The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-04-13
CONGRESS AND CUBA
Lentz of Ohio Fierce|y At tacks What He Calls the VaciIIating" Policy
 of President.
GR0SVEN0R AND HEPBURN
THEY ANSWER THE 4TTACRS FOR
 THE REPUBLICANS.

THE REPUBLICANS.
 The Words of Grosvenor Regarded ar
 Exceedingly Important and Significant
 He Interprets Message to Mean That
 Government Will be Established ii
 Cuba Independent of Spain.
 Washington, April 12.-General Gros. venor of Ohio, now generally regarded as the spokesman of the president on the floor of the house, late this after- noon, in reply to an attack upon the policy of the administration, interpret- ed the recommendations in the presi- dents message to mean request for authority to use the army and navy to establish in Cuba a government inde- pendent of Spain. It was regarded as an exceedingly important and signifi- cant announcement. In the brief de- bate to-day the opening guns of the contest that begins tomorrow were fired. Broadsides were exchanged and ! then the house adjourned. MT. Lentz, an Ohio democrat, who drew the fire of General Grosvenor last Thursday, to-day attacked what he termed tho "vacillating" policy of the president the midnight conferences" at tha White house with Senator Elkins and John J. McCook, and asserted that the presidents recommendations really8 meant that the United States should coerce the Cuban insurgents into an acceptance of Spain's scheme of auton- omy
 Mr. Hepburn, rep, of Iowa, jumped to his feet as MT. Lentz sat down. "Mr. Chairman he said, Sometimes misstatement is so gross that it be- comes mendacity, and mendacity so foul that it becomes scoundrelism. The president has never said that he de- the hands of congress in order to es- tablish Spain's supremacy on the is-s land of Cuba. The presidents whole argument leads up to the proposition that the conduct of Spain on that is-# land during fifty years of misrule, fifty years of outrage, fifty years of tyran- ny, has brought about such a condition that it is now intolerable and insup- portable, and must cease. The presi- dent asks the use of the army and navy to put an end to that intolerable and insufferable condition.
 "Every sentence in the message teaches us that this is his purpose, and yet this man says, in view of the re- cital of the infamous and despotic con- duct that he has called to our atten- ton, that it is the purpose of the pres- ident to become the ally of the Span- iards. There is no word in the whole message which justifies any honorable man in making declaration of that kind We are going there to fight Spain. We are going there, if we gos to establish stable and a permanent government. What does that mean? Here we have had fifty years of Span- ish government not stable, not perma- nent, except in the villainy of it's out rages, and yet the gentleman has dar-s ed to say that a certain paper advo- cates the placing of the whole military power of the country in the hands of the president in order that he may ga there to perpetuate that which he rep rebates. He wants stable and per- manent republican government"
 MT. Lentz-"Does he say republican, government?"
 MT. Hepburn-''No, he does not say that, but he supposed that you knew something about the history of this country. He supposed that you knew something about the aspirations of American statesmen; that you knew something about the declaration that over and over has been reiterated by every branch of this government with reference to the character of govern- ment that should be formed on this beroisnhereo Zrts5
 Mr. Grosvenor then took the floor. stI am going to refer now to only one thing that the gentleman from Ohio Gentz) has said on this occasion said he. '"The time is coming when the gen. tlemen of the opposition will have full opportunity to assail the presi- dent, to send their bitterness and their opposition across the water to our ene- mics. The gentlemen shall have full opportunity to abuse their own constit- uents at home for any conservative ex- pressions which they may have made through the telegraph or through the mail. I wish simply to say that the president has asked of congress the power to use the army and the navy for the purpose of establishing in Cuba an independent government.
 MT. Lentz-"Why didn't he say so?'
 MT. Grosvenor-"Willm my friend from Ohio try for a. minute to keep his mouth shut?"
 MT. Cannon-"oh, that is impossi- ble.''
 MT. Handy-sI want to know what you understand the president to mean by this sentence in his message: It involves, however, hostile constraint upon both the parties to the contract as well as to enforce a truce to guide the eventful settlement