The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-02-19


spolsibiiity where it did not belong.
All, Mr.. President, we can stand much
/ Of discussion and debate, we can en-
dure much of public discussion when
! there should be silence, but there is one
thing this country can never stand, and
that is 10 listen without resentment 10
an insinuation that officers of our navy
are not men of honor and integrity and
of truth.
WILL DO THEIR DUTY.
1.-THE officers appointed to investigate
VIII do their duty. do not know what
Sums the senator from Illinois may
have dragged TO find the expression of
an opinion that there is lack of conf
dence in the personnel of our navy, but
1 know he cannot find an honorable or
patriotic citizen who will stand up
before the country and endorse for an
instant the utterances which the sena-
tor has made / don't underrate the i'm
portance of this branch of the govern
n1ent. believe IL its dignity q IFS
Importance in the openness of its dis
cussion. but what we need now in my
opinion is q decent and dignitied re-
ticence, in the face of the appalling cal
amity that has fallen upon our peo-
pie. There are times for speaking and
times for silence, ana this is the time,
when we face the awful calamity that
has overtallen US. when we should re-
tain any expression of an opinion, or
our belief as to how this awful disaster
was brought about until in a proper,
regular and formal way, an investiga-
ton may be had which we all know
viii be conducted with the utmost up
rightness and the utmost integrity.
ABSTAIN FROM INSULT.
'Mr. President, I speak as one who
sympathiZes deeply with the citizens of
that unfortunate island now engaged
in this terrible deplorable conflict 1
yield to nobody in my desire to see the
conclusion of that war. but l do say,
if ever there was a moment when we
should abstain from outrageous and
gratuitOus insult to a friendly nation,
that time is today. If ever there was a
time when We should tender our help
to every department of the govern
ment, it should be today. If there was
ever a time when we should refrain
from unjust criticism, it is today. All,
Mr.. President, the day may come for
war; I think myself the day may be
not far distant, and when it comes, we
win fight it alone, for there will be no
other nation to lift a hand to help us.
When that day comes, our course must
be eternally grounded on the right, and
until it comes, there is nothing that
so belittles this people in my opinion as
THESE Unjust anu outrageous dlloChS
upon a friendly government. All, Mr.
President, war is a grim decision; but
when it comes it must come so that /
the people of the world, whether they
fight with us or not, can at least respect !
our conduct and our position, and above
all, Mr.. President, it must come under
which make us respect |
ourselves"
SENATOR LODGE.
Mr.. Wolcott was followed immediate |
ly by Mr.. Lodge lAIass.), who had sat !
very FESTIVE under Mr.. MaSon's re- /
Elections on the navy department. He |
also spoke with intense earnestness, J
saying:
Mr.. President: I have no desire and
no intention of saying one word in re-
gard to the war which is raging in |
Cuba. No one can detest the horrors
enacted in that island more than /.
No one desires more than 1 to see the
Spanish power swept from that island,
as it has been from all the states of
South America; but, Mr.. President,
that question is not here. We are face
to face at this moment with a great
national calamity. The Americans
have received the awful news of the
sinking of the warship Maine with a
splendid silence and self-restraint, both
n congress and throughout the coun-
try. They are waiting sternly, quietly,
20 know the truth, and the truth they
will have. This is not a question which
involves Cubans or Spaniards. This is
4 question which involves brave Amer
can seamen gone to their death in d
'oreign port. In the presence of that
what we want is the truth.
How are we to get it?
BY the investigations of a committee
If congress, which knows nothing.
ztrfrr 70
which has no expert knowledge. which
s miles from the place where the dis
lster occurred?
There is only one way to get at the
ruth of this matter, and that is
through the naval officers who have
,een selected already to perform that
Iuty.
I'VE want to know the truth. If it was
n accident which destroyed the Maine
hen let Us provide, as far as human
oresight can, against a recurrence If
was treachery. then the righteous
wrath of the American people will take
signal vengeance from the treachery
hat sent the ship to the bottom, and
ct no one think to stay it.
MASON'S REPLY.
Mr.. Mason replied: 'Misquotation
nd general spasm viii not drive me
rom the discussion of this question"
lie shared. he said, in the general adj :
liration of the various departments of
he executive branch of the govern
lent, and Mr.. Wolcott would not excel
i'm in that respect. Il am sorry" he {
aid. that while the Colorado senator ]
giving us such a lecture about the I
avy department he does not slop over
nd give the treasury department some (
{ his praise" He (MasOn) fully en-
orsed all that Mr.. Lodge had said S
bout the head of the navy, with whom t
g had served in the house, and whom {
e knew to be a man of ability, of \
reat head and a warm heart; but Mr.. d
ong could not himself object to an i
lvestigation and il was no part of u
'iendship to him to try to shield him
ON such an inquiry as was proposed. il
he himself were managing the de- II
he would, under the circum- n
ances, want the investigation. He I
anied that his remarks contained any c
)nor, or the integrity or honor of the
hcers of the navy; but while this was
ue, he had also had regard for the Il
Dnor and the lives of the common sea- I,
en-. He also resented the intima ton q
lat he had gone into the slunas to find Il
ords with which to characterize the a
3vy department, and repeated his 10y n
~ to the navy and other depart II
ents +,
ALLEN ON INVESTIGATIONS. V
Mr. Allen CNeb.) said he desired to 81
cure vote upon the resolution, but :,
desired to reiterate the suspicious -
pressed by Mr.. Mason that the in -
.stigation by the navy department -
ould not be satisfactory to the coun- -