The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-04-13
SENATE.

~ HI
ter.State Commerce Commission-The
q Bankruptcy Bill.
SENATE.
Washington, April 8.-Senator Chan
dler offered a resolution, which was
agreed to, as follows:
Resolved, That the committee on in
ter-state be directed to in
vestigate the payments made or agreed
to be made by the Interstate commerce
commission, for attorneys fees; and
/ also to inquire whether in any cases
l the attorneys of the commission have
also been employed by railroad COM
panies in similar cases: and further
4 whether any additional authority from
Il congress is required for the employ
I ment Of counsel in any pending pro-
Z ceedings which have been instituted
Il by or ON motion of the commits
II sion.
The resolution Of Senator Earl for
the reorganization of senate commit
tees, wen over. Senator Chandler pre-
q senting an amendment to be urged
when the resolution is taken up. The
Aamendmen provides that on Tuesday.
April goth, at 2 O'Clock p. m, the SEN
&8ete will proceed to appoint its commit
tees.
# The Morgan resolution, declaring
8that 81 state Of war exists in Cuba,
was then taken up without objection,
and Senator Morgan resumed his
Speech in support Of it. The senator
.reverted to the statement Of Senator
Hale, yesterday that the II. Der of
American prisoners in Spanish prisons
was reduced to twelve. In sarcastic
tones, he said that such releases as
had occurred were the result of sup
plicatiOn by our government and per-
haps it would be appropriate TO adopt
a vote of thanks to Spain for not STAY
ing these prisoners outright. Aside
from the official testimony as to the
l condition in Cuba, the had
4 piled up n mass of testimony which
Y established beyond question that the
war was being prosecuted by Spain
contrary to all the rules of civilized
warfare.
SenatOr Morgan commented on a let
ter written by Dupuy de LONE, the
Spanish minister, to Miss Clara Bar
ton, relative to Red Cross work in
Cuba. In the course of the letter use is
made of the expression during the
present war" This, declared Senator
Morgan, was an inadvertent admis-
sion by the Spanish minister, despite
all his diplomatic cunning, that wal
was going on. And yet congress and
the president would not recognize that
state of war which would assure to
American prisoners the treatment of
prisoners Of war, and not of insurrec-
tionists
Senator Morgan said that the United
States had warned off European ma
tons from all control over Cuba. w
seemed to exercise q sort of guardian
ship over that island as against all
other nations; but that guardianship,
if we have it, is like the guardianship
Of the devil over a condemned soul We
are warning nations that they must
hold alOof, while We stand by and see
the inquisitorial methods of Spanish
warfare, Spanish dungeons and Span
iSh tyranny, executed against Cubana
and against our own people without
one word of protest.
Senator Morgan spoke of the Com
petitOr expedition. He reviewed the cir
cumStanceS of the case, the departure
of the little schooner, probably for the
purpose of carrying aid to the inSur-
gents. In particular he tool up the case
of young Owen Melton, one of the
Competitor prisoners. and followed the
progress of his trial and imprisonment
"incommunicado' in the Spanish dun
GeOns. He declared that it was a long
source of violation of treaty rights
/, and the ordinary methods of judicial
procedure. Young Melton. said he,
was held in a lOathsOme dungeon, not
because guilt had been established
against him, but because he is an
American boy. He was held in a mis-
cradle place in which at times forty
other prisoners were crowded. Three
pals of water were brought to them
GaiIy to quench their thirst from the
rations of dry cod fish. These facts had
been stated to the senate committee on
foreign relations by two creditable wit
nesses, including Rev. DR.. Diaz.
Senator Morgan then reviewed tho
case of DR.. Diaz. While preaching at
havana, bombshells had been thrown
into his church,; he and his brother
We're arrested and held for seven days
'incommunicado." The evidence Of
such Spanish cruelty came to the SEN
ate from unimpeachable sources. 1t
was, declared the senator, a record of
hon rOr unmentiOnable to decent and
civilized airs. 1t could not even be de-
scribed on the floor of the senate with
out shocking all present and driving
people from the galleries to the outer
corridors.
Senator Morgan read portions of the
evidence given by Messrs. Lawrence
and Diaz, and heretofore published as
a senate He said he had
tried for a year to get from the state
department the facts in the case of
Owen Melton, and not until the clos
ing days of the last administrator
was he able to get even a partial state
ment. The senate would be in the dark
today as to the Melton case if the COM
mittee had not secured evidence of the
facts. There was not a more innocent
man on the face of the earth than
Owen Melton and yet this young
American was held by Spain in fla
grant and ~contemptuous defiance of
treaty rights.
Senator Morgan read from the laws
and treaties to show the unjustifiabla
character of Melton's imprisonment.
Then the senator exclaimed with great
vehemence: whether there are sew
enty-four prisoners in Cuba or "A, 900:
or whether it is one in the person of
Owen Melton, this Arkansas youth, the
flag of the United States, if it refuses
to shelter him. is a disgraced rag"
Senator Morgan gave way at :
o'clock to the bankruptcy bill.
Senator Nelson, of Minnesota, spoke
for two hours On the bill. opposing
the pending Torrey bill as excessively
harsh and designed as a collection
agency for large creditors and urging