The Monmouth inquirer., 1897-05-27
CONGRESS AND CUBA.
SENATOR MASON MAKES AN EARNEST
PLEA FOR THE PATRIOTS.

President Mckinley Sends Special Mes
sage Asking For Relief of American
Citizens on the Island Senate Votes an
Appropriation of $4,000.
Washington, May Ex-senator Mason
delivered a fiery address on Cuba when
the Morgan belligerency resolution was
called up.
He had been previously advertised as
heading a combination of senators
pledged to prevent action or prolonged
discussion until vote can be reached
on the resolutions.
In anticipation of something sensa-
tional the galleries We're fun, and near
ly every senator in town was in his
seat.
Senator Mason made the point that
the presidents relief message was q
recognition by the highest authority in
the United States that state of war
existed in Cuba and that it was the
duty of congress to still further EN-
phasze the presidential declaration.
Mr.. Mason read President McKin-
Lewis message to prove that state of
war exists in Cuba.
IF there is not war; he said, then
there ought to be with us.
He said the Americans in Cuba need
ed to be defended with bayonets as
well as with bread.
He referred to Senator Wellington's
reference to our Indebtedness to Eng
land and said that he, too acknowl-
edged the Indebtedness.
Thank Cod" he exclaimed, I'VE set
tied a small part of it at Bunker Hill.
Another part of it we settled here IN
the state two weeks ago.
This latter remark was directed at
the defeat of the arbitration treaty and
was the first public reference to it in
the senate.
Senator Mason later on said d.,
thereny horrifying the dignified senate
and shocking the proprieties-
1t was the cause of a tilt between
Senators Wellington and Mason. The
MaryIander disputed the statement by
Mason that at the time Washington
was at Valley Forge the Colonial gov
ernment was not worth any more than
is that of Cuba today.
Mason reiterated his statement and
declared that on the occasion referred
to the Colonial government wasn't
worth a continental damn"
This irreverence threw Wellington
into white heat, and he vigorously de-
nouneed the utterance as a falsification
of history
The dialogue between the new sena
tors aroused eager interest. The sena-
tor from Illinois gave all the entertain
ment expected of him, and the Yelling
tonian Interruptions only ADDED zest to
the performance.
Then Mr.. Mason read from reports
sent to the senate by the committee on
foreign relations in support OF his state
ment that Cuban government exists
"Mr. Wellington was elected on the
platform of independence for Cuba" he
said. $50 was I. So was Mr.. McKin-
ley. And l am here to stand by it so
long as 1 continue on the payroll"
He said that during the last campaign
he had felt the pulse of thousands of
people and was satisfied there was a
deep general interest among the people
in the interest of Cuban freedom.
He was for Cuba, not for commercial
reasons or for the acquisition of terri
tory after the English fashion, but for
better reasons.
Mr. Mason predicted that this coun-
try would yet develop a Lafayette for
Cuba.
Speaking Of the newspaper reports of
the Cuban war, Mr.. Mason defended
them as in the main correct. He said
that so per cent of the men who had
gone to Cuba to write of the war had
lost their lives.
He proposed to vote on the resolution
if it took all summer. Cuba was popu-
lar at ST. Louis when the party wanted
votes, and he appealed to Republican
senators to stand by the declaration.
Mr. Mason said he did not believe the
adoption of the resolution meant war;
but, if an honest protest meant war, let
it come
He was followed by Mr.. Hoar of Mas
sachusetts in opposition to the resolu-
ton, who counseled temperate action.
Mr.. Hoar spoke in his usual calm and
dignified style, and took occasion to de-
ride buncomb appeals to constituents
and braggadocio as to our national
strength. Mr.. Hoar's criticisms, al
though impersonal, were clearly aimed
at Mr. Mason. Senators Gallinger of
New Hampshire and Hawley of Con-
necticut also spoke, the former for the
resolution and the latter urging that the
United States should not rush into war
while our coast defenses are nanifestly
inadequate. No final action on the res
olution was taken.