Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-03-29

a
tain result through orderly procedure.
Members are deliberate and outspoken in
their expressions. and say that a necessary
condition to any consent to delay will be
that the delay shall be brief and coupled
with uneQuivocal a surance Of acton.
They say that Trey are Willing for the
President to take the lead-want him to Go
sc-and they will follow. but they mus.
know that he is going to do what they
want and do it with reasonable prompt
ross. The advice Of the most responsible
en- is that three or four days be given
the President to Indicate his policy and
Tor the committees to report, and that If
definite steps Ire not taken before the close
of the week to restore order and civiliza-
ton in Cuba, Congress shall act. Nothing
short of the evacuation of Cuba by the
Spanish will be listened to. The resolu-
tons proposed to be adopted are for indie
perderce and intervention. There is a
considerable sentiment in favor of making
the destruction of the Maine the ground for
a direct declaration of war. This senri-
nent is excited by the reading of the testi-
mony taken by the court of inquiry, which
is widely held to convict Spanish officials
of the crime. The theory that the charac-
ter of the explosion is proven to have been
such as to preclude the possibility of its
having been without the connivance of
officials is very generally held.
An Expression of Opinion.
The members of the House Of Repre-
sentatives who are in favor Of immediate
and aggressive action on the Cuban ques-
ton are discussing all sorts of methods by
which the House can be brought to an ex-
preston OF opinion. This morning there
was even some talk OF oyerruling the chair
during the consideration Of the naval ap-
preparation bill and attaching a resolution
recognizing the independence of Cuba as
rider
But all this talk seems to be in the air.
1t has no Conference. The main thing the
conservatives have to contend with Is the
overwhelming protest which is going up
against delay.
The foreign affairs committee of the
House is in peculiar condition. Chairman
Hit is ill and the regular meeting of the
committee will not occur until Thursday.
If way can be found to secure a meeting
Of the committee before Thursday it will
be done. If not the republican members
of the committee Will probably caucus on
the question. There is a strong sentiment
in the House and in the committee against
the proposition to vote money for supplies
to relieve the starving Cubans unless it is
accompanied by action which will stop the
war. At least three of the republican men,
bers of the committee have declared that
they would oppose such a proposition with
their votes and their voices on the floor.
Hearing From Constituents.
Representatives in Congress are begin
ming to hear from their constituents on the
Cuban question. Many gentlemen have re-
ceived kilograms last night and today ex-
pressing some of the sentiment of their
section on the situation.
The tenor of some of these communion
tons is conveyed In a dispatch to Repre-
sentative Dolliver of Iowa. 1t is signed in
behalf of 200 of mis- constituents at Fort
Dodge. Iowa. and IS as follows:
Appropriate one million dollars to feed
starving Cubans. Back it up. If necessary,
with every gun in the navy. United States
must not stand helpless while innocent wo-
men and children are starved to death
God will not bless a nation that permits
IT."
Representative Chickering of New York
has received the following from H. s.
Clark of Evansville, N Y:
Strong sentiment here for Cuban indie
pendence now regardless of consequences"
Representative Dolliver has expressed
himself az being in favor of ending the
misery in Cuba speedily by whatever
means may be necessary"
Would Override the Chair.
A very determined movement is on foot
among the members of the House, In which
prominent men of both parties are Co
operating. to bring a proposition for inter-
vention in Cuba to a vote, II necessary by
arbitrarily overruling the chair. The stu
alton Is being thoroughly canvassed, par
ucularly on the republican side, as the
democratic leaders have given assurances
OF their cooperation as soon as the repub-
hcans who are engineering the scheme are
ready Mr.. Hull. chairman of the military
committee, is at the head Of the movement
on the republican side, and 1t is asserted
with great positiveness that a majority of
the republicans stand ready to vote for the
program. 1t was the intention Of these
members to attach a resolution for inter-
vention to the appropriation for the relief
of the Cubans which it was expected the
President would ask for in a message to-
day. and some assert that 1t was the fear
Of this which induced the President to
change his plans and withhold the message.
Ii the message Is not sent in the program
II to present resolution and If 1t is ruled
out of order to.overturn the ruling of the
chair
A very prominent member, who is using
all his energies to promote this program.
says that there will be no delay beyond
Thursday.
A Declaration of War.
The following joint resolution was intro
duced in the House this afternoon by Rep
resentativc Marsh of Illinois, chairman of
the committee on militia:
That war be and the same is hereby de-
clared to exist between the government
OF Spain and her dependencies and the
United States of America and her terri
tories, and that the President Of the United
States is hereby authorized to use the
whole land and naval force of the United
States. including the militia and naval mill
tia thei eof. to carry the same into effect"
Forecast of Conversational Action.
1t was understood at the Capitol late
this aftei noon that the President intends to
turn the settlement of the whole Cuban
question over to Congress. 1t is said that
he will send In all the correspondence on
the subject. and call upon Congress-, with