The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-05-20
SENATE ATTACKS ON SPAIN.
OFFER BY THIS GOVERNMENT TO
MEDIATE DISCLOSED.

Minister DeLOme and the Latter
on Behalf of Spain Declined the
Offer-The Withholding of the
News Received From Cuba by the
State Department During Presi-
dent CIeVeIand's Administration
Claimed to Have been Due to Fear
That American COnsuIs Would he
Massacred If Their Reports and
Names Become Public.
Washington, May 19.-Another stirring
debate on Cuba occurred in the Senate to-
day. 1t was of the give-and-take order,
with sharp parliamentary fencing. The
main speeches of the day were those by
| Senators Foraker of Ohio Cannon Of
Utah, Lindsay of Kentucky and Hoar of
| Massachusetts. 1t was the first speech
of any length delivered by Mr.. Foraker
since he entered the Senate, and in adds
ton to this the Ohio senator is one of
the Cuban subcommittee on foreign re-
| lations. He spoke in favor of a refer
/ ence of the Cuban resolution to the com
I mittee, but on the general question de-
clared his purpose of supporting the reso-
| luton recognizing Cuban beligerency
when it should be reported by the COM
mittee.
Mr.. Cannon was bitter in his denuncIa-
! ton of Spanish atroeity, characterizing
| the captain general of Cuba as that mad
! dog Weyler"
Mr.. Lindsay declared If the informa-
| ton furnished by United States consus
! was so shocking as to subject them to
assassination, If their names were dis
! closed, 1t was time to send warships to
! Cuba and to terminate all diplomatic re-
! lations with that country.
1t was developed in the course of a
| colloquy between Senators Foraker, Nor
| gan and Vest that the state department
! had withheld the names of United States
! consuls reporting on the serious condi
| ton of affairs in Cuba because it might
| lead to their massacre. Mr.. Vest declar-
| ed that this presented the most serious
! phase of the subject, as it was time to
protect our officials with warshps if their
! personal safety was threatened for max
| ing reports to their government.
| No action was taken on the resolution,
| but Mr.. Morgan said he hoped to secure
vote tomorrow on Mr.. Hale's motion to
! refer. He desired to do this, he said, in
| order that the Cuban resolution might not
| antagonize the tariff bill on Monday. At
| ter some objections, the Senate decided to
! adjourn from tomorrow until Monday.
The Cuban resolution was laid before
| the Senate at O'Clock, but the debate
/
until Monday, and it branched into unex-
pected channels
! Mr.. Vest of Missouri said he had seen
statements to the effect that three men,
bers of the committee on foreign rela-
! lions had visited the state department and
had had access to the evidence furnished
| by United States consuls This evidence
had never been laid before the Senate.
! Nothing had ever been received as to Con-
! sui General Lees views on the situation.
! Why was it, he asked that three senators
! had this information and the Senate did
not have it.
Mr. Morgan answered that the senator's
| on the committee had been sent as a SUBJ
| committee to the President and Secretary
| of State to confer on the Cuban subject.
| They had received certain information
! and the injunction was laid upon them
! that the name of Gen. Lee was not to be
! used in connection with the information;
! that the substance of the information
could not be used without names and the
! place from which it originated. The rea-
son given for this" added Mr. Morgan,
was the fear that the officials who gave
| the information would be massacred. An>
other reason was that we had no war
vessels ready to meet the outbreaks Of
| vicious people, ready to massacre"
WAS this statement official that massa-
ere might ensue?" asked Mr.. White of
! California.
| Eyes, official" responded Mr.. Morgan
| Here Mr.. Vest came forward with a Sc
ries of questions. "A committee of three
senators visited the state department TO
examine consular reports on the status Of
| affairs in Cuba. Now, do l understand
| that an antecedent condition was imposed
| upon them, that they should not make
| public the sources of this information
1.-THE injunction was laid on the members
! of the subcommittee that the names of
aIs nd he al
reports came should not be given" an
! swered Mr. Morgan.
docs the senator object to stating?'
! quered Mr.. White "what officer Of the
! government made this request?
Both officials the President and the
Secretary of State, replied Mr.. Morgan
Mr.. Morgan explained in detail how the
| injunction OF secrecy had been placed upon
/ the committee. At first, he said, the Secre-
/ tary of State had seemed reluctant to go
| into the question Some dispatches, which
| had been I'm the hands of Assistant Secre-
| tary Rockhill were brought in. Then
| Judge Day, the new assistant secretary of
state, came In and the statement was
made that the information was given in
| the strictest confidence and without au-
/ thority TO use the names and places Of the
consuls furnishing the information. The
/ senator said he declined to receive the in
! formation on these conditions. IL was then
4
| the Secretary OF State at his residence
/ that evening but Mr.. Morgan said he
/ wrote a note 20 the secretary saying he
could not be present under the clrcum-
| stances.
LAS understand" interposed Mr.. For
| aker. zone OF the main reasons against
| giving the names and places OF our con-
/ suls was that he might cut of our source
| OF Information"
| Mr.. Cannon was recognized for n speech
After an intense denunciaton Of the mad
dog" Weyler, Mr.. Cannon recalled a sent
/ iment written by a senator under a pic
| ture he had seen OF tho Rodeemer, In
New York. ION. Christ, come back. The
money changers are In the temple" and
i said that was what he thought when he
i heard the speeches for the Commercial
/ interests" IN the Senate. Putting sar-
castle stress on the quoted words. he de-
i clarcd. THE money changers are IN the
| temple OF human liberty" II this nation
/ could not stand alone without the help of
the monarchies of Europe: II II could not
/ survive without sacrificing manhood for