The herald., 1898-02-19

ignorant criticism 1t is today. All, Mr..
President war may come. think myself
the day may not be far distant. and when
1t comes We will fight 1t alone, for there
VIII be no other nation to lift a hand to
light with us. When that day comes our
cause must be eternally grounded on the
right, and whom, it comes there is nothing
that so belittles this people. In my opinion,
as these unjust and outrageous attacks
upon friendly government All, Mr.. Pres
ioent, war Is grim decision, and when it
comes II must come so that the people
oi the world, whether they fight with us
or not,can at least respect our conduct and
our position; and, above ALL Mr.. President,
IL must come under circumsta which
make US respect ourselves.
WOLCOTT JOINS IN
Mr.. Wolcott was followed by Lodge of
massachusetts,, who had sat very restive
under Mr. Mason's reflections on the navy
department. He also spoke with intense
earnestneSs, saying:
Mr. President: l have no desire and
no intention of saying ono word in regard
TO the war which Is raging In Cuba. No
one could detest the horrors enacted in
that island more than I. No one desires
more than l to see the Spanish power
swept from that island as it has been
from all the states of the South America,
put, Mr.. President, that question is not
mere. We are face to face at this moment
with great national calamity. The Amer
leans have received the awful news of the
sinking of the warship Maine with a
splendid silence and self-restraint, both
IN congress and throughout the country.
Ihey are waiting sternly, quietly to know
the truth, and the truth they will have
This is not question which involves Gu
bans or Spanards This is question which
involves brave American seamen, gone to
their death in a foreign port. In the pres
ence of that calamity what we want Is
the truth. How are we to get it by the
Investigations of committee of congress,
which knows nothing, which is miles from
the place where the disaster occurred +?
There is only one way to get at the truth
of this matter, and that is through the
naval officers who have been selected al
ready to perform that duty. Can any one
suppose that the naval officers of the
United States, men on whose career in the
past and whose conduct in the present
there is not and never has been a blemish,
would seek to conceal the facts In such a
case as this? 1 would rather trust this
investigation to the officers of the Amer
lean navy than to any other men in the
country.
WANT THE TRUTH
We want to know the truth. If it was an
accident which destroyed the Maine, then
let us provide so far as human foresight
can againt recurrence. If 1t was treach-
cry, then the righteous wrath of the Amer
ican people will take a signal vengeance
from the treachery that sent the ship to
the bottom, and let no one think to stay It,
Mr. Mason replied: "Misquotation and
general spasm will not drive me from the
discussion of this question in the senate"
He shared, he said, in the general admi-
ration OF the various departments of the
executive branch of the government, and
Mr. Wolcott would not excel him in that
respect. II am sorry he said, "that
while the Colorado senator was giving us
such lecture about the navy department
he does not slop over and give the treas
ury department some of his praise.'
He also resented the intimation that he
had gone into the slums to find words with
which to characterize the navy depart
ment, and repeated his loyalty to the navy
and other departments.
Mr.. Allen of Nebraska said he desired
to secure vote upon the resolution, but
he desired to reiterate the suspicious ex-
pressed by Mr.. Mason that the investiga-
ton by the navy department would not
be satisfactory to the country.
~ want to say" said Allen, 'that have
not in my five years experience in the
senate known one of these Investigations
to result in anything"
Mr.. Hale rose and said II have here a
dispatch received at the navy department
from Captain Sigsbee 1t shows that there
is not in the city of Havana a single dis
cordant note. All are in mourning for the
dead. The city is filled with an atmosphere
of pity, commiseration and sympathy"
Mr. Bacon of Georgia introduced a res
oluton for the erection of brass tablet
in statuary hall bearing the names of Off
GERS and men who perished with the sink
ing of the Maine.
At $40, as mark of respect to exCon-
gresham Wright of Massachusetts, the
senate adjourned until Monday next.