Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1898-02-18

iuS palms.
Mr.. Mason then read letter purport-
Ing to be the answer of Gen. Gomez to
Gen. Blanco's offer of a vessel to enable
him Gomez to leave the island of Cuba
In safety. "Think of this grand old SOL
der, brave as he is" shouted MIR. Mason,
fighting for a country he loves, fight
ing in storm and sunshine, fighting, too,
with the knowledge that his own son
had been sacrificed to the cause. Think
of him being approached by that bribe
giver, that military prostitute, Blanco,
with pitiful bribe for his honor" Now
that the Spanish forces have refused
open battle, said Mr.. Mason, the only
hope of Spain is to overcome the Cuban
leaders by brides. '
Reverting again to discussion of the
bearing of international law upon the
fconfliet, Mr.. Mason commended that
Uncle Sam was, in effect, a policeman,
whose duty it was to exercise his power
to prevent further bloodshed upon the
fair island. "Should the president take
such action" declared Mr.. Mason, she
would, as has been the case in every
other crisis of our country, have behind
him the army and the navy, and, above
all, the people,"
Senator Mason insisted that while the
war had destroyed Cuba it had made
many Spanards rich. He bitterly de-
nounced the efforts of "the stock job
ners" to stay the hand of humanity.
"When the bucket-shops write the legis-
lation for the country" said he, "the
evil day is upon u.s." The Republican
party had promised to put stop to this
condition of affairs, and no man had
right to interdict this resolution, let him
sit In the White House or elsewhere. AT
this point the applause was vociferous,
and it required vigorous efforts to secure
order.
Mr.. Mason declared that notwithstand
ing the declaration of the st. Louis plat
form nothing had been done-"nothing,
he said, except to pass belligerency
resolution in the senate, and" he added,
amidst general laughter, referring evil
IDENTIFY to Speaker Reed, at is not GER
tain whether HE will pass it on the
other side"
Mr.. Mason declared Spain was Jealous
of our nearness to Cuba, and expressed
the opinion that there was an effort in
Spain to force this country to buy Cuba.
He said the Spaniards had always been
hostile to the Republican institutions of
this country. Indeed, from the begin
ming of our history there had scarcely
been an administration which had not
been compelled to deal with the bad
faith of Spain. Spain was without
honor, without cash and without credit.
Her soldiers were cOnscripts and her
captain generals either thieves, like
Weyler, or bribe-givers, like Blanco.
We do not want the island, but if nee
essary to save the women and children
of the islands, let us, for Gods sake,
buy it, said Mr.. Mason. He declared
that the autonomy which Spain had
offered TO Cuba was a gold brick which
Spain was trying to work off on the
president. lie said the president had
seen only the telegraphic summary fur
nished by the Spanish ministry when he
wrote his message, and that this sum-
mary was the result of mere confidence
game on the part of the Spanish minis
try. 1t was evident, he said, that the
president had been deceived, as the real
SCuNllC was NlAlIutlu uulll dlltI llc
message was written.
Mr.. Mason ridiculed the scheme of au-
tonomy proposed. He pointed out that
the captain general could dissolve the
proposed Cuban parliament and pass the
appropriation bills and declare martial
law "at his own sweet will" without
any reference to the desires of the Cuban
people. "And yet" said Mr.. Mason,
"this is the glorious scheme of autonomy
which is to do so much for Cuba. Is that
the independence the Republican party
proposed to assist the Cubans in OBJ
taining?'
at is a mere bluff-a gold brick which
Spain is giving Cuba" He declared that
President Mckinley was being imposed
upon until the Spanish authorities had
time to murder and bribe yet a few more
of those to whom local government
had been promised. Further along Mr..
Mason called attention TO the provisions
of the articles of autonomy regulating
the levying of taxes, showing that under
them whenever the Spanish officials de-
sired more money for their luxuries and
excuses they had only to levy under the
dulOuOlHOus sCIlClnc 10 utluduu ana wiring
more money from the suffering people
The whole plan he denounced as a piece
of Spanish fraud and chicanery. 1t was
autonomy in name only. Sagasta was
right when he said to the Queen that not
one bit of the sovereign, central power
or SPANS government had been yielded
by the proposed autonomic government
"And yet said MIR. Mason, 1--WE are
told to be patient. 'Oh, Lord, how
long? How long are we to await the
termination of this dreadful struggle :
Are there not now enough graves in
Cuba?" Mr. Mason said he believed that
certainly not less than 100000 persons
had fallen victims to Spanish brutality, |
and he felt that the number was not less |
than 100000. "Shall we wait,n he in.
quired, "until the rest of them have been