Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-04-14

side) When he attacks the chief executive
and the Republican party for dereliction,
the care that has been taken in making
contracts with every powder mandatory
in the country. preparing shot and shell
to overcome the difficulties that have been
forced upon the country in the past by
false policy, he is unjust to himself. to
the party. to the president.
I'VE have examined with care the great
dangers that confront US. We have
weighed. as has the president. with brain
and heart, the whole question, and all that
coEfronts the country in settling the great
problem. That has been done wisely and,
if done wisely and we'll, it is we'll it was
quickly done. Now, We are here for ac-
ton, and want to say that, with scarce
ly dissenting voice, We are ready for
the Republican side.)
He thereupon demanded upon the previ-
Gus question against the loud protests of
Mr.. Johnson, of Indiana. who became so
violent in his denuneiation of this effort
to stifie debate and not allow a '.remon-
STRANGE against this unnecessary war into
which the country was to be plunged,
that the speaker had to appeal to the SER
geant-at-arms to compel him to take his
seat. The rule was then adopted, and the
resolutions We're again presented, together
with those of the minority. which were to
be offered as a substitute. Mr.. Adams
yielded to Mr.. Dinsmofe, Democrat. of
Arl {t,a 1f
| nority.
| Mr.. Dinsmore said he regretted as much
| as any other man on the floor could the
manifestation Of partisan feeling and par
| tisanship that had occurred during the
afternoon. 1t appears to me. sir" said
| he. that if there was ever a period in the
| history of this government when patriotic
dignity should have been shown and par
tisanship should have been subordinated to
| craftsmanship. that period is now pro.
longed applause onEthe Democratic side.)
I'VE are confronted here by the most
critical situation witnessed in many years
I by the people of the United States. Our
| people have long recognized that this point
would ultimately be reached unless those
who represented the people in the congress
performed their full duty and took the
| courageous stand dictated by prudence and
craftsmanship and common sense. (Ap-
| plause)
."As has beeh. well said by my friend
from Tennessee tAIr. McAIillin) it has been
and now is my conviction that If We had
done our duty, if we had taken this po-
! sition a year ago, this matter would have
been settled, Cuba would have been free.
and the sailors Of the Maine who sleep
| now in a watery grave would have been
alive to bear aloft in their arms and to
carry to victory the flag Of our country.
| Applause.)
Throughout all the history of the gov
ernment, Spanish civilization on the Amer
| ican continent has been a menace to US
| and to our institutions. And now we are
called upon again to-day to extend to
patriots who for thirty years have fought
| Spanish oppression. Spanish brutality.
Spanish butchery and Spanish wrong.
prolonged applause.)
| But" he continued, "the majority pro-
pose to go and say 20 the people who have
| for years past in the unequal fight been
compelled to see their wives suffer and
starve in the cause of liberty that We are
| coming with an army to establish gov
ernment which. in our judgment, will be
| a stable government, and peaceful gov
ernment. The minority. on the other hand,
proposes to recognize the fact that the
Cubans have an organized government.
We are not going to force upon them
government that may be carpetbag gov
ernment, run by somebody else outside Of
your own diminion. (Applause)
Are they Cuban belligerents? Let US
give to the Cubans liberty. applause on
the Democratic side.) We talk about free
| dom. Let US give to them the right to elect
a government which they think will be a
free government, and which does not re-
serve to US, whoever we may be. the right
to say after that is established, 'Ah! This
Is not a stable government, we cannot turn
it over to you yet 1 understand it was
stated by Senator Foraker in the senate
to-day, asserted as fact of international
law, and l have thought myself all along,
that there were grave difficulties upon this
question.
go and intervene in Cuba without giving
recognition 10 the government which there
exists, we thereby become responsible for
the payment of the bonds which have been
foated on the credit of the revenues OF
Cuba. We heard the gentleman from Ohio
(NIr Grosveror) say the other day that
Cuban independence was going to be rec
ognized. Cuban independence! There can
be no Cuban independence except in the
independence of its government in the
hands of its own officials. applause on
| the Democratic side.)
| Mr.. Speaker. l. for one, have become
| convinced by deliberate consideration of
! the testimony brought before legally
constituted naval court, composed of off,
GERS who have honored commissions, who
have been honored by commissions of the
United States, without going into the de-
tails, for time is not permitted mel be-
| lieve the Maine disaster was the result Of
(ApplauseJ Not that Blanco knew it; not
that he ordered it; but it must of neces-
| sity and inevitably have been done by
some official of the Spanish government
familiar with and having the secrets of
the submarine mines deposited there for
the protection of that harbor.
We ought to do that which would be an
honor to the American colors. because II
, l f-,,t,,