Evening star., 1897-04-06
The Senate on Cuba.

The vote In the Senate yesterday on the
adoption of the Alien resolution about
Gen. Rivera of the Cuban army Is 10 De
taken into serious consideration NOT
vote was recorded against it, although
twen:y-one senators voted to refer II 10
the committee on foreign relations Twelve
n these voted afterward for the passage
of the resolutions. and the others either
sat silent or took refuge behind their
rairs Their resolution is not a general
declaration by the Senate in favor of rec
ognition of the Cubans as insurgents. 1t does
not touch directly upon their international
rights It merely takes cognizance or the
possible fate of a certain commander VINO
has been captured in arms and who. ru-
NOR states may be shot to death. The
Senate declares that such an act by the
Spanish government would be "a violation
of the rules of civilized warfare. This
may be construed to mean that in the
opinion of the Senate Gen. Rivera was
participant in war. Therefore, according
to the logic of the resolution, war exists
in Cuba This assertion has been the in
spration of more than one resolution
which the friends of Cuba in both houses
have tried to embody in the form of con-
gressional pronouncement. and there Is a
theory that much could be expected from
a declaration of this sort If state OF
public war exists in Cuba the participants
are entitled to recognition as beiligerents.
This as sumption would rebound greatly to
the benefit of the insurgents, who are to-
day denied the rights of recognized con-
testants Senator Hale yesterday. when
pinned down by the Senator Morgan. ad-
mitted this much in reference to the con-
dition Of things in the island:
* on
there. There is fighting. more or less
There are no great battles fought in that
country. There is a condition of fighting
there. l do not suppose that a state of
exists in Cuba would exist II two
powers in Europe fell out with each other
and declared war and went to fighting it
out; but that there is d disturbed condi-
ton; that there is insurrection; that it
has certain forms and that 1t is a guerilla
fight, / have no doubt whatever. l Go not
think the insurgents conduct their war
fare after the manner that Anglo-SaxonS
conduct their wars. any more than the
Spanish government does. nor much
So
This is making progress Some months
ago IL would have been impossible to OBJ
tain from Spains champion even an ad-
mission that there insurrection in
CCba- He now acknowledges what is vir-
tually a state of war. and also that the
Spanish government does not conduct its
war upon Anglo-Saxon principles And in
TIE face of these confessions majority OF
the full Senate votes to declare it to be
the duty of the President to protest. If
the rumor about the shooting of Gen.
Rivera proves true. against such viola
ticn of the rules of civilized warfare The
President does not need such q hint He
has now in his possession enough infor-
nation to warrant him in following the
example set by Gen. Grant and in protest
ing that virtually all the acts of the Span
ish government since the present war be-
gan have been in violation of the rules no,
only of civilized warfare, but of humanity
and decency as well.