Omaha daily bee., 1896-06-01
MORGAN FEARS ABSOLUTISM
Congress Has Practically Ceased to Be a
Factor in the Government.
NO ACTION REGARDING CUBA NOW LIKELY
senator from Alabama Declares n
Proclamation of BctIigerency by
the President Would he Dam
Gus Usurpation of Power.

! ru.
WASHINGTON, May S1.-senator Morgan
Of the committee on foreign relations and
author of the joint resolution recognizing
the existence Of a state Of war in Cuba, and
declaring the neutrality of the United States
was asked today concerning the probability
of securing action upon the resolution be-
fore adjournment and in reply said "Un-
less the house should act upon Mr.. Hyde's
resolution, which is Identical with the reso-
luton offered by me in the senate that is
now held in the committee on foreign rela-
tions, congress will probably disperse be-
fore any further action is possible. That
responsibility will doubtless hasten the dis
persion of some senator's. The disposition
Of the majority of the senate committee is
to devove upon the president responsible
ity that he is evidently eager to assume
Congress has practically ceased to be a factor
| in the government, except in the case of
veto when the constitution gives 1t the right
| to act by two-thrds vote. Even this func-
tion is denied when 1t is applied to our for
| egn political relations. For government
with three coordinate departments of which
| we boast, we are making strange and rapid
movement toward re-estabshng the royal
prerogative in the hands of our executive as
| an uncomfortable power. If any British con-
| stitutona power were destroyed in America
by the revolution of 1776 1t was the preroga-
| tive of the crown. IL the president, acting
alone, can substitute the entire body of the
avs of war for the laws of peace which
now govern our relations with Cuba and If
| he can make this total revolution Of our
| legal status as citizens and as a nation
| binding upon us by this his proclamation, 1t
| is vain that we abolished the royal preroga-
tive in our federal constitution. If the pres
| dent, without the concurrence of congress,
| should proclaim that war existed in Cuba
| and that the United States assumes the at
| titude of neutral power toward the recog-
| nized belligerents under the laws of ma
| tiCns he would usurp a power of the most
dangerous character. In the moment of their
| enthusiasm for a decree that would be so
| just and SO humane the people would forgive
the usurpation, but the shock it Wou give
| to our free government would lead in time
| to great disaster.
STRONG ELECTION WEAPON.
I'm the present state of political agitation
in the country it is dangerously apparent
that declaration of war with Spain, or
declaration of the existence of state of
war in Cuba, made on the sole authority CT
the president, would create a fever of ex-
element in the country that would remove
all the questions now under anxious dis
cussion in the minds of the people and would
control the presidential election near at
hand. l am firmly convinced the president
will not venture on so dangerous a course
when congress disperses, leaving our rela-
items to this question in their doubtful stu
alton. Spain will be at liberty 50 far as
our government is concerned, to pursue It's
accustomed course of destruction of the rights
of property and lives of our people.
War exists in Cuba and the whole world
knows it; and, while Spain admits its ex-
istence in every act but denies 1t on paper
and in a diplomatic way, our government
and people required to endorse this false
hood and to admit that peace prevails in
island Thav
treason, insurrection and piracy with the
death penalty because they are charged
with disturbing the peace and break
ing laws that are aIc intended to
preserve the peace in Cuba, while peace
does not exist in the island. To make the
case still more obnoxious to reason and pub
lie Justice, Spain violates her treaties with
the United States by forcing our citizens
to trial for these offenses before military
tribunals organized to convict and deprive
them of defense by counsel and the right
to summon witnesses in their behalf in this
alleged time Of peace! If the government of
the United States should declare that state
CT war exists in Cuba 1t would use the only
means that is legally possible to prevent
Spain from pursuing this insulting conduct,
unless We declare war and fight 1t out.
After the almost unanimous declaration
Of both houses of congress that belligerent
rights should be accorded to Cuba and that
war exists there, IL disperse without
giving relief to our people from this situa
ton we can find excuse for abandoning
them to this dreadful fate except that we
are ready to abdcate our power in favor
of the supposed power or wishes of the pres-
dent. The presidents powers are not i'll
creased by our refusal to exercise powers
that rightfully belong to congress alone or
Jointly to both departments of the govern
ment. So far as | am concerned this will
not be done through any want of effort on
my part.
For more than seven weeks the president
has known the will of congress- which ex-
presses, constitutionally, the VIII of the peo- |
pie If that declaration is not sufficient to
give our people security against Spanish |
violation of our treaties, or to impress the |
president with its solemnity, we should not
and cannot, in justice to ourselves, omit to
present the same facts and convictions to |
the president in a definite form of action |
that he cannot refuse to consider. |
PoWERLESS IN ONE RESPECT.
Neither Spain nor the president with the |
armies and navies of both countries and the |
aid of the civil power given the president |
under our laws, with the terrors of Spanish |
cruelty, and with the aid Of police and
the Spanish police and the Pinkertons In our
ports, has been able to prevent the carrying |
CT men and munitions of war from the United
Stateo to Cuba This effort has been prose-
cuted with faithtu ness and vigilance worthy
of a better cause.
Spain fully understands the cause of our
resentments and the justice Of the indigna-
ton of our people and boasts in speeches
from the throne that the president is not
in sympathy with congress or the people and
for this cause she adheres the more savagely
to her resolution that this shall be war
of determination and that we shall be COM
PEELED to call 1t peace, and shall refuse on
that false declaration to give the shelter of
the laws of war to those who are moved by
humanity to help the people. If Ameri-
can aids people fighting for liberty against |
a tyranncal monarchy escapes our peniten-
tiaries and meets DEATH If he is captured
by the Spaniards, congress cannot be justi-
fed in leaving him to that fate when the
of the government that public
peace exists in Cuba would save him from
death under the international laws of war.
1.-The president has refused to inform con-