The herald., 1898-04-14
DESTRUCTION OF MAINE
COMES FIRST I'M THE LIST OF
sPAIN's oFFENsEs
THE BARBAR0US WAR IN CUBA
Warrants the Recognition Of Inde-
pendence and Immediate Inter
vention by United States
Associated Press Special Wire

Associated Press Special Wire
WASHINGTON, April 13.-The re-
port of the Senate Committee on Foreign
Relations on the Cuban situation was
made by Senator Davis, Chairman Of
the committee, and was very thorough
review of the entire situation and a
strong presentation Of facts which had
I led the committee to its conclusions 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
battleship Maine, Of two Of her officers
and 264 of her crew in the harbor Of
Havana on the night Of February 15,
1898, excited to an unprecedented degree
the compassion and resentment Of the
American people"
Continuing, the report says: MIAMI
! festations Of that resentment was sus-
pended, although the feeling was not
allayed by the self-restraint of our peo-
pie, who determined to hold their judg-
ment In suspense concerning their ulti-
| mate action until an official investiga-
| tiop should disclose the cause of that
great disaster and enable them by d.
| rect or circumstantial testimony to i'm
pute the responsibility therefor.
"That investigation has been made
1t was conducted with judicial thorough
ness and deliberation. The difficulty of
demonstrating by conclusive proof the
! efficient personal cause of that sinister
event was the usual one of exposing
plotted and mysterious crimes. No such
| difficulty, however, obscures its official
and responsible cause"
| The committee says that the explosion
itself Of the Maine was linked with \
series Of precedent transactions which
cannot in reason be disconnected from
it.
with animus by Spain, so plainly ap-
parent that no one can even plauslbly
deny its existence, 1t Is merely one rea-
son for the conclusion to which the in
vestigating mind must come in consider
ing the enkre subject of the relations
of the United States with that govern
ment. 1t Is the opinion of your commit
tee that the destruction of the Maine
was compassed either by the official ac-
ton Of Spanish authorities or was made
possible by a negligence on their part
so willing and gross as to be equivalent
in culpabiiity to positive criminal ac-
tion.
when property and life are destroyed
by an act which the exercise Of diligence
by the person whose duty it Is to do so
should have prevented the happening
of such an event Is sufficient proof tina.
that diligence was not employed"
1.-THE time of the explosion itself must
have been calculated. for the moment
when the Maine should swing within
the destructive radius of the mine."
Concluding this portion of its present
alton the committee said:
"The duplicity, perfidy and cruelty
of the Spanish character as 1t al
ways has been are demonstrated still
to continue by their manifestations dur
ing the present war in Cuba. All these
circumstances considered oumulatively
warrant the conclusion that the de-
struction of the Maine was compassed
either by the official act of the Spanish
authorities land the ascertainment Of
the particular person Ia not materially,
or was made possible by q negligence
on their part so willing and gross as to
be equivalent in culpability to positive
criminal action"
The Cuban War
In taking up the more general subjects
the committee expresses the opinion that
the United States ought at once to recog-
nize the independence OF the people of
Cuba and ought also to intervene to the
end that the war and Its unexampled afro
cities shall cease and that such indepen
dence shall become a settled political fact
at the earliest possible moment by the es-
tablishment by the free action of the peo-
pie of Cuba, when such action can be had
of a government independent In fact and
form.
The committee assert that the cause of
Spain has continually grown weaker while
the cause Of the insurgents has grown
stronger and says that the few reinforce
ments now being sent to Cuba do not sup
ply a 1.-THE of Spain's losses caused by
battle and disease The western portion
of the island Is spoken Of as a desolation
created by Spain, in which portion of the
island alone she exercises sovereignty.
Calling attention to the policy of Spain,
the committee says that over 100000 per-
sons have been killed as result of this
action, and adds; "There has been no dis
tinction Of sex or age in this protracted
and torturing massacre. The children Of
this generation have been starved to death
and the immolation Of womanhood has de-
stroysd the possibility of posterity."
The opinion is expressed that 1t was the
intention of the contrivsr Of this policy to
depopulate the island and repeople it with
6paniards. It is also asserted that the
Spanish government has violated the laws
of civilised warfare in the slaughter Of
prisoners and the massacre of sick and
wounded.
Two Propositions
The committee discusses at some length
the two propositions for the recognition Of
the independence of Cuba and of interven-
tion. They say that because OF the atti-
tuds Of the United States this government
has placed itself In concurrence with the
acts OF Spain ever since the beginning Of
the war and that we have In a spirie IT
forbearance submitted to many barbara
ties perpetrated by Spain upon our own
citizens which under recognition would
have had no warrant in international law
and would have afforded just ground Of
procedure by this government. Hence IT Is
claimed that there has been no real neu-
trality throughout the entire war as Spain
has had free rights of purchase in this
country, while the Cubans have not had
such rights 1ss' ..-' J