Birmingham state herald., 1897-04-09
In Caba, He Maintained, and So Did Minister
 DeLOme
His Reference To the Imprisonment of Americans Tn Spanish Prisons Was Heated With Pa triotC Fire and His Language Was
 Pure English--Other Gossip.

We should exercise sort of guardian ship over that island as against all other na tions.
 But" he exclaimed, that guardian ship if We have it, is like the guardian ship of the devil over a condemned soul We are warming nations that they must hold aloof, while we stand by and see the inquisitorial methods of Spanish war fare, Spanish dungeons and Spanish tyr amy executed against Cubans and against our own people without one word of protection"
 MT Morgan spoke of the Competitor expedition. He reviewed the circum- stances of the case; the departure. of the little schooner probably for the purpose of carrying aid to the insurgents.
 In part he took up the case of young Owen Melton, one of the Competitor prisoners, and followed the progress of his trial and Imprisonment in communi- cado in the Sra nish dungeons. MT. Nor gan declared that it was along the course of violation of treaty rights and the or dinary methods of judicial procedure. Young Melton, said he, was placed in loathsome dungeon, not because guilty, but because he Is an American boy. He was held in a miserable place, in which at times other prisoners were crowded. The water brought to- them daily to quench their thirst from the rations of dry codfish was eXecrable. These facts had been stated to the senate commit
 
 ble witnesses, including Rev. Dr. Diaz.
 MT. Morgan then reviewed the olsa of Dr. DiaZ. While preaching a Havana. bomb shells had been thrown into his church; he and his brother were arrest ed and held seven days incommunicado. The evidence of such cruelty came to the senate from unimpeachable sources. It was, declared the senator, a record of horror, unmentiona ble to decent and civ ilized ears. It could not even be de- 1,,,lN shocking all present and driving people from the galleries to the outer corridors.
 MT. Morgan read portions of the evil ,dence given by Messrs. Lawrence & Diaz and heretofore published as a senate document.
 MT. Morgan also read from the laws and treaties to show the unjustifia ble character of MeHon's imprisonment Then the sena tor exclaimed with vehe- mence: Whether there are seventy four prisoners in Cuba or 74,000, or wheth- CT 1t 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 disgracad rag"
 Mr. Morgan gave way at 2 o'clock to the bankruptcy bill.
 MT. Nelson i,of Minnesota spoke for two hours on the bill, opposing the pend- ing Torrey bill as excessively harsh and designed as a collection agency for large creditors, and urging his substitute as a measure drafted in the interest of the poor debtors struggling to get on their feet.
 Mir. Hoar defended the Torrey bill aga inst MT. fNelson's charges of harsh ness. There were, he said, 800, ,O00 debt ors, awaiting the relief of this humane bill.r MT. Lindsay, of Kentucky, gave mo- tice of speech at the next session in answer to the criticisms of the commit tee. Dill MT. Thiurston, republican, of Nebraska, gave notice that on next Tues day he would address the senate on the subject of the Pacific railroad debt set clement.
 At-4-e'clcck the esnate went into ex- ecutive session, and at 4:45 adjourned until Monday.