The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-04-11

take place 1Or rev dayE-tO thursday
or Friday of last week The most con-
ildential friends and advisers of the
president in congress told US that he
would be content with nothing less
than the absolute Independence of Cuba,
and that, II his opinion, the declara
! ton of such independence would be in
adequate, but that it must be accom-
panied by armed Intervention.
AT the time that declaration was
made, when we were asked to delay on
that account, there was being penned
the message in the executive mansion of
the private and confidential secretary
of the president, addressed to one OF
the leading newspapers, deprecatlng the
disposition of the majority of congress
and invoking the exercise of influence
by leading and influential citizens
throughout this country to induce
majority to cease all further action in
! this regard, in order that there might
be further and protracted negotiations
with Spain to bring about peace.
We were next informed that the
executive had presented an ultimatum
of some kind to the, kingdom of Spain,
and we in some vague way were told
/ or advised that with that ultimate dec
! laration to Spain this government
would be content with nothing less than
the absolute independence of the island
! of Cuba We are told from across the
cial interview. by the prime minister
of the Spanish kingdom, that in the
whole progress of the negotiations
there has never been a suggestion of
( the Independence of the suffering peo-
pie of Cuba. Does he speak true?
Does anyone doubt the authenticity of
! that message? The president has &C
7 credited his veracity and his sense of
honor and of justice in a message
which he has communicated to the
! American congress. We have been ad-
vised that we should have peace, peace,
glorious peace, at any price, with all
/ the incidental and Infamous outrage
which Spain can infict upon US, and
we are now told that a little delay VIII
bring about that result. We are told
I in circular letters emanating from the
I city of New York and the city of Phil
adelphia, and it is whispered about in
the corridors OF the capitol and intend
ed to reach every object whereby the
result might be accomplished, and
what is it?
+ CONTEMPT FOR AMERICA.
That Spain has no respect: that
Spain has no fear for the American
nation; that any proposition of settle
ment emanating from this government
would be treated by that government
with contempt, and that it would be
to that abject and humiliating situa-
ton OF degradation, we are TO invoke
Great Britain or Germany or some
other nation for whom the Spanish
people have some respect and of whom
they have some fear, contrary to the
traditions and policy of our govern
ment that foreign interference is in
compatible in the affairs of the Ameri-
can continent and would not be tole-
rated. We are asked to invoke those
nations to use their influence to bring
Spain to a position where she might
be willing to accept some proposition
which it is supposed that the executive
to her authority.
Mr.. President if this government
had taken heroic and decisive action,
which is often the highest conservatism,
in the performance of the duty which
it owes to every one of the citizens who
are ready to render it allegiance, there
would have been no necessity for us to
call upon foreign nations to aid us in
bringing any foreign government to
lust and reasona BILE terms in respect
to any outrage which may have been
committed upon our citizenship. But
for years our government administra-
ton, our conduct in respect to the Gu
ban question, our relations to the king
dom of Spain, have been so coWardly
ana observation-disclosures 81 OilNOi t4AS ~ eeAls
self-respecting people in this wide
world, that the Spanish people are JUS
tilted in holding US in contempt. Had
it been that they respected and feared
us. as they would fear and respect any
other self-respecting government, our
ship Maine would not have been
treacherously destroyed and the bodies
of our sailors would not have been
mangled and lost. That crime must ne
charged to our indecision and coward
ice.
u do not desire to use strong Ian
guage: perhaps I may use too harsh
word when 1 say cowardice, but 1t was
that which, in its nature and IN IT'S
effect under the circumstances of the
case, was equivalent to coWardlce; 1t
was e display of weakness which
nation and a people like Spain would
ever be ready, if known, to take adj |
vantage of. I do not care to take very |
much of the time of the senate, because
it seems to me the time has arrived
when we should act rather than talk
It is the case of American citizens as |
sassinated. American citizens unjustly |
imprisoned, American ships willfufly
DESTROYED. with no evidence of contri- /
ton or regret expressed in any form |
that we have heard of; repeated peace
full protests made against the outrage |
which has been committed, strenuous
EFFORTS WHICH pHlldlllnl Opy maui ~ /
bring relief to the peaceful inhabitants /
who have been driven in, detained |
without provision to shelter, feed or
clothe them. and thereby causing their |
willful destruction to the numbers of |
hundreds OF thousands by starvation, |
and of protests made useless.
II have no doubt that our govern
ment has objected that these things
should take place, although we are not /
officially advised of it. But, if so, our
protests have been ignored and disre
garded. For years such has been the /
case. ask any reasonable man how
we can expect that a further effort in /
that same direction will have any other
or greater effect than it has had in
the past.
THE THING TO DO.
And what are you going to do about i
it2 is the question which we must de-
eide. Mr.. President, the Introduction
of the resolution by me. which was re-
ferred to the committee on foreign re-
lations, seemed to me the proper thing
TO do about it. II was to recognize the
independence of the republic of Cuba.
But we are advised categOrically and
absolutely by Spain that any peaceful
effort on our part to bring about that
result will not for one moment be en-
tertained; that it will be regarded as
an unfriendly art. To make effective
that recognition, armed intervention is
a necessity. Ought we to stop with
declaration that the president if neceS-
sary should make armed intervention?
1T seems to me to take that course
would be to endeavor to unload the re-
sponsibility and duty devolved upon
congress on the shoulders of the presi-