The times., 1897-05-19
MORGAN ON THE MESSAGE
Cuba's Champion Declares Relief
Means Intervention.
MUST FORCE III TO THE END
War or No War, The senate and
the President Have Crossed the
and That in No Uncertain Way.
Senator Mills Opinion.

Discussing the message of the President
on tie Cuban question and its probable eff
feet, Senator Morgan, of Alabama, one of
the foremost Champions OF the cause OF
Cuba. said:
IF Mr.. Mckinley can convince himself
or the world that the terrible condition Of
the 700 or 500 citizens OF the United States
in Cuba is not tire result of war IN that
island, or if he can assume tha5 Wey,ei's
published military orders Commanding these
people 20 leave their homes and center in The
ciUes and towns under the guns OF Spanish
forts, by which starvation is IMPOSE
upon them, is not an act OF war; or II re
can assume that Cuba is in a state az peace
and not in state Of war, then his sending
AID to tire people there and his nv; tation TO
abandon ti.e lsiand nisgih * l.; tftGj .ii-s II
humane bcnev olence TO assist Spa in IN nit
igating an aflliction that had been visited
upon tie people 10y the hand OF Divine
Providence.
gut be makes no pretense of the right
to go To Cuba as ali alrnoner of Divine
benevo.ence He has found reason Tor
going 10 tsuiDi Will supfheS anu iilOitF "
pay the expenses OF a general emigration
OF Americans to our own shores: bat he
asks no permission OF Spain to do this act
of national in nterVentiou. Whatever View
he may lake OF this mission, il cannot le
denied that this movement and the ulil,-
tary movement OF Weyler are i'll direct
conflict Tie President seeks to relieve
Weyicr's victims from the consequences
OF Weylers military orders.
..If this is rot intervention, because Of
war, it defies all human intelligence to TN
dersta nd what { means Whether peace
or war exists in Cuba, this is interFen-
ton, and whatever is the motive or tins
Government it is hostile intervention. II
is done without the consent of Spain, 10
far as the world is informed. Ir Spain
should refuse to consent to this mission,
what then? We Will be driven 10 admit
that we have no right to go to Cuba with
supplies to be distributed by our consul
general. Whether it is an act of war or
an act of peace, we must withdraw our
intervention, or we must press 1t TO its
intended results, if Spain objects War or
no war, the President and the Senate
have crossed the Rubicon. Whether Spain
may so regard IL or not, the world viii
understand that this is forced interyen-
ton, and that the results, whateYe. they
be, viii be the results aCcFuing from forced
Intervention.
This intervention is the natural Sc
quencc following the information in The
possession of the State Department IN
the consular reports on file in the depart
Inent fun statements have been made Of
the enorm!ties that have been enarted
under the guise of Spanish authority, even
in a stronger way than the newspapers lave
presented beginning back in the
Cleveland Administration and going down
TO date, and our Government has been
thoroughly Informed OF the situation "f our
people there. The time has arrived wien
we must act, anu that, too. in a way that
VIII leave no doubt to the Spanish govern
ment ana the world atIarge as to what the
purpose Of the United States is
Senator Mills of Texas, also considers
the relief proposed by the message as Of a
trifIing nature On this point the Texas
statesman said:
''The message says nothing about the
condition Of affairs in Cuba, except so far
as it relates to the starvation OF our peo
pie, which has compelled them To m ovc into
the towns That situation results from
war The administration refuses TO recog
nze the fact that war exists in Cuba, and
has been refusing TO recognize that fact;
yet the President states in his message
that ny military orders the people have
been corTaled in the towns, AMI great rum-
bers Of them are starving, a large number
of them being citizens Of the United States
THAT statement shows that there is
a war Of the most cruel and savage kind;
and to meet the situation it is plain that
the President should have sent armed
vessels to Cuba to take care Of our own
people 1t would not have been neces-
sary to have fired a shot. A bold and
manly statement that the liberties and
the property of American citizens must
not be injured, would have been suffi-
Gent