The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-12-10
ON CUBA AND CANAL
MORGAN OF ALABAMA ADDRESSED
THE SENATE.
HIS VERY SEVERE CRITICISM
WAS BESTOWED UPON THE PANA-
MA POLICY.

in Cuba in Connection with the
Reciprocity Plnn-MOrEan Said
Panama Had No Right to Appoint
a Minister to the United States.
Said Time Would Come when
Cuba Would Clip the Threads.
Washington, Dec. 9.-Senator Teller
concluded his speech in opposition to
| the Cuban reciprocity bill to-day, and
Senator Morgan was heard also in OPP
position to that measure. The Ala
bama Senator, however, devoted the
greater part of his attention to the
Panama canal question.
Mr.. Teller took up the question of
the activity of Gen. Wood, while act
| ing as governor of Cuba, I'm behalf
of Cuban reciprocity with the United
! States He said there were official
records to show that the Cuban gov
eminent had paid to exceed $4,000 in
! that interest during Gen. Woods adj
ministration. He declared that the
press of both the United States and
| Cuba had been utilized in support of
| the policy of reciprocity and quoted
figures showing the amounts paid for
| newspapers advocating this policy.
Mr.. Morgan took occasion in the
| course of his remarks to refer fire.
| quently to the Panama canal treaty,
and in that connection he again freely
| criticised what he denominated "presi-
| Dental usurpatiOn." He declared that
| the United States are becoming af
| fected to the core with covetousness,
and said the country seemed to be
| quivering with doubt as to whether
| it should go over entirely or pursue
! the better course followed by our ma
tional fathers. So far as he was con-
cerned, he would not be so mean as
to yield to a temptation to simply ad-
vance the commercial interests of his
state
He spoke of the 20 per cent. reduc-
ton guaranteed by the bill to Cuban
| products, but warned the people that
it might turn out to be a Spooner
| bill, which this government may evade
| or not, as it sees fit. Indeed, he as
| serted that the United States would
do as they might please with the is
| land of Cuba, which he declared is
| is he said, now fettered to the decks
of our warships as firmly as Prof.
Langley's airship was ever attached to
| his houseboat."
VarilIa IL Messenger of FaIsehOOd.
He spoke of the negotiation of the
| Panama canal treaty as a grotesque
| act, and declared that Panama had
mo more right to appoint a minister
to the United States than that country
had TO consecrate d saint"
He came" the Senator added, "as
a swift-winged messenger of falsehood,
| dispatched on his mission by the Pan
anna Canal Company"
Mr.. Morgan said that Cuba would
do well to give careful heed to our pur-
| poses in the legislation under consid-
GRAFTON. They could not follow the old
| adage not to look a gift horse in the
J mouth, for in this case "the gift horse
is a bronco which greets them with a
whinny and may send them back with
kick"
Returning to the Panama situation,
Mr.. Morgan said that the United States
are practically at war with Colombia,
as the result of the fact that the Pres
! ident had fallen into a trap. He
wanted, he said, to save the Senate
from this same trap and again referred
| to Mr. Runau-Varilla, the Panama
minister and after reviewing briefly
that gentlemans history as an engin-
eer and contractor on the Panama
canal, said, He had contracted wise
ly and well and had left the isthmus
a rich man."
"Amen" Over Monroe Doctrine.
Mr.. Morgan declared that he had no
purpose of creating a sensation, but
that his whole purpose was to warn
the Senate against ratifying a treaty,
| the negotiation of which he character
| lied as "a most wretched, a most
abominable and a most horrible trans
| action of the age" Notwithstanding
this was the case, he continued, the
Senate sleeps over this breach of the
Monroe doctrine, while the President
| of France and the President of the
United States stand over the recumbent
| figure and intone in unison their SOL
| emn and satisfied amen"
He expressed the opinion that the
| cost of the Panama canal in it's early
stages would be 50 great as to cause
| Congress to stop the appropriations be-
! fore the enterprise had gone far, and
! thus accomplish the purpose of the
trans continental railways in prevent
ing the construction of any canal.
Discussing the Presidents message,
he said the chief executive had failed
to execute the Spooner law, because
it was distasteful to him, and that he
had not succeeded in formulating any
| satisfactory excuse for his course. He
predicted that the time would come
| when Cuba would clip the threads
| that restrain her and bind her to us,
and again float off into the sea of lib
erty" In such an effort, he continued,
! Cuba might find a friend in Germany
which might follow our example and
! create a state of independence in a
night, and then annex it with the COM
ing sunrise. No doubt there would be
fighting, for who, he asked, ''is more
eager to fight than Emperor William
III or our own strenuous PRESIDENT"
Fight or BE Disgraced.
He then proceeded to say that only
yesterday he had met a great Demo-
crat, who had had place in our
affairs only second in Importance to
the Presidency, and had made a name
for himself in diplomacy evidently
| meaning former Secretary OF State Oh
ney) who had bowed his head as he
said: For the first time in my life
! have to confess that / am ashamed
of the attitude of my country
Mr.. Morgan, reverting again to
! Cuba, said "Our relations with that
island ought TO remain as they are so
far as our economic policy is con-
cerned, or she ought 70 be admitted as
state"
Mr.. Morgan closed by reading an
article from the Financial News of
London, OF which he said: IF that
Is true or II It is a presentation in
/ advance OF the consequences that are
10 follow. we have got 20 fight Great