The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-04-20
The Case Against Spain
Stated by the Senate.
The Proceedings of the Sen.
ate Yesterday Show That
Decided Action Will
be Taken.


Washington. April 13-War be-
tween two powerful nations was the
sole topic of discussion in the Senate
90 day
Such excitement, suppressed though
it was-such feeling that the coun-
Try was on the verge Of events that
would make history for ali time to
come-such eloquent and impassion-
ed oratory-aDd sucn keen and bril-
liant repartee have not been known
in the Senate since the exciting days
when the country was convulsed by
the greatest war of modern times.
A full quarter of an hour before the
Senate was to convene. Mr.. Davis,
chairman of the foreign relations
committee, entered the chamber and
quietly went to his seat in the centre
of the Republican side. He careful.
" placed on his desk a package,
which all intultively knew to be the
fateful resolutions and report from his
committee upon which peace or war
might hinge.
The chamber filled rapidly, and
when tie Vice Presidents gavel fell
nearly every Senator was at his
desk. Scarcely five minutes had
elapsed after the session convened
before the Vice President recognized
! Mr.. navis.
Davis presented to the Senate
/, resolution and report from his
committee and requested that they
be read. The report was terrific
arraignment of Spain and her poll
cies, yet so eager W all to hear
every word that not the slightest
demonstration occurred throughout
the reading
The resolutions and report are as
follows
"Whereas the abhorrent conditions
which have existed for more than
three years in the Island OF Cuba, so
| near our own borders. have shocked
the moral sense of the people of the
Uaited States have been a disgrace
to Christian civilization, eliminating,
as they have. in the destruction of a
United States battleship, with two
hundred and sixty six of its officers
and crew, while on friendly visit ia
the harbor of Havana, and cannot
longer be endured, as has been said
by the President of the United States
in his message to Congress of April
IL, 1898, upon which the action OF
Congress was invited; therefore.
Resolved. First. That the people
of the Island of Cuba are and of
right ought to be free and independ-
ent
"Second, That it is the duty Of the
United States to demand and the
government of the United States does
hereby demand that the government
of Spain at once relioquish it's au-
thority and the government in the
island of Cuba and withdraw it's land
and naval forces from Cuba and Gu
ban waters
s.Third, That the President of the
United States be. and he hereby is,
directed and empowered to use the
entire land and naval forces Of the
United States and TO call into the
actual service of the United States
the militia of the several States to
such extent as may be necessary to
carry these resolutions into effect"
The report Of the Senate committee
on foreign relations on the Cuban sit
uation was made by Senator Davis,
chairman of that committee, and was
very thorough review of the entire
situation aud strong presentation of
the facts which have led the commit
tee to it's conclusions. The report
takes up the Maine disaster as the
leading topic for consideration and
plunges into that question in Its first
sentence, which is as follows
TIE MAINE DISASTER
"The destruction Of the United
States battleship Maine, of two of
her officers and 264 of Der crew in
the harbor of Havana on the night
of February Is, 1898, excited to an
unprecedented degree the compass
sion and resentment of the American
people y
Continuing, the report says:
manifestations of that resentment
were suspended. although the feeling
was not allayed by the selfrestraint
of our people, who determined TO
hold their judgment in suspension
concerning their ultimate action until
an official Investigation should dis
close the cause of that grea: disaster