The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1898-04-14
MINORITY REPORT
IN THE HOUSE
II Recommends the Recognition Of Cuba'C
independence.
ADVOCATES INTERVENTION
On the Grounds Of SPANS Cruel Node OIL
Warfare.
AUTHORITIES ARE THEN QUOTED
To Show That the United States Is JustihabIe
in Direct Recognition of independence.
. Autonomy viii Not Be Accept :
ed by the Insurgents.
INTERVENTION
AUTHORITIES ARE THEN QUOTED

/ ~ "'N ''Se' =
Washington, April 1S-The following Is
the text of the report of the minority of
the house foreign affairs committee in sup
port Of their resolutions for intervention
and recognition of the Cuban insurgents:
I'VE recommend the following resolutions
| as substitute for the resolutions submit
| ted by the majority of the committee on
| foreign affairs:
Resolved, That the United States gov
eminent hereby recognizes the independence
of the island of Cuba.
Second, That, moved thereto by many
considerations of humanity, of interest and
of provocation, among which are the DELHI
crate mooring of our battleship, the Maine.
over a submarine mine and its destruction
in the harbor of Havana, the president of
the United States be and is hereby directed
to employ Immediately the land and naval
forces of the United States in aiding the
republic of Cuba to maintain the inde-
pendence hereby recognized
Section 8, That the president Of the
United States is hereby authorized and d.
rected to extend immediate relief to the
starving people of Cuba"
"In support of the first resolution, guided
by motives of humanity, Influenced by div
ers provocations, among which are the de-
llberate mooring of our battleship Maine
over a submarine mine, Its ruthless de-
struction in the harbor of Havana and the
death of 266 seamen, we submit the facts
to the house, to our countrymen and to the
world. 4r
Reviews the Situation
"For more than a quarter of a century,
with short intervals, revolution has been
in progress in Cuba, destroying our COM
MERGE and causing great financial loss to
our citizens and unprecedented mortality
among the contending factions. b
"For more than three years the Cuban
patriots have struggled for freedom. with
courage, fortitude and self abnegation un-
excelled in the annals of the human race.
These people are our near neighborS, close
" connected with us by ties of business ard
of friendship. In their aspirations for lib
erty they have been animated by our ex-
ample and have modelled their form or
government upon ours.
During these three years the Spaniards
have butchered these people, starved help
less women, children and old MEN by hun
dreds of thousands and have wasted the
island by fire and sword in violation of all
the rules of civilized warfare
'These acts of barbarous cruelty have
filled the American people with horror and
they are practically unanimous for recog-
nizing the independence Of the government
established by that brave and heroic peo-
pie by the expenditure of SO much treas
ure and so much blood and our people VIII
be satisfied with nothing less.
1.-THE government which the Cubans have
established has all the forms of republic,
based on manhood suffrage with legislative
and executive departments in full opera
ton and with judicial department so far
perfect as the exigencies of the situation
permit
The Evidences of Government
"They levy and collect taxes, disburse
large sums of money, conduct postal syG-
TEN, maintain an army of 30, 600 men in the
field have defended themselves success
fully against 265, 900 Spanish soldiers, $4,000
of whom are in hospitals or in their graves,
and are now in undisputed possession on
three fourths of the island Outside her
picket lines Spain possesses not one foot OF
Cuban soil. Within her picket lines three
fourths of the population are insurgents at
heart, who will cordially participate in the
republican government as soon as the
Spaniards evacuate the island
with these facts staring us in the face
we must realize that Spain can never con-
quer Cuba and that ultimately we must
recognize the independence of the Cuban
republic. This being the case, the sooner
we act the better for all concerned, there
by putting an end to the sacrifice of hui
man life and the destruction Of property
I'VE urge the unequivocal recognition of
the independence of the Cuban republic be-
cause the Cuban patriots merit such
| recognition by their valor and prowess in
| arms; because recognition is the plain, hon
| est, courageous, manly course and will re-
move from the minds of all men any sus-
| picion that we are preparing to make war
| of conquest and to annex the island from
| motives of sordid greed or as the beginning
| of policy of impartial ACKNOWLEDGMENT;
| we urge the recognition of the existing
| public because, under international law,
| only existing government can be recog-
hized, and because by recognizing the pres
| ent republic we lift from the minds of the
| Cuban patriots the fear that we will force
| upon them a government which they do
| not want; we urge it because without such
| recognition in the event of war between
| Spain and the American republic 1t will be
| a war against Cuba also, for until the
recognition of her independence she Is, ih
| the contemplation of international law,
| still a part of Spain.
Will Give Them Credit y
Recognizing the independence of their
republic will give the Cubans credit among
| the nations of the earth, thereby enabling
| them to use all their resources to the ut
| most, and will influence men of other coun-
| tries to reinforce the Cubans with the, asr
| surance that they will be treated as soldiers
and will not be hanged as traitors, fllibus+-
| ters or pirates in the event of capture. /
1--WE urge the passage of the second reso-
! luton, providing for armed intervention, as
| necessary and logical sequence to the
| recognition of the Cuban republic. ~
! "Facts must be considered as they actur
ally exist not as we would have them.
| and one of the most potent or patent facts
! of the situation is that Spain refuses to
realize what all the rest of the world
knows to be true, that Cuba has passed
| from her control forever This being the
| case she will hold on with the strength
| of desperation to fragments of the island as
| long as possible, thereby perpetuating the
| process of starvation, arson and extermina-
| ton wherever she can and by occasional
| forages ravaging the country adjacent to
| her garrisons and stockades. We have no
| doubt that our simple recognition OF the
republic of Cuba would enable the Cubans
| themselves to ultimately expel the Span
| iards from every portion of the island
! Armed Intervention on our part would end
| the agony of this brave people, save thous-
ands of them from death and speedily close
| the most disgraceful chapter in the his