The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-03-28
SPEECH
In the House on the,Navnl Ap.
preparation Bill.
PATRIOTIC UTTERANCEs
on die Disaster to tl,. Ba,tis.hlpJ Maine
and ,hr caban aa,,iion IN idsnsrai-.A
con,erra,iseA ppeai inl lishair OF Inter.
ysntion on the Part OF the United statsi.

and the caban 9at,iion III Gsnsrai-.Ai
con,erya,iseAp appeal la iiehair u Inter.
ysn,ion on ,he Part OF the, United stats,.
y Special Correspondence.
81 WASHINGTON D. G., March 2s,---
SfReprcscntatiye Dayton. OF West Vir-
5ginia,as anticipatedlnt the sIniellIgeneer,i
was one of the advocates on the floor
OF the house OF the pending naval ap-
Precipitation, bill. He consumed half an
hour IN the presentation OF arguments
I for the increase OF the navy, which tho
sbilFcentemplates, giving numerous sta.
/ tisties, and wound up with a conGerva-,
3tIye but lnpasslonfd appeal for inter
( yention In bchai; OF Cuba, II
ss He said, In part: NJ.
- have always deeply deplotcd the
custom 50 much INDUCED hcre, under
the license OF general dsbetc OF, die.
..eussing questions foreign 70 tho bill
under consideration. Iiwonld not for
one moment express myself as an
Z about 10 do, IL did not believe that not
etonlE the argument In behalf ofsthe In,
crease OF our navy, but all other eStra-
ordinary and exceptional reasons 1ust!-
my me. Il n
sit ls needless for me to call att:ntlon
to tho fact that We have one less bait
tleship now than we had whaa we last
s5dlscussed a naval appropriation BILL In
this house. This bill provides for a
new Maine, but the American heart has
\ not ceased to thrill with horror over the
disaster which befell The original
Maine, now lying n wreck In the Havn-
q M .harbor, with 266 OF her brave crew
J, buried beneath her. We! cannot, no
isSmatter how hard We may try, believe
otherwise than that 1t would have been
impossible for this disaster to have &C.
curTed in any other harbor in the
world. iWetalk as we will about an ac-l
cldent. and yet the time when. and the,
Y place where, 1t occurred brings the full
Teallzat ton that there Is one nation, or
& at least one individual, who would dc.
fetroy us II possible; and while I am in
: entire accord and sympathy With the
}32wise. patient, yet prompt and patriotic.
55course pursued by the President in the
time Of his trial; while / regard that
: nothing has been done anger or haste;1
that a full investigation has been or
dered to me made, by board selected
4 from the best, bravest and most capa-
BILE body Of naval officers to be found
4 on earth, one member OF which board
! am proud to count as a constituent{or
mine, nevertheless, while our hearts
may be full OF sadness and indignation
4 over this tragedy. let us not for one mo-
! sra a u 10 6,t ipn .lar
a greater and more horrible tragedy
Z transpirlns daily before our eyes, and
which, insist, this great. enlightened
= Christian nation must bring TO a close
1.-TWO hundred and sixty-sir brave
! men are dead to-day, as result OF the
Maine tragedy. Over, 100000 are dead
i In Cuba, and 265,cpo more. largely help
q less women and children are being held
e In imprisonment and starved to death
there to-day. We do not know, as yet,
~ that the Spanish authorities blew up
Sthe Maine and destroyed the lives OF
4 our seamen, but We do know that
Spanish authority is responsible for
y this wholesale murderln the first degree
Z going on within hundred miles of our
n shores. Do not forget, Mr. Chairman
( that the only cause for thistle only!
: crime these pitiful dead and dying
have. been guilty of is that. inspired by
= our example, they have longed and
3 sought for free self-government Do
not forget, Mr.. Chairman, that when
this house. almost by unanimous vote,
followed by the senate, declared In ia
yor of belllgerent rights for this dis.
51tracted island, had Nj. Cleveland act
z ed promptly, at least 100, 900 lives would
have been saved, Cuba would have been
Gree. and in ali human probability the
maine would not be a. dismantfed
wreck, but would be peacefully, cleaying
Z, the sea, manned by men now dead, and
flying the proud American flag.
~ ~.
ia".Do not spare in our remembrance,
s NJ. f,hairman that otha,4 ,o,, ,h,t
- 800, -. :, -, = -
Mt tHs ttle VI oeii'sereht fights
was discussed In the senate. by far the
. strongest, most earnest and affecting
y words In behalf Of such recognition
came from the lips OF the noble, veneer
( ated statesman who stands to-day at
u the head OF President McKinley's scabi-
Y net.
Let us look at this question fairly
= and squarely. Under the Monroe doc
settle the afairs OF CUBA. We would re-!
Z s atu ~. either as humli!ation or an al
LIZ " op.saS, ,,u - Upon us IN
and the blood OF dead Cuba,s 5thoi,s
4; sands cry aloud to us out OF Cuba's
E..,, 4 I'd . = d . u l. 4 = !