The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-06-04
SENATOR MORGAN TALKS CUBA

SENATOR MORGAN TALKS CUBA
Washington, May Ex-senator Nor
gan. of the senate committee on foreign
relations and author of the joint resolu,
| tion recognizing the existence of a state
| OF war in Cuba and declaring the neu-
trality of the United States, was asked to-
day concerning the probability of secur-
ing action upon the resolution before
adjournment and in reply said:
Unless the house should act upon Mr..
Hyatts resolution, which is identical
with the resolutions offered by me i'm the
senate that is now held up in the COM
mittee ON foreign relations. congress will
probably disperse before any further ac-
tion is possible. That responsibility will
doubtless hasten the disposition of some
senator's. The disposition of the majori-
ty OF the senate committee is to deyOlye
on the president responsibility that he
Is anxious to assume. Congress has
ceased TO be factor i'll the government
except III the case of a veto, where the
constitution permits it to act finally by
two.thirds vote. Even this function is
denled when it is applied to our foreign
political relations.
war exists in Cuba and the whole
world knows it. and Spain admits its ex-
istence in every act but denies it on pa
per. Our people are compelled to endorse
this falsehood and to admit that peace
prevails in that island. They punish
our people for treason, insurrectiOn and
piracy with the death penalty because
they are charged with disturbing the
peace and breaking the laws that are
intended to preserve the peace in Cuba
while peace does not exist in the island
v m N Ia hn ct.n -,
reason and public justice. Spain violates
her treaties with the United States by
forcing our citizens to trial for their of
lenses before military tribunal in order
to convict them. If the government of
the United States should declare that a
state of war exists in Cuba it would be
the only means that is legally possible
to prevent Spain from this insulting con
duct unless we declare war and fight it
out.
For more than seven weeks the pres
ident has known the will of congress,
which expresses constitutionaly the will |
OF the people. If such declaration is |
not sufficient to give our people a securi- |
ty against Spanish barbarity in violation |
OF our treaties or to impress the presi- |
dent with its solemnity we should not /
ana can not in justice to ourselves omit |
TO present the same facts and convictions |
to the president in definite form of ac-
tion that he can not refuse to consider.
"The plea is urged for the delay of
further action by congress that recog-
milton of belligerency merely will give
rise to new complications, and if we do
anything it is wiser to recognize the in
of Cuba and leave it to
Spain to declare war if she resents such
course. That ground is taken with no
of its resulting in such rec
ignition. 1t is not necessary that we
should have war with Spain in order
o give to our citizens the shelter of the
aw of nations in respect to public war
hat already exists in Cuba. 1t is our
'wn people and not the Cubans that we
should protect and this plain duty relates
o the existing state of facts and not to
that may exist if we should
hereafter be engaged in war with Spain.