The record-union., 1898-04-14

cogaizing the Government of the in
surgent republic, because the President
OF the United States in his high re
sponsibility has advised Congress
/ strongly against it. The President has
nothing to do but to ask Mr.. Palma to
the White House and the Cuban re-
public stands up erect and recognized.
| We may safely trust that power to the
President When we authorize the
| President to intervene and use the
army and navy of the United States, we
create a state of war.
! No one can be more averse than l,
no one can deprecate more than | any
act which will plunge the country into
! war. If one year ago last January we
had recognized their independence they
would have established their independ-
ence themselves. But these PROPOSE
! tons passed by the Senate were smoth-
cred by a wisdom that | shall not ques-
| ton / have also for many years advO-
Gated a powerful navy and strong coast
| defense. l have advocated them be-
cause | believed that in them was the
! guarantee Of peace. If we had to-day,
as we ought to have, twenty battle
ships and a hundred torpedo boats,
| there would have been no Cuban queS-
| ton. We have not been brought here
by chance and by clamOrous politicians
or by yellow journalism. We are face
t. face with Spain to-day in the fulfill
ment Of a great movement which has
run through the centuries. Out of the
war which Spain wages and the manner
in which she wages it has come starva-
ton and the destruction of the Maine.
Spain is on her death bed, buried in
| debt, bleeding at every vein from the
revolution in her colonies, and her off
GERS and officials rob her. dying as she
is. in the eyes of the world. We asked
General Lee yesterday when he was be-
fore US if the 5000, $50 said to have been
appropriated by Spain for the use of the
reconcentrados would reach them or
would be spent on the Spanish soldiers,
fer they are starving there, and his re-
ply was: 1t will never reach either of
them The officials will take it all Oh
the way That is what is going on in
Spain just at is was when Gil Bias had
his adventures. That is why Cuba has
rebelled.
The sentiment Of the American peo-
pie in my judgment is for peace. We are
essentially q peace loving, peace cher
iehing people, but there is a sentiment
in the American people that is above
and beyond their love OF peace I mean
among the great mass of our people
whose eyes are not blinded by the gilt
ter of too much wealth Among those
people there is a strong sentiment for
peace, always. but it can only be peace
with honor They cherish very deeply
the pride III being American and they
do not want to see that name tarnished
or brought to ignominy or dishonor.
"If war must bel hope and / pray
that it may be avoided-no nation ever
went to war on higher grounds or from
nobler or from more disinterested mo-
tives. War is here. if it is here, by the
acts &C Spain.
And now in conclusion, what Of the
Maine? | am so merely human that
that ship is nearer my heart than any
thing else. Suppose she had gone down
to her death in an English harbor,
blown up as she was carrying her men
with her, what do you think would have
been the voice of E,ngland-that land Of
Nelson? l believe if it happened in an
English port, England would have said:
We regard this with horror, we be-
lieve that it must have been an acci-
dent, but it happened in our harbor,
under our flag. If you think otherwise,
name the reparation that you want
such, l believe, would have been the
reply of England Such. l believe
would have been cur reply or of any Of
the great Powers. Look now at Spain.