The San Francisco call., 1898-04-12

was occupied befor President Hobart's gavel called the Senate to or der. In the galleries people had been waiting for hours, but the arrange
 ments for handling the crowds were so admirable that not the slightest con- fusion existed. The attendance of Sen ators was unusually large. and every member of the body in the city was in his seat. Among the visitors on the floor was General Nelson A. Miles, commander in-chief of the army. In the diplomatic gallery were Sir Julian Pauncefote, the Austrian Minister and party; Mr. Constantin Bruun. Minister of Denmark; MT. Charles F. Adams, First Secretary of the British Lega- tion, and Miss Adams; Chancellor Boeufve, from the French Legation; Dr. Yola, Secretary of the Legation of Guatemala; MT. J. B. Proda, the Swiss Minister, and three attaches of the Chinese Legation. Several of the gen. tlemen were accompanied by ladies. | The galleries presented a brilliant scene. Many of the ladies were attired in the most fetching Easter finery, and the handsome display of gowns and
 
 of beautiful dressing. Scarcely had the Senate been called to order when Quay of Pennsylvania precipitated the Cuban question by presenting some pe- titions and making startling comments upon them. He took the strongest ground for immediate and impetuous action.
 The people of the United States, in my judgment" said he, ''are pretty nearly unanimous that the time for negotiations upon the Cuban question is past; the present is a case for nei-
 ther Pope, prelate nor presbytery.
 They believe that further negotiations
 mean further time for the concentra-
 tion of the Spanish naval forces and for general Spanish preparations for war. They know that a Spanish tor pedo flotilla is en route for our shores,
 whose mission is hostile, whose only interest can be to destroy our vessels
 as the Maine was destroyed and slay our sailors as the sailors of the Maine were slain. They know that on yes terday two Spanish war vessels sailed westward and will be with us in ten days. They believe that bloodshed will be averted or diminished by ythe prompt action of our Government, not by de- claring war, but making war in self defense before Spain can secure other further naval or military advantage, and, perhaps without reason, that de- lay is largely sought or urged by those interested in the Spanish success or bv those who would market the national
 honor and ma'-0 merchandise of the blood and bones of the Maine: that in- tervention should be armed, immediate and impetuouS; that not merely a Sta- ble, but a republican form of govern men should be given the Cubans; that
 the Spaniards should get out of Cuba They should not stand upon the order of their going, but go a. once For
 these purposes they believe the army and navy of the United States should
 be utilized until Cuba is free and the
 Maine is avenged. Believing that the President is, in his ultimate purposes,
 with the people, I have pleasure in as-
 surfing the Trades League of Philadel- phia that l will comply with their re- quest"
 Even when Quay was speaking, Ma jor Pruden, the legislative secretary to
 the President, entered the chamber
 bearing the long-eXpected message. He was recognized soon as Quay had
 concluded. and when he had presented
 the message the Vice. President imme-
 diately laid 1t before the Senate. In g. stiffness that was almos: breathless
 the message was read. the reading oc-
 cupying forty-two minutes At the conclusion of the reading there was a hum of whispered conversation in the galleries, but no demonstration.
 Davis of Minnesota, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, at once moved that it be referred to his com
 mittee, and Stewart of Nevada, taking
 advantage of the opportunity, briefly addressed the Senate in favor of recog- nizing the independence of the Cuban insurgents. Without further debate the message was referred as requested Stewart said that while he did not care at this time to discuss the gen. eral question he desired to submit some remarks bearing upon the message. He sharply criticized the position taken by the President, saying it seemed evil dent to him .(StewarO that the pro-
 posed intervention would precipitate what would prove to be a war of con-
 quest He hoped there would be no ! intervention that did not recognize the 1 rights of the CubanS, who had been 1 struggling for years for their independ- ence. He believed we ought not to go | to Cuba with an armed force unless we i went with the intention of recogniz- ing the rights and authority of the Gu
 ban Republic officials and of joining | with the insurgents to assist them in
 winning their freedom and independ- | ence. Stewart declared that in the
 circumstances war with Spain would | be a war with which the European l Maine disaster alone was in itself an
 act of war. and this country would be
 fully Justified In proceeding to extreme
 measures on that subject The people,
 said stewart, had put the crime against
 the Maine ahead. in point of considera-
 tion, of every other feature of the Gu
 ban question, and they would heartily
 approve of war with Spain to wipe | out the stain upon this country pro-
 duced by that foul Spanish plot He
 insisted that no war ought, however to
 be precipitated that did not include the Cuban insurgents as allies to our arms. | If this country should recognize the in
 dependence of Cuba, the people would | applaud the action from the Atlantic
 to the Pacific, because it would mean
 the freedom of an oppressed and down
 trodden people.
 | Butler of North Carolina, in rising
 to offer resolution. said that 1t was perfectly evident that the message just
 read did not mean the independence of
 Cuba for which the patriots of the is- land had been so long strugglinR. ""The