The age-herald., 1898-02-19

Allen put the SuDStfuuue SuBBpSUSu Dy MT. Mason was even more objectionable in its form.
 Mr. Mason followed MT. Hale in a speech replete with sensational utterances. He said in beginning that he had no disposi- tion to infiame @ situation already ex- citing, but he felt that his substitute was fully justified by the feelings and desires of the people.
 Congress Has the Authority
 'I understand" said he, "that the navy department is making investigation of the disaster, but I also understand that congress has the authority to make an in vestigation. It is congressional investiga- ton that the people are demanding. They are fast coming to the conclusion that matters concerning this Cuban affair, in- cluding the DeLome letter incident and the loss of the Maine, of which they ought to know, are being concealed from them. The people want to know the facts and they will know them"
 'Let the people," said MT, Mason "have the facts. They want nothing less than investigation in their interest by the sem ate and the house. Only in this way could the facts which are locked up in the de partments be gotten out. The country was tired of the secret considerations of such questions. He was not willing to strike out of his resolution this word 'immediate'' every one was interested in knowing who
 
 formation now Why delay? Why adopt the Spanish custom of putting off until tomorrow what chould be done today? We he'd already waited too long. We were told three years ago to wait. We had waited until night had followed day; win- ter had followed summer and the war had gone son while terrible cruelty con tinmed. In tlhe meantime Spanish diplomats had sat at our tables and partaken of our hos pitafaty while we are still waiting and had continued to wait until the sers of ca- lamitieS had beem crowned by the Maine catastrophe with Its loss of 250 precious American lives.
 Eternal and Everlasting Now
 In view of these facts he could not con sent to strike out the word "immediate.' '' We want an investigation, he said. and re want it now now, the eternal and everlasting now.
 Mr. Hale here interrupted him to make statement MT. Hale said that so far from having any desire for delay he wa, anxious to have it go forward from this very time as the investigation proposed by the navy department would if not inter- fered with.
 There was no use to postpone inquiry. He hoped the senate would see the propri- ety of not making this an occasion for in- f1ammatory speeches and that all would take the view that in the presence of the great calamity which had befallen us a calamity which had appalled, the whole world today was not the proper time for an appeal to passion and prejudice.
 To Appreciate Situation
 Replying. MT. Mason said there was no calamity so great as a failure on the part of those in power to appreciate the real situation when it was so serious>as it now is and no sorrow so profound that over indifference to this situation. He was sur prised that MT Hale would admit that the occasion was a solemn one, surprised that the Maine senator would admit that any occurrence in Cuba was of solemn char acter. As for himself. he had no desire to make this an occasion for anything; the occasion was already made. What he was contending for was that all the facts should be brought to the surface, and he could not see how a congressional Investigation would in any way interfere with the navy depart ment's inquiry. He wanted congressional investigation, and wanted it open to the world.
 He had a letter from MT. Julian Haw- throne read to show, as he claimed. that murder was the policy of the Spanish gov crnment In Cuba. He had also had MT. DeLome's letter read, and asserted that the late minister had been defended in the senate until he had confessed out of his own mouth that autonomy was fraud and that he was the author of the letter quoted. This part of autonomy had been used to secure delay on the part of the administration in interference in the af- fairs in the island, and for that reason he wanted an immediate report on the