Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1897-05-14
Cuba and JingOism.
MIR. Morrilrs Able and Conservative
Speech in the senate on Tuesday.

MIR. MOrrilIs Able and Conservative
speech in the senate on Tuesday.
The session of Tuesday in the United
States Senate was devoted to discussion of
the Morgan resolution for the recognition
of Cuban belligerency. Senator Morrill,
opened the debate with a strong speech
against the resolution, urging that the
whole matter be left in the hands of the
Executive where it belongs, and to be de-
termined by the course of events which
the United States canuot rightfuly force
or hinder. Mr.. Morrill, also rebuked the
policy of the Lingo statesmen" whose
policy seems to be to have war at any cost.
The purpose of all the Cuban resolu-
tions, the Senator said, including that of
Mr.. Morgan, was to wrest the jurisdiction,
hitherto held and exercised only by the
executive branch of the government, in
recognizing the belligerency rights or the
independence of nations, and thus to eX-
ercse the power by Congress in regard to
Cuba. Mr.. Morrill, declared that Congress
has no such power, and that its exercise
would be contrary to all presidents.
1t will hardly be claimed, he said, that
belligerent rights of revolters should have
recognition based merely on sympathy, but
they must be based on justice and law.
Were we now to recognize the Cuban re-
VOTERS as belligerents, the legitimate gov
eminent would at once be released from
responsibility for damages which Ameri-
can citizens may suffer from any future
acts or misdeeds of the revolters. Revol.
tiers, he added, are not entitled to recogni-
tion when the executive, legislative and
judicial functions are only documentary
and migratory.
The fact that the present administration
was retaining Gen. Lee at Havana was some
proof that good work is being done there
now, and this, supplemented by the in
quiries of a competent special commission,
would give the President better informa-
tion than if derived from the sudden in
spiration of any Cuban anneXationist in
America. Let the President have some
opportunity TO exercise the functions and
assume the responsibilities of his great Of
fee.
The Senator held that Spain, vexed by
tilibusterers and by the stalwart sympathy
in the United States for the insurgents,
would construe a resolution recognizing
the independence of Cuba as equivalent to
a declaration of war. For himself he
hoPCu lOl Tue early anu pltNt lllut-
pendence of the island, and when the time
was ripe independence would come, war or
no war. But he was wholly opposed to
the annexation of Cuba, as it meant the
admission of Cuba as a state equal in
power to New York.
MI. Morrill, turned his attention to the
new and botched 7ersion of the Monroe
doctrine, with all its apocryphal additions
nv Our infreDid iiDuOists - This now var
sion, he said, sought to make the United
States the unasked guardian and the fight
ing champion of "all the American repub-
lies, big and little" The Senator com
pared the pacific utterances of Washington
with this 'tiatulent exaggeration of the
Monroe doctrine" He had never accepted
this new version as applied to Venezuela.
If it was to be an established policy, then
it was time to create an army and navy
which will eclipse all that might be brought
against them, to pile up taxes to sustain a
huge military establishment, and TO sup
plant the schoolmaster with the soldier.