The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1898-04-22
SENATE REPORT.
scathing Arraignment Of Spain an and
Argument for Armed Intervention.


Argument for Armed Intervention.
WASHINGTON, April IA. - The re-
port of the Senate committee
on foreign relations upon the Cuban
situation was made by Senator Davis,
chairman of that committee, and was
very thorough review of the entire
situation and strong presentation OF
the facts which have led the commit
tee to its conclusion. The report
takes up the Maine disaster as the
leading topic for consideration, and
plunges into that question in its first
sentence which is as follows;
THE destruction of the United States
battle ship Maine, of two of her officers
and of 264 of her crew in the harbor of
Havana upon the night of February Is,
1888, excited to an unprecedented de-
gree the compassion and resentment of
the American people. The manifesto
| tons of that resentment borne toward
| Spain by all Americans were suspended
although the feeling WAS not allayed by the
| self-restr amt of our people, who deter
| mined to hold their judgment in su Spense
| concerning their ultimate action until an
oficial investigation should disclose the
| cause of the great dis ster and enable then
| by direct or crcumstantial testimony to
| impute the responsibility therefor
The investigation has been made. It
| was conducted with judicial thoroughness
and deliberation. The difficulty of demon-
| strating by conclusive proof the efficient
| personal cause of that sinister event was
| the usual one of exposing plotted and mys-
terlous crimes No such dificulty, however,
| obscures its oflcial andresponsible cause"
The committee says that the explosion or
the Maine itself was linked with a series of
| precedent transac tons, (which cannot in
| reason be disconnected from it"
with animus by Spain, so plainly appar-
| ent that no one can even plausibly deny its
| existence, it is me rely one reason for the
| conclusion to which the investig ating mind
must come in considering the entire subject
| of the relations of the United States with
| that government.
1T is the opinion of your committee that
| the destruction of the Maine was comprised
| either by the official act of the Spanish au-
| thorities or was made possible by negli-
| gence on their part so willing and gross as
to be equivalent in culpabillty to positive
| criminal action
when property and life are destroyer
| by an act which the existence of due dill
gence by the person whose duty it is to use
it could have prevented it, the happening
of such an event is sufficient proof that that
diligence was not employed
The time of the explosion says the re-
sort, must have been calculated for the
moment when the Maine should swing
within the destructive radius of the mine"
Concluding this portion of its presentation
the committee says: The duplicity, per-
| fidy and cruelty of the Spanish character,
as they always have been, are demonstrated
| still TO continue by their manifestations
| during the present war in Cuba. All these
circumstances considered culminatively
warrant the conclusion thatthe destruction
| of the Maine was comprised either by Of
| fetal act of the Spanish authorities (and the
ascertainment of the particular person is
not materially or was made possible by
neglige on their part, 81 willing and
gross to be equivalent inculpability to
positive criminal action"
In taking up the more general subjects
| the committee expressed the opinion that
| the United States ought at once TO recog-
nize the independence of the people of
| Cuba and also ought to intervene to the
end that war and its unexamped trocities
| shall cease, and that such independence
| shall become a settled political fact at the
| earliest possible moment by the establish
| ment by the free action of the people of
| Cuba, when such action can be had, OF
| government Independent in fact and form.
The committee assert that the cause of
| Spain has continually grown weaker, while
the cause of the insurgents as grown
stronger, and says that the few reinforce
ments now being sent to Cuba do not sup
| ply a 1.-THE of SPANS losses caused by bat
| tie and disease The western portion of
| the island is spoken of as a desolation Gre
ated by Spain, in which portion of the
| island alone she exercises sovereignty
| Calling attention to the pol Cy OF Spain, the
committee says that over 200 00U persons
have been killed as a result of this action
and adds:
There has been no distinction of sex or
age in this protracted and torturing mas
sacre The children of this generation have
been starved to death and the immolation
| of womanhood has destroyed the posi-
| blity of posterity"
The committee discusses at some length
the two pr positions for the recognitl on of
the independence of the Cubans and of in
tervention. They say that because OF the
attitude of the United States this govern
ment has placed itself in concurrence with
the acts of Spain ever since the beginning
of tn, war, and that we have. in spirit OF
| forbearance, submitted to many atrocities
perpetrated BY Spain upon our own citi-
zens, which, under recognition, would have
had no warrant in international law, and
would have afforded just grould of proceed
ure before this government Hence, 1t Is
claimed, there has been no real neutrality
throughout the entire war, as Spain has
mad Tree rights OF purchase III lnlS COun-
try, while the Cubans have not mad Such
rights.
The committee places the cost of our po-
Icing of the seas in the interests of Spain
at 81, 100000.
On the subject of Intervention the COM
mittee says: classification for intervention
is strengthened in such cases as the present
where the oppression by state of Its sub
iects have been so inveterate atrocious
and sanguinary as to require intervention
by other nations in the interests of human
ity and the peace of the world, for the pur'
pose of overthrowing that government and
establishing or re rognizing another in it,
place as the only means of extirpating ar
otherwise incurable and dangerous evil"
The autonomy scheme which was prom
ised and which was alluded to by president
Mckinley in his last annual message, II
pronounc ed specious and illusory."
Chief of Pottawatomie' Very Ill
ST. JOSEPH, Mich, April l6.-SimoI
PoI1apon chief of the once powerful