The record-union., 1898-04-11
PROSPECTS OF +
A LIVELY WEEK.
Will Probably be Given to The
Cuban Question.
Message to be Referred to the Committees
on Foreign Relations.
One or Two Days May be Given TO
Debate or Intervention and In
ende1ce-NunGreds Sitting
ON the Capitol Steps Ali Night
to Secure Admission to the Gal
1ery Of the House and Senate.

WASHINGTON, April 10.-The week
in the Senate probably will be given en-
/ tirely to the Cuban question. The
! Presidents message is counted upon
to arrive soon after the assembling at
noon tomorrow. 1t will be referred
promptly to the Committee on Foreign
Relations and the present understand
! ing is that no report will be made by
! the committee before Tuesday The
report may. in case of the development
of radical differences in the committee,
be delayed to even a later day.
There is a decidedly strong DISPOSE
ton on the part of many Senators who
are not members of the committee to
have the Senate as body take up the
! subject of the shaping the commit
/ tees report, contemporaneously with
the committee and it is not improbable
that secret session of the Senate may
| be held with this purpose in view. The
! purpose of this movement is, as has
| been frequently stated to secure as
near an approach to harmony in the
| Senate as possible, and it is believed
this can be best accomplished by hav-
ing the Senate agree upon the form of
the resolution before it goes to the
| Senate for action. The present ten
dency in the Senate is to confine the
congressional Illumination to a declara-
ton for armed intervention, leaving the
! recognition of Independence to come
| later and it now appears probable that
the Foreign Relations Committee will
report in favor of this course, though
not without some dissent.
| If the meeting of the committee to be
! held before the receipt of the message
| should develop that such action can
! be secured from the committee and in
way to insure harmonious action on
the report in the Senate then there win
| probably be no occasion for a discus
sion of the form of the resolution be-
/ fore taking up the real question at is
sue. Senators as a rule show very
| slight inclination for each other and
the chances are that if the Senate does
not adjourn soon after receiving the
message, the Cuban question viii come
/ up in some shape tomorrow. Yet it
| is barely possible that the whole mat
ter will be deferred until the Foreign
Committee can make it's report. A res
olution scarcely can get through the
Senate without arousing some discus
sion. as there are Senators who are
opposed to any action at ALL whether
for Intervention or independence. Sem
atOr White of California is one of these
and he probably will discuss any reso-
luton reported. There are several
Senators who now say that they will
insist upon the recognition of indepen-
dence in any action taken and that they
will be heard from in opposition to any
m p1
If opportunity appears, the sundry civil
appropriation bill will be finally dis
posed of and it is possible the naval
appropriation bill will be reported from
the committee and taken up later in the
week
WASHINGTON. April 1O.-Upon the
presumption that Spain's offer of an
armistice to the Cuban insurgents will
make no change in the plans of the adj
minstration and that the Presidents
message will go to Congress tomorrow.
the House this week will make history.
IN anticipation of stirring scenes and
momentous action every Congressman
has been besieged by hundreds OF
friends for tickets to the reserved gal
leries and the general multitude that
must take its chances in the public gal
leries on the principle of first come
first served, are prepared to assault the
capitol at dawn tomorrow.
It is likely that hundreds will camp
out on the marble steps all night so in
tense is the desire to be present when
the message is read. The public gen
orally regards the message as the pro-
logue to a drama which may end in war
before the curtain goes down. After the
message is read tomorrow it will prob
ably be referred to the Committee on
Foreign Relations without debate Such
is the programme to which both sides
have practically assented, with the tacit
understanding that the committee will
report on Tuesday the resolutions upon
which the House will be expected to
act. Any individual attempt to frus-
trate this part of the programme will
prove abortive. With the gravity of
the situation confronting them, the
members on both sides have been
sobered and seem impressed with the
idea that things should proceed in a
regular and orderly way.
1t seems almost certain now that there
will be a conflict both in the committee
and the House as to the nature of the
resolutions upon which the House Will
be called upon to act. Individual views
vary greatly from those who desire a
direct declaration of war, based on the
theory that the blowing up of the Maine
was a hostile act. and a few who are
opposed to any action whatever. But
the real contest of course will be be-
tween those who desire to follow what
is now generally accepted as the Presi-
dents recommendation, armed interven-
ton, and those who desire the recog-
milton of the Cuban republic.
The Democrats, both of the committee
and the House, have taken an unequiv-
Ccal josition for the recognition of Cuban
independence. although there is diff
ference of opinion as to whether inter
vention should follow. A majority OF
the Republicans of the committee have
within q few days declared themselves
for intervention and independence Two
of them, Messrs. Quigg Of New York
and Henry of Indiana, While they do
not favor recognition of the existing
republic. have earnestly advocated
declaration to the effect that Spain's
domination over the island cease, leav-