The record-union., 1898-04-14
Both Arraign Spanish Conduct Of
Affairs on the Island.
Disaster to the Maine Linked With Prece-
dent Transactions Which Cannot
In Reason Be Disconnected
From II.

WASHINGTON, April 13.-The Sem
ate Committee on Foreign Relations did
not begin business until II o'clock and
the meeting was understood to be mere
ly formal, as the essential work of pre-
pairing it's report and formulating the
resolution to be presented had been
practically completed yesterday. There
were some additions to the report on
account of General Lees testimony, but
these were not material, as his state
ments did not add anything to the COM
mittee's real stock of information 1t
was felt, however that his statement
would be valuable in rounding out and
completing the report, and in support
ing the committees position. His
opinions We're in line with those of the
majority of the committee, and were
highly valued.
The statement in General Lees tes-
timony which had an influence with
the more radical pro-Cuban members
of the Senate Committee on Foreign
Relations was the effect that the pres
ent Cuban Government was a Govern
ment on paper only. He said, how
ever. he had no real facts on the sub
ject, and that this was merely an opin-
ion.
General Lee also said that it was
not true that the lights in Havana went
out on the night of the explosion.
The report of the committee on the
Cuban situation was made by Chair
man Davis, and was a very thorough
review OF the entire situation, and
strong presentation of facts which has
led the committee to it's conclusions.
The report takes up the Maine dis
aster as the leading topic for consid-
Grafton, and plunges into that question
in it's first sentence, which is as foll-
lows:
THE destruction of the United States
battleship Maine, of two of her officers
and 264 of her crew, in the harbor of
Havana on the night of February 10,
1893, excited to an unprecedented de-
gree the compassion and resentment of
the American people"
Continuing, the report says:
Manifestations of that resentment
were suspended, although the feeling
was not allayed by the self-restraint
of our people, who determined to hold
their judgment in suspense concerning
their ultimate action until an official
investigation should disclose the cause
of that great disaster. and enable them
+;.,1
to impute the responsibility therefor.
That investigation has been made.
1t was conducted with judicial thor
oughness and deiibcration The diff
Guilty of demonstrating by conclusive
proof the efficient personal cause of
that sinister event was the usual one
of exposing plotted and mysterious
crimes No such difficulty. however.
obscures its official and responsible
cause
The committe says that the explosion
itself of the Maine was linked with
series of precedent transactions which
cannot III reason be disconnected from
it.
With animus by Spain, so plainly
apparent that no one can even plausi-
bly, deny it's existence it is merely one
reason for the conclusion to which the
investigating mind must come in con-
sidering the entire subject of the re-
lations of the United States with that
Government. 1t is the opinion of your
committee that the destruction of the
Maine was compassed either by the Of
fetal act OF the Spanish authorities,
or was made possible by negligence on
be equivalent in culpability to positive
criminal action.
When property and life are de-
stroyed by an act which the exercise
of diligence by the person whose duty
it is to use should have prevented the
happening of such an event is sufficient
proof that that diligence was not en-
ployed The time of the explosion it
self must have been calculated for the
moment when the Maine should swing
within the destructive radius of the
mine
Concluding this portion of it's pre-
sentation, the committee says: THE
| duplicity, perfidy and cruelty of the
/ Spanish character as they always have
been. are demonstrated still to contin-
ue by their manifestations during the
| present war in Cuba. All these cir
| cl1mstances considered cumulatively
warrant the conclusion that the de-
struction of the Maine was comrassed
1Con+ipuad IN Sayerth pape)