The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-04-13
LOOKS MORE LIKE WAR.
If Congress Passes the Resolutions
HOstiIities VIII Follow.

Associated Press Dispatch.
| WASHINGTON, April 12.-The burden of
responsibility for the next move in the
| Spanish crisis having been shifted by the
| Presidents message on the shoulders of
Congress, the Capitol to-day became the
storm center. with the foreign affairs COM
mittees of the two houses as the foci The
| struggle in each committee was long and
bitter with this marked difference between
| that at the Senate wing and that at the
| House end of the Capitol: In the Senate
committee the Democrats as well the
| Republicans participated, while at the
| House end the task was to secure harmon
| ious action among the Republicans so as to
| present, if possible, a solid front when the
| Democrats were finally called in for action.
Pressure from every quarter was brought to
| bear Radicals and conservatives strained
every nerve The vital point of the contest
hinged on whether the resolutions should
| go further than the President had gone
| and declare for the independence of Cuba
| from Spanish domination. Tonight a COM
| promise proposition seems certain to be
| ported at both ends of the Capitol. The
| Senate committees resolution will be the
| more radical of the two. 1t will surely be
| reported tomorrow, and will declare for i'm
| mediate Intervention, a general recognition
| of the rights of the Cuban people to free
| dom and independence, and will demand
| the withdrawal Of the Spanish forces from
| the island.
| The Republicans of the House committee,
| as result of their labors, practically unit
| ed on a resolution, which also directs i'm
mediate intervention lin that respect going
beyond the Presidents recommendation,
| and for the establishment of a firm and
| stable government in Cuba. Mr. Smith,
! of Michigan stood out stubbornly for rec
| ognition of independence, but the commit
| tee did not yield. When the resolutions
were submitted to the Republican steering
committee they insisted that unless the
| words (and independently before govern
| merit were inserted as to read Firm,
stable, and independent government they
! would decline to accept it, Finally assur-
ances that this would be conceded were Civ
en- and if those words go in plain sailing
and harmonious ACTON seems probable to-
morrow. The Democrats of the committee
have agreed to antagonize the majority res
| olution with one declaring for independence
| and immediate armed Intervention. The ul-
| innate independence of the island, without
| the recognition of the independence of the
| existing government, is the step which both
| committees are to take beyond the Pres-
| dents recommendations. A significant fea-
| ture of the day in this connection was the
declaration of General Grosvenor, of Ohio,
| the administrations SPOKESMAN, made dur
| ing the debate in the House, that the Pres
ident's recommendations must be interpret
| ed as a declaration for the independence of
| the island from Spanish domination.
| There is strong impression tonight that
the debate in the House will be made short
e H. cd,
| stration Many Of the Republicans are in
| favor of no debate at all, contending that
the passage of resolution without debate
| would strengthen our position before the
world. In the Senate it is impossible to pre-
dict how long the debate will run. There is
| a general feeling in Washington tonight
among public men that the action of Con-
gress as foreshadowed in the resolutions,
renders the situation extremely critical, and
conservative leaders of both parties con-
slider war inevitable as a result of their
adoption unless Spain makes a final and
complete surrender by giving UP the Island
of Cuba. The situation is regarded as so
critical that the Republicans of the ways
| and means committee, result of private
conferences, have reached an agreement as
to method of raising $780, 600 additional
revenue annually for the prosecution of the
war by increasing the tax on beer and to-
bacco and placing tax on tea and coffee.
| They also agreed to authorize the issue of a
popular loan of $500 100000 and the issue of
| certificates of Indebtedness to meet emerg
| encies.
Consul General Lee arrived this after
noon and at once became the hero of the
| hour. There great outpouring of the
people on the streets tonight to witness the
I.s.~ A. ofko
noon he appeared before the committee on
| foreign relations of the Senate. While it is
| said he gave no startling information his
| opinion, vigorously expressed, strengthened
the committee in the position it has taken
regarding the blowing up of the Maine, and
| was regarded as very valuable.
Outside of Congress and the Lee demon
| stration the complete calm which prevailed
| in all official quarters was in striking con-
| trast with the intense excitement and the
| rapidity of action during the last two weeks.
The regular Tuesday Cabinet meeting was
| held at II o'clock, but the deliberations
| proved to be void of significance. At the
| conclusion OF the meeting Cabinet members
| summed up what had occurred by stating
| that the meeting the most uneventful
in many weeks. The situation, it was eX-
planned was absolutely unchanged from
that of yesterday. No word had come from
Minister Woodford to-day, and there were
no new phases reported from Cuba.
With evident satisfaction the members of
the Cabinet stated that the whole question
is now committed to Congress, and that any
developments must be looked for from that
quarter rather than from the executive
J branch.
The State Department officials had
period of comparative rest after the strain
put upon them within recent days. They
looked forward with interest to General
Lees coming as it would afford an oppor-
| tunity for full personal exchange of condi-
| lions in Cuba. Army and navy headquarters
were in a state of comparative repose The
preparations already begun progressed
| steadily.
The foreign embassies and legations were
somewhat apathetic. After considerable
| personal exchange the representatives of
| the great powers of Europe We're satisfied
that further action by the powers at this
| time would be inopportune and they so noti-
| fled their governments. The Spanish minis
! ter believes that the war crisis has been
averted, for The present at least, and no
| further thought is being given at the
| Spanish legation to the necessity for depar-
! ture The legation has been advised that
| the Spanish consul at Key West and a num-
| 4. hax Il