The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1898-03-30

their Maker Suppose ninety of them had
been United States Senators, suppose the
balance had been members of Congress,
and the balance made up of
judges and leading professional and
business men. Would forty days
tell our children the truth when we say
the life of every American citizen is Of
equal value before the law? They were
not senator's, they were sailors.
Appeal of the Dead.
Their widows and orphans cry aloud to
us; the silent appeal of 26S seamen comes
to us again and again, saying, We are
flesh of your flesh, bone of your bone and
blood of your blood; we loved and died
for the flag that shields you. What is to
be our answer. Mr.. President? l speak
only for myself, and I am for war.
Spain Is Guilty.
But there are those who say that the
court does not fix the responsibility. 1t
was not necessary; the peace at any
price" man cannot escape so. The law
fixes the responsibility We were in
Spanish waters and over Spanish SOIL
The harbor is owned, controlled and pa
trolled by Spain. The explosives in that
harbor were owned and controlled by
Spain. If it was a torpedo it was a
Spanish torpedo. If ii was a mine, it
was Spanish mine. No explosives have
been on sale in Havana for over a year
to private citizens. If it was gun-cot-
ton, it was Spanish gun-cotton, and if
it was dynamite 1t was Spanish dyna-
mite. The power to explode it was
controlled by Spain. A government acts
only through its agents and officers. 1t
was owned, located and exploded by
Spain, and Spain must answer.
VIII Oppose Indemnity
1 have not made this statement with
out due elaboration. We have had more
than forty days to deliberate. If it had
been the beat of any true business, man
Its owner would have had a report with
in ten days. l am not complaining. /
cannot hope to escape criticism, but j
shall not criticise. If ever there was a
time when we should be open, frank and
considerate of each other, the time is
now. / claim no monopoly on patriot
ism; / bring here no pretense of infalli-
bic judgment. This is the only war
making body. / am only one of many,
and it Is fair to you and my constitu-
ents that | make my views known now
/ shall oppose any proposition looking
to indemnity. We must provide for the
widows and orphans of our seamen, and
their hands should never be soiled with
Spanish coin. AS / refuse to make &
| cash settlement for the lives of our men
l shall, with all the strength God gives
| me, bitterly and to the end oppose max
| ing a mere diplomatic incident out OF
| the murder of 26S of our men.
The Spanish Elections.
| Some tell us we must wait for the Span
| ish elections. If her elections are as rot
ten as her diplomacies we cannot wait
1t is claimed that if we will wait unit
| the Spanish elections Sagasta will Civ
| all concessions. Are we to be fooled twic
| with the same trick? Is De LONE s
soon forgotten? Some tell us we are no
! prepared. When shall we be better pre-
| pared? VIII it be when the Spanish tor
! pedo fiotilla has crossed the water an
! rests compIacently on her base of sup
| plies within five or six hours distance o
our fleet? We know now officially wha
we have believed for forty days. Shal
| we wait until she can destroy more o
| our ships and men? God forbid that sue
crime should be charged TO us. Let Il
awake. Shake off the Chinese narcotic
| that locks US in drowsy Incidence, muT
muring Peace at any price" Awake, a
! our fathers did at Concord and Bunke
| Hill Awake to glorious war against
nation that burns homes and murder
| women and children; awake to gloriou
| war that seeks no gain for us in treasur
or territory. but a war to drive the OF
| pressor from the continent, to set tn
| Cuban flag in the sky forever, and a wa
| that will help us for generations to come
| by giving notice that the honor of on
flag and the lives of our citizens must b
| respected among the nations of the worl(