resolution, and he did not
/ lnlnk LHdl cOuSI6cS dlOuG Dd0 LIe T1RnI
to declare war or give belligerency rights
| without the concurrence of the president,
| except when congress accorded these
| rights over the Presidents veto by a two
| thirds vote. He agreed that the tone of
| public opinion, while mild in the begin
| ming, was growing more and more agrees
| sive with each turn Of the wheel. The
| original resolutions of the foreign rela-
| tions committee were mild enough and
| contained no offense to Spain, but another
| turn of the wheel was taken and the res
| olutions Of Senator Cameron offering the
| mediation of the United States for the
| recognition of Cuban independence were
| incorporated in the simpler committee res
| olutions. The senator from Pennsylvania
/ had distinctly stated In his speech that
| Spain's declination of our Intervention
| must result in war between the United
| States and Spain. The senator from Al
| ALBANIA, Mr.. Morgan, had also followed on
| the same strain. But not satisfied even
| with this declaration another turn of
| the wheel was taken and the House reso-
| lutions were to be accepted. These res
| olutions were offered TO cater to the war
| like spirit now dominant in the United
States 1t was against this very wariike
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