The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-04-14
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cussed. but the rule which now prevails
Is that when the House finally determines
to decide question that is the very time
the House refuses to allow debate upon II.
You will suffer debate to proceed day after
day. l have seen it proceed more than
week upon question which you had no
purpose of deciding. / have heard this very
question discussed in a general way twenty
times within the present session, debated in
a general way it is true, and yet having
allowed the debate while you did not in
tend to decide now that you are going to
ueclde you deny the deb9 e. But, sir, we are
as ready to meet the question, we are as
ready TO decide it. we ready to take
our responsibility as gentlemen on the other
slde ana we invite you to call the roll"
(Applause and cries of (''Vote, vote.')
MR.. JOHNSON PROTESTS.
AT this point Mr.. Johnson Rep. Indl
loudly protested against cutting off mem
bers of the House. He eEtreated Mr. Hen
derson mot to be ungenerous enough to
move the previous question until other
gentlemen have had the right to be heard"
Mr.. Henderson declined to yield, but he
granted a few minutes to Mr.. McMillin
Dem., TENN, a member of the committee
on rules.
Mr.. McMillin said the most momentous
question that has confronted the American
people since the close of the great civil war
confronts us to-day, and he did not agree
strong on the other side that there ought
not to be a candid and ample presentation
of the great question to the representa-
tives of the American people and through
them to the American people. Applause on
the Democratic side.) If we had recognized
the independence of the republic of Cuba
long ago, he contended, Cuba would have
been free to-day and we would have been
free from obligations. applause on Demo-
cratic Side.)
Mr.. Clayton-And the Maine would have
been aflOat.
Mr.. McMilln-And to-day 266 gallant
American sailors whose glory will not fade
sacrifice to their country. would have been
living American sailors. Now, Mr.. Speaker,
what excuse are we going to give the Amer
lean people for hasty action in this matter?
The resolution of the majority does not pro-
pose to recognize the republic OF cuba and
the resolution of the minority does The
resolution of the majority does not force
the President to send our army and our
navy to back up this action immediately;
the resolution of the minority does Ihey
differ as the poles differ, and their differ
ences ought to be shown and the repre-
sentatives here given an opportunity to
show which one of the resolutions best &C
complishes the work to be performed. You
heard the Presidents message. You know
the spirit that it breathed You know the
indecision that characterized it, You know
there free Cuba in it; and yet you
propose to turn over to him the army, you
propose to turn over TO him the navy and
turn over to him the treasury and give him
discretion to fight or not to fight as he
pleases. So far as / am concerned and /
believe 1 represent the members on. this
side of the House, we are not only in favor
of free Cuba. but we intend that the Presi-
dent shall not stand in the way of that
freedom. cloud applause on Democratic
sde)
HENDERSON SCORES BAILEY.
Mr.. Henderson in closing the debate crit
icised severely the position taken by Mr..
Bailey. He has presented a singular
spectacle here to-day" said he. HE has
attempted again and again to force action
in this House, on his own statement, under
any circumstances, on any BILL and at any
time. And now he pleads for time because
the Senate is going to deliberate, and urges
that as an argument, and winds up by
wanting us to call the roll now. / regret
the attempt to make partisanship out of this
great national question as unWiSe. (CrieS of
OH, on the Democratic side). When he
attacks the chief executive and the Re-
publican party for elaboration, the care
that has been taken IN making contracts
with every powder mandatory in the coun-
try, preparing shot and shell to overcome
the difficulties that have been forced upon
the country in the past by false policy, he
is unjust to himself, to the party, to the
President We have examined with care
the great dangers that confronted us. We
have weighed, as has the President, with
brain and heart the whole question and all
that confronts the country in settling the
great problem. That has been done wisely,
was quickly done. Now, we are here for
action, and | want to say that with scarce
~ a dissenting voice we are ready for the
Republican Side)
Mr. Henderson thereupon demanded the
previous question against the loud protests
of Mr.. johnson, of Indiana, who became so
violent in his denunciation of this effort to
stifie debate and not allow a ''remonstrance
against this unnecessary war into which the
country was to be plunged that the speak
er had to appeal to the sergeant-at-arms to
compel him to take his seat
The rule was then adopted, and the reso-
lutions were again presented, together with
those Of the minority which We're to be
offered IS a substitute.
MIR. Adams yielded to Mr.. Dinsmore
Dem, Ark, the senior member of the
minority. Mr. DinSmore said he regretted
as much as any other man on this floor
could the manifestation of partisan feeling
and partisanship that had occurred during
the afternoon. 1T appears to me, sir"
said he. that if there was ever period in
the history of this government when pa
triotic dignity should have been shown and
partsanship should have been subordinated
to craftsmanship that period is now. pro
longed applause on the Democratic side)
We are confronted here by the most criti-
cal situation witnessed in many years by
the people Of the United States. Our peo-
pie have long recognized that this point
would ultimately be reached unless those
who represented the people in the Congress
performed their full duty and took the
courageous stand dictated by prudence and
plause.) -
STANDING MENACE.
CAS- has been well said by my friend from
Tennessee (NIr. McMillin), it has been and
is now my conviction that if we had done
our duty, if we had taken this position
year ago this matter would have been set
tied, Cuba would have been free and the
sailors of the Maine who sleep now in a
watery grave would have been alive to
bear aloft in their arms and carry to vic
tory the flag of our country. \(Applause.)
Throughout all of the history of the gov
eminent Spanish civilization on the Ameri-
to our institutions. And now we are called
upon again to-day to extend help to pa
triots who for thirty years have fought
Spanish oppression, Spanish brutality,
Spanish butchery and Spanish wrong
prolonged applause.)
But" he continued, "the majority pro-
pose to go and say to the people who have
for years past in an unequal fight been
compelled to see their wives suffer and
starve in the cause of liberty that We are
coming with an army TO establish gov
eminent which in our judgment will be a
government and a peaceful government.
The minority, on the other hand, proposes
to recognize the fact that the CubanS have
an organized government. We are not going
TO force upon them government that may
be a carpet-bag government. run by some
(Applause.) What are they now? Are they
Cuban belligerents? Let us give to the Gu
bans liberty. applause on the Democratic
side.) We talk about freedom. Let us give
them the right to elect a government which
they think will be a free government, and
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