The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-04-14
LODGE PLEADS FOR WAR.
Massachusetts, Senator Cries Aloud
for Vengeance

/ Washington. April 14-In a speech in
| the senate yesterday, Mr.. Lodge de-
| cIared that when We were face to face
! with a foreign power it was the over
/ riding duty of congress and the people
and the executive to stand absolutely
together.
When the president comes to con-
| gress and fnvOkeS our aid in a contro-
| versy with a foreign country and asks
| US to give him power to intervene,
| desire" he said. that that great power
of war should be given TO him in that
! way am against a declaration of war
but prefer giving the president the
power to intervene am against rec
OgniZing the government of the insur-
gent republic because the president of
I the United States in his high RESPONSE
/ biHty has advised congress strongly
against it The president has nothing
to do but to ask Mr. Palma to the White
| House and the Cuban republic stands
up erect and recognized. We may
safely trust that power to the presi-
dent When We authorize the president
to intervene and use the army and ma
W of the United States we create
state of war Let US not deceive our
selves at this solemn hour. Forms of
words are but of little moment in a
crisis like this The great central fact
concerns the people today. The presi-
dent has asked US to authorize him to
set up government there which shall
be a stable government and a govern
ment capable of observing interna tionaI
obligations
What kind of a government can
alone observe Internal ional obligations
Only an independent government If
we intervene, we do not go there to
take Gomez by the throat and make
him stop fighting. We go there to put
Spain out of that island. for in no other
way can we create government capa-
BILE of observing its international obH-
cations
No one can be more averse to war
than I; no one can more deprecate
than 1 any act which pIunges the coun-
try into war If one year ago last jan
uary we had recognized their independ-
ence. they would have established their
independence themselves Both those
propositions passed by the senate were
snothered elsewhere, a wisdom which I
shall not question have also for many
wears advocated a powerful navy and
strong coast defenses- I have advocat-
ed them because believed that in them
was the guarantee of peace If we had
today, as We ought to have, 20 battle
Sims and a hundred torpedo boats.
there never would have been a Cuban
question We are not in this crisis by
an accident We have not been brought
T7ara nv chance and by cIamorous poll
ticians of by yellow journals We are
face TO face with Spain today in the full
fIIment of a great movement which was
nm through the centuries Out of the
var which Spain wages and the manner
IN T1-J,ich she wages it, has come starva-
ron and the destruction of the Maine
s.Snafu is on her deathDed- bleeding at
Colonies and her officers and officials rob
- II-iug as she is in the eyes of the
Eor1d We asked General Lee yesterday
when he was before Us if the S6ea0eo said
to have been appropriated by SPAN 1or
the re1iaf Of the recoucentradoS would
reach them or would be spent on the Span
is1 Soldiers for they are starving too
a15 Ms renIv was. Tt viii never reach
either of them: the officials will take il
an an the way That IS what IS going
on in Snaiu lust as it was when Gil Bias
I7ad his advenrures That IS why Cuba
has rebeIIed- The sentiment of the Arneri-
car neonIe in nv Judgment. is for peace
We are essentially peace-Ioving, peace
cherishing people but there Is senti-
nent IN the American people that is