The times., 1898-04-18
IS A MERE MACHINE
Mr. LenfZ On The House as a
Deliberatiye Body.
THINKS 1T WILL CONCUR
If Republicans After Shutting DH De-
bate Last Week ..to Secure Prompt
Action" Should Now Delay They
Would BE Plainly IncOnSistcut-
Spain and the Maine.
Congressman Lentz. discussing the sit

Congressman Lentz. discussing the sit
night:
Il expect the House to concur in the
Senate resolution. although it is hard to
predict what the House of Representa-
tives will do, since it is no longer par
Hamentary or legislative body. 1t has
degraded and degenerated into a mere
machine as mask and disguise for an
oligarchy which dictates what the ma
chine is to do and we shall not know
until we get on the floor of the House
what the next scheme is. The Dingley
bill and the appropriation bill were put
through at the extra session, although
we had many weeks of time wasted in
adjournments, without any decent regard
for the rights Of the members to discuss
the hundreds of items involved in each
bill. So with the Cuban resolution of the
House last week 1t was put through
with an allowance of only twenty min
utes on each side for discussion. Moth
ing more absurd or contemplate has ever
taken place in the history of the Amer
lean Congress than machine methods of
this character. Nothing can better pro-
mote a dry rot in American government
than this excuse in shutting off debate.
Here was measure which might mean
not only war with Spain, but war with
other nations 1t certainly involved ques-
tions that are worldwide in their terri
torial extent and possibly extending into
the centuries of an upward or downward
course in civilization. Yet not as much
crix hn 6iGpnGSipn n
great issue as is devoted in the humblest
court in the land to the trial Of some
petty little case of assault and battery.
Fortunately the people are watching
| very carefully not only the movement of
| the legislative, but also that of the eX-
! exutive department of the government,
! and we shall see tomorrow whether the
House of Representatives, without de-
/ bate or discussion will undertake to re-
verse and repudiate the work of the Sem
/ ate in framing a resolution and adopting
! il by a vote Of more than three to one
after exhaustive debate. One hundred
| and fifty Democrats, Popuiists and Silver
Republicans have recorded themselves in
/ voting for the minority resolution in the
House as ready and anxious to adopt
/ Immediately the resolution so ably and
Iearnedly formulated by the Senate If
/ there are twenty-five Independent and
patriotic Republicans who will disregard
| the dictates of the Administration ma
! chine the Senate resolution will be
| promptly adopted by the House. IT, how
ever, the machine government prevails,
then the mouthpiece of the machine will
I have to eat his own words, for last week
he cut off debate by saying that what we
now want is action. action action. 1f
the House does not promptly adopt the
Senate resolution It will be because the
executive departmnt in It's arrogance,
believes in monarchy rather than gov
ernment by the people and their repre-
sentatives. If there is any delay in the
House 1t will be because the executive
department dictates 1t. and this viii
mean that the executive department ar
rogates to itself more judgment and wis
dom than the siXty-seven senators who
voted for the resolution.
"Of course. am more than pleased with
the action of the Senate because l have
learned enough to know that the Senate
is the only representative body we have.
and the reputation on the part of the
Senate Of the recommendations of the
Presidents message fully substantiates
my position. Has it ever occurred to you
what the Spanish government ought to
have done the next morning after the
destruction of the Maine? 1t seems to
me that il that government had any
sense of Justice it would have cabled our
President, saying: We extend to you our
heartfelt sympathy in the loss you have
suffered, with assurances that our regret
is greater than yours, and with our re-
gret there is coupled a feeling of shame
and humiliation. Your battleship came
with smiling colors of peace and friend
ship, and We accepted her and extended
hospitality in our harbor. We tender and
ask you to accept the best battleship OF
the Spanish navy in restitution and com
pensation for the Maine. There is no adj
equate compensation indemnity foI
the brave boys in blue, nor for the ach-
ing hearts of their families, but we ask
you to name any sum which accords with
your best judgment as an approximation
| TO an indemnity, or if you are reluctant
TO name the sum yourselves, select any
set of arbitratOrs whom you may desire
and we shall promptly pay such sum as
such arbitrators named by yourself shal
/ adjudge for the loss
"A communication OF some such tenor
and effect would have been along tho
lines not only of diplomacy, but certainly
within the lines of decency and a high
sense of justice. The absence Of any such
communication in this age demonstrates
the utter unfitness of the Spanish govern
ment TO control the destiny of the peo
pie of Cuba, or any other people anywhere
on the face of the earth They are as
much out Of place and out of date il
Cuba as the Fiji Islanders would be OF
Manhattan Island.