The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1898-04-17

greet with which he had In the last few
days witnessed the melting away of the
spirit of conservative sentiment In the sem
ate Senators who had opposed the recog-
milton of the independence of Cuba had one
by one and day by day come into line for
that declaration. He wondered why 1t was
so and he had found the solution of the
problem in banquet given on last Wednes-
day night in this city to the Hon. William
j. Bryan. With gerat sarcasm he pro-
ceeded to read from an account of the
speech made on that occasion by Mr.. Bryan
and to allege that it was responsible for
the sudden unanimity of sentiment upon
the democratic side of the chamber. Many
of the democratic senators gave manifesto
ton of their dlsapproval as Senator Hale
was reading the account of the speech.
The solidihcation of the democratic party
Mr.. Hale continued, was not to be attrib-
uted to any caucus or convention action,
but to this symposium But all this at
tempt to make politics of the situation, he
continued, would not succeed. If war came
1t would not be conducted by the demo-
cratic party. The country would not turn
to that party and the senate of the United
States would not be carried by that party,
but by that gallant soldier and statesman,
the president of the United States. He
would conduct the war and bring 1t to
a successful conclusion. The democratic
senator's and democratic party which now
seemed so intent upon hostilities with Spain
upon us obstructing the course of those
who We're now seeking to avert war with
all its horrors, but who would then be in
the forefront fighting for the honor of their
country. sses
A Temperate Policy
Mr.. German, of Maryland, followed Mr.
Hale, and by his manner and by the We
hemence of his utterances, showed how
greatly he felt the gravity of tho situation
a oil I'D fer q M n
voked that the rancor of the debate be
eliminated from the occasion. He criti-
cised the attacks made by senator's upon
the president as the commander in chief of
the army and navy and forcibly declared
that party politics should give way to a
higher duty in the determination of the
question. He questioned the wisdom of the
question and said he hoped wiser counsel
would prevail.
The message of the president, he said,
read to him as a declaration of a man who
had exhausted all diplomatic efforts to
bring peace out of chaos and now came to
congress for authority to STRIFE the blow
that would give the Cuban people freedom
from years of msrule. EVERY loyal DEM
ocrat," he said, would be found behind
the president, not as a democrat, but as
American citizens, unfolding the hands
of our great commander in chief in the
war now almost upon us. He said that
the criticism of the president was to ne
deprecated and he wished the record as
made might be blotted forever and only
a united people shown uppermost to the
world" He closed amid profound stiffness
and the occasion was worthy a place in
the history of nations.
Partisanship Flung Aside
He said: "I pledge myself to forget that
Mckinley was elected by the republican
party, because I know and believe that as
president of united people, he will bear
his country's flag aloft and that no nation,
Spanish or otherwise, will receive from him
aught else than that fair, manly and brave
treatment of an American president"