The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-04-13


were not intiammatory. After some dls-
cussion Of the financial question by MT
Hartman, Silver Republican of Montana
and Mr.. Lacy, Republican OF Indiana
Mr.. Lewis got the floor and in vigorous
speech declared that in the dust and
clouds which had been kicked up by
diplomacy, Congress was losing slghG OF
tho vital question before the people. The
country, he said. favored the freedom OF
Cuba, but that was only q sentiment.
The avenging of the Maine, he said, was
the real duty of the government.
Later, while Mr.. Hill of Connecticut
was discussing the question Of reforming
the currency. Mr. Simpson, Populist of
Kansas, became so obstreperous that MIR.
hopkins. Republican OF Illinois, who was
in the chair. ordered him TO take his seat,
and when the Kansan declineis he in
structed the sergeant-at-arms to use the
silver mace, tho emblem of the House
authority to compel him to take his seat
Que of the assistants took the mace out
of it's place on the malaohite pedestal and
marched up the aisle toward MIR. Simpson.
The latter laughed at him. "Take that
thing back he said. AS the mace can
not be employed under the rules in COM
mittee the ohair did not press the com
mand and the incident closed with o
round OF laughter.
Shortly before the adjournment, Mr..
Lentz, Democrat of Ohio, made vigor-
Gus assault upon what he described as
the vaccillating8 policy of the President,
reading from various newspapers to show
that the President had repeatedly
changed his mind He recommended
especially upon the report of an alleged
midnight conference between Senator
Elkins and the Spanish minister after the
former had been at the White House
with John J. McCook. He tainted the
Republicans because the President had
not declared for the independence of
Cuba, which the Republican platform had
demanded.
ut remains to be SEEM" said he,
whether the majority Of the House can be
lined up and whipped in"
~ Congress. he declared, should act and
could better act than the executive,
formulating his policy at midnight be.
hind closed doorsG with the aid of pluto.
cracy."
He declared that in effect the President
aid that if Congress would give him the
army and the navy he would force the
Cuban heroes to submit to stable gov
eminent at the hands of Spain, because
the Queen Regent had already advised the
administration that she had ordered a
suspension of hostilities. He said:
"This administration, with all this
facilitating policy, which was criticised
by the Chicago Tribune, an administra-
| Eavy in it's hands to go over and punish
| the Cubans after three years OF the most
| heroic fight for liberty that any people
| ever made on the face of the earth. l say
it is an outrage; it is stencil in the
nostrils of every decent Amerfc.n
Mr.. Hepburn, RepublioalW,f Iowa,
jumped to his feet as MIR. Lentz sat down.
Mr.. Chairman, he said, sometimes
misstatement is so gross that it becomes
mendacity and mendacity SO foul that it
becomes scoundrelism. The President has
never said tha6 he de .ires the use of the
army and navy at the hands of Congress
in order to establish Spain's supremacy
on the island of Cuba. (Applause.)
The Presidents whole argument leads
up to the position that the conduct of
Spain on that island during the $50 years
of misrule, fifty years of outrage, 5O years
of tyranny, has brought about such con-
dition that it is now intolsrahle and in
supportable and must cease. The Presl :
dent asks the use of the army and navy to
put an end to that intolerable and insult
ferable condition. Applause on Republi-
can side.)
Every sentence in the message teaches
MS that this is his purpose, and yet gentle
men say, in view of the recital OF the IN
famous and despotic conduct that he has
called to our attention that it is the pur-
pose of the President to become the ally
of the Spaniards.
There is no word in that whole message
| that justifies any honorable man in max
ing declaration of that kind. We are
going there to fight Spain. We are going
there, if we go, to establish stable and
permanent government. What does that
mean? Here we have had fifty years of
Spanish government, not stable, not per-
manent except in the villany of its out
RACES.
That character of outrages and villiany
has become insufferable. the President
says, creating such an emergency as COM
| pels us to go to the extreme of war in
bringing an end to these insufferable con-
ditions produced through the acts of
Spain. And yet, the gentleman dares to
say that that paper advocates the placing
| of the whole military power of the
| country in the hands of the President in
order that he may go there to perpetuate
that which he reprobates. He wants a
| stable and permanent Republican govern
ment.
Mr.. Lentz-Does he say Republican
government
Mr.. Hepburn-No, he does not say that,
| but he supposed that you knew something
about the history of this government.
| Applause ON Republican side.
He supposed that you knew something
about the aspirations of American states
men, that you knew something about the
| declaration that over and over again had
been reiterated by every branch OF this
government with reference to the character
Of governments that should be formed on
! this hemisphere. Applause on Republic
can side.
Mr.. Grosvenor of Ohio, took the floor
~ am going to refer now to only one
| thing that the gentleman from Ohio (Mr:
| Lentz) has said on this occasion, said
| he.
"The time is coming when gentlemen
will have full opportunity to assail the
President, to send their bitterness and
| their opposition across the water to our
enemies. The gentleman shall have full
opportunity to abuse his OWL constituents
who for any conservative expressions
| which they may have made through the
telegraph or the mail. l wish simply to
say that the President has asked OF Con
gress the power to use the army. and the
navy for the purpose of establishing in
Cuba an INDEPENDENT government.
Mr.. Lentz-"Why didn't he say so?.'
Mr. Grosyenor-"Will my friend from
Ohio try for minute to keep his mouth
Shut
Mr.. Cannon of Illinois, is imPos-
sible. "(Applause and laughter on the Re-
pJ Mr. a land. Democrat of Delaware