The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1898-03-24

The sentiment Of the old soldiers in re
gard to Spanish rule i'll Cuba and the
blowing up OF the battleship Maine was
clearly demonstrated at Grand Army
Hall last night The occasion was the
celebration of the thirty-tirst anniver-
sary of Kit Carson Post, and the prin
cipal speakers were Senator William E.
Mason of Illinois, and Gen. Charles III.
Grosvenor of Ohio. The hall was crowd
ea
The campfire was opened with prayer
by Rev. Henry NJ. Condor, chaplain OF
the House. and after music, a poem by
Col John A. Joyce, and short address
by Department Commander Hendricks,
Senator Mason was introduced.
He said that when he came into the
hall and saw Gen. Grosvenor sitting on
the platform he felt like two oysters that
met once The first asked the other what
he was doing there and was answered by
a similar question. But where are we?'
asked the first oyster. cat a church So
cable was the reply. "Well, what the
deuce are we both doing here, them was
the answering question.
WASH | DIu tllOuBn TO IlSNl Wild SOuT
said Senator Mason. ''but thank God. l
am old enough to fight for you. We hear
good deal of talk about the dangers
and horrors of war. We are rich from
war. The empty sleeves and broken
bodies were the cost of making US
grander nation. Some one. / believe ii
was Sherman, said that war was hell.
There are some things worse than hell.
The murder of women and children and
the starvation of two hundred thousand
souls upon this continent is worse than
hell. Dante, who startled many people
with his drawings of the place of the
damned never in his mildest imagina-
tions pictured an acre of Cuba as it is to-
day. Down in Havana harbor $50 lives
were taken; not in open war; not upon
an honorable field but caught like rats
in a trap and strangled without moment
in which to say a prayer before they stood
before their Maker. With the sentiment
of twenty years ago we would have talked
Of indemnity but now the American peO-
pie would scorn it as they would a snake
Spanish money can never pay for the
Maine.
You understand we are patient peo-
pie. The dignified body of which I am a.
member are slow in their deliberations.
1t would take two months in that cham
Der to say, Pass the salt And when we
come to sit on any great question we have
to close the doors to the people who pay
us our salaries. We are patient and
have been, but the time is coming when
we must act"
Senator Mason's remarks were wildly
cheered, and when he attempted to stop
cries of Go on, go on" came from all
over the house, but he pleaded an inn
p0rtant engagement and left the hall.
America" was played on the cOrnet
hvr (F.,y1N Il /
audience stood and Joined in the chorus.
A vocal solo by Miss Irna S. Callahan
followed.
Gen. Charles Fl. GrosYenor was then
| introduced and spoke in &art as follows:
The nation is meeting other contingent
! cies beside the appropriation for pensions,
and we cheer the idea of another war.
There is an outcry that we should kill
100000 American soldiers in order TO get
even for the starvation of the same num-
Der of persons in Cuba. You, my com
rades. who fought with tho old smooth
bore Springfield muskets and on the old
wooden ships, and with all the old ap-
pliances. do you feel anxious to again
undergo the experience? (Cries of "Yes
yes.'D Are you willing to suffer It that
the young men Of this country should be
driven to face the modern appliances OF
war? Do you want dismembered men OF
do you want to stop and think? Do you
| want to create n new grand army of wild
| ows and orphans. or is it your wish that
/ in this grand age of Christianity there
! should be some effort made to prevent q
warfare that would work to the detri-
ment of our commerce and prosperity?
1T doesn't take patriotism in mar
! of my age, slxty-four, to stand up anC
say, Let us all go to war because
/ know they would not let me go. Let u.
! consider the question. First we have
/ patriotic President a man who Tough
and marched in the late strife: a MAJ
! who knows what war is. and loves hi.
| country as much as the spontaneous
! orators, who were too young to fight
! who now get up and spout for war II,
| stands as the President of the great Re
public of the United States. charged will
grave responsibilities. He has receive,
a heritage OF responsibilities such as ha
| fallen to no other Presidents eXcep
! Washington and Lincoln. Is he TO b.
| driven headlong into war, or are we T.
consider all these questions?
What has the destruction Of tn
Maine got to DO with this Government
interfering in behalf OF Cuban inde
pendence? We are to go to war, 70
what? Revenge? Shall a great countr
like this 90 to war for revenge. or shaI
we 90 to war ultimately upon a wa
| proposition that will appeal to all Chris
tian nations? Do you know what de
| stroyed the Maine?"
Cries of Yes" yes" all over tn
house.
NO you don't You don't know an
more about it than I do. believe tina
she was destroyed by the planting of
deadly missile in Havana harbor Blu
let us wait CA voice: we are wait
inG.D well, we are great enough {
wait. ] believe that the President Of tn
United States Will never see this Govern
ment dish0nored. 1t Is something to stan
a war 1t is like applying a torch to tn
civilization Of the nineteenth centur
and may involve the whole civiIize
world in a strife such as this world ha
never seen. We are growing stronge
every twenty-four hours at the ratio {
five to six, as compared with pueri
Spain" Can old soldier on the platform
I'VE take her insults just the same.
Tho United States will go to war upo
a proclamation that all mankind wi
recognize as just. She will proclaim
all the world that on an island I'm II
Gulf Of Mexico a population is being sui
iccted TO an unholy, unjustihable an
, cruel war. That Spain Is starving h,
own population, and humanity cries OF
that we must intervene We must int
fere, for our Monroe doctrine would n,
allow any other nation to do so, ar
other nations will recognize it as OF
{ right.
I'VE will say another thing to Spai
We will say that by this war you ha,
destroyed the business of our people upC
the shores of that island and have wrcc
ed our commercial interests You ha,
perturbed the peaceful condition of OF
people; you have disturbed our busine
and wrecked our political serenity v
| shall not about T.acoarDfZiner II
Independence of the Cuban people: II
that bubble, that faree The first ST
toward recognizing a nation is to sci