The Portland daily press., 1898-04-19
RECOGNITION DEFEATED.
Story Of the Hard Fight in Congress
Yesterday.
ESPECIAL TO THE rREss.1

ESPECIAL TO THE PRESs.J
Washington, April 1s.-After day of
the hardest kind of legislative fighting
midnight finds the two houses Of Con-
gress still disagreeing as to declaring the
Independence of the Cuban republic. The
Senate insists that the resolutions shall
have this feature. The House has insisted
all day and still insists that 1t shall not.
The battle OF the House Republicans has
grown stronger all day. When the day
opened the prospects were bright for q
straight out victory for the Senate resolu-
tions. There was an ominous ferment in
the delegations Of the great states Quay
was laboring to swing the powerful
Pennsylvania delegation into line for the
Senate resolutions, the Foraker men were
getting together their partisans in the
Ohio delegation for the same purpose.
These opponents of the Presidents
POt1Oy VOAO tiH0nlLAAk 0AA LAuObcIlI&
with alarming vigor. The example of
the section of Republican Senators who
joined the Democrats was like contagion
IN the House. From ten to eleven O'Clock
the loyal leaders met in the Speakers
room and for an hour considered in
earnest animated conclave the difficult
and dangerous situation. They had ascer.
tained by a canvass that they could not
hold the Republican majority together for
straight fight for the House resolution,
and that IL they should try IT they would
be defeated and the Senate resolutions
would be CONQUERED in Therefore it was
necessary to- concur with thezSsnate reso-
luton with an amendment striking out
the clause recognizing the independence
of the Cuban republic. It was doubtful if
even this ground could be maintained.
but the leaders under the Speakers direc.
tion went to work with will.
Mr.. Dingley was designated to manage
the fight on the floor when the House
should meet, and the remainder divided
to work among the men from their
sections of the country. The great State
Of New York stood solid for the Republi-
can position. Senator Platt has been
staunoh on the conservative side and ex-
erted none of the disorganizing influence
that Quay and Foraker were exerting.
The first roll call was one of great anxiety
fourteen representatives had broken away
there was great relief and qualification.
The Senate, however, still insisted on
their position, and counted that on an
other trial they could break the Republi.
can line.
But again the line held. Messrs.
Boutelle Of Maine, johnson of Indiana
and Loud of California, who had voted
with the reconcentrados on the first call,
not because they sympathized with them,
but because they were SO strong against
war that they would not vote for any
thing looking to war, now swung in
with their party as the latest phase coin.
cided with their own views. Senator
Hale, who has been the staunchest con-
servative fighter on the Senate side, and
to whom much credit is due for the good
showing the supporters of the administra-
tion have been able to make, came over
during this roll call to see how the
momentous fight was going on.
eaIhe whole House has won victory, as
1t has knocked out for the day the recog-
milton of the independence of the Cuban
republic with its indefinateness and saved
the nation from an unwarranted and
dangerous violation of international law. 4
But war has not been averted. The
House has been unable to prevent that.
Nothing apparently can delay or avert it
unless the veto of the President will do