The National tribune., 1903-07-30
THE AMERICAN
SPANISH WAR
Continued from first page,


seneral;ties.
Both political parties. in their platform:
of 1896. had expressed the sympathy 81
profoundly felt by the American people
| in the Cuban struggle. and the people gen
orally concurred in the declaration of tn,
Republican platform that Spain had los
control of Cuba and was enable either t
protect property or lives of reSlden
Americans, or 20 comply with its treat!
obligations.
Numerous resolutions we're offered dur
ing this short session of Congress, bu
nothing of moment was done. and ,Sool
the Cleveland adminiStrat,u on passed away
leaving all the questions which had arisel
during the war as 4 heritage to its sue
/ cesSor.
On March 4. 1857, President Mckinley
was inaugurated, and in anticipation
| thereof President Cleveland had convened
the Senate in special session. The Inaug
| ural address made no aluSion to the wal
| in Cubd.
On March 6. 1897. President Mckinle!
called Congress in extra session. Accord
ingly, on March II. the first session of tlis
J5th Congress convened. The message OF
the President was confined to rccommen
dations touching q tar fl revenue bill aMt
was silent on the question of the war il
| Cuba. But soon the Calendar thickened
as in previous sessions, with resolutions oil
this subject. Mr.. Allen introduced a res
olution recognizing the political independ
encc of Cuba. and Mr.. Morgan offered I
joint resolution. which read as follows:
Resolved. by the Senate and House OF
Representatives of the United States OF
| America in Congress assembled, That q
condition of public war exists between
the Government of Spain ana the Govern,
! mcnt proclaimed and for some time main
! tained 10y force of arms by the people OF
Cuba: and that the United States OF
| America shall maintain Il strict neutrality
between the contending powers, accord.
ing to each all the rights of belligerents in
the ports and territory of the United
States"
This resolution was passed on May 20
1897. by vote of II yeas to IA nays, the
vote being as follows:
Yes-41-Bacon. Baker. Bate. Berry
Butler. Carter. Chandler. Chiffon, Clark
Clay. Coskrcl. Cullon. Davis. Deboe, For
aker. Gallinger, German, Hansbrough
Harris Ukan.). Heitfeld. Jones (Ark)
Kenncy. Lindsay. Mcbride. Ma~tle. Ma.
sOH. Mills, Morgan, Nelson. Pasco. Petit.
grew. Pettus. Pr.tchard. Rawlins. Shoup
Stewart. Thurston, Tillman, Turner, Tur-
pie. Walthall.
Nays-14-All:son. Burrows, Caffery
Fairbanks. Gear, Hale. Hanna. Hawley
Hoar, SDooner, Wellington, Wetmore
White, Wilson.
Not Voting-:333-A Allen, Can,
non. Daniel. Earle. Eikins. Faulkner
Frye. George, Gray, Harris Crenn.D. Jones
(Nev.). Kyle. Lodge. McEnery, Mcmillan
Martin. Mitchell. Morrill,. Murphy. Pen,
rose. Perkins. P.att Comm, Platt On. "
Proctor. Quay. Roach. Sawell. Smith, Tel
Ter. Vest. Warren. Wolcott.
Thus second step was taken by the
Senate toward the
RECOGNITION OF CUBAN BELLIGERENCY
1t affirmed. by implication, the right OF
Congress to make d rect recognition of a
condition Of war in a foreign country. 1t
was contended in debate that this was
the exclusive province of the Executive.
But war is a fact, and the right of the
political powers of the Government to rec
Ognize that fact has been affirmed by the
Supreme Court of the United States in 4
number OF cases. and was abuDdantly
demonstrated by Henry Clay when Chair
man of the Foreign Relations Committee
Of the Senate, and must exist in the nature
of things. Whoever is invested with dis
cretion to deal with facts, either in max
ing or administering laws, must of neces-
sity have the power of discriminating be-
tween them and recognizing them as they
are. Those who so cOntended were vim
dicated in their opinions by this decisive
vote in the Senate. The joint resolution
went to the House and there disappeared.
as no Committee on Foreign Affairs had
been appointed and as the House had de-
clined to equip itself with the machinery
of general legislation.
The President, during the session, trans
mitted list OF claims of citizens of the
United States against Spain and also a
list of citizens arrested since Feb. "a
1893. with correspondence relative to then
Imprisonment.
The subject of the war was debated
from time to time on one Or another of the
resolutions offered, but no important action
was taken.
When the second session of Congress
met ON Dec. 6. 1897. it was greeted by a
message from President Mckinley which
fully considered the Cuban situation, and
he justly regarded it as the most import.
| ant problem pertaining to our foreign re.
| lations. He had entered his firm protest
against the policy of determination which
had been inaugurated by Spain, had al
last demanded the instant release, OF
speedy trial, of American citizens under
arrest. and had applied the funds appro,
priated by Congress to the relief of Amer
| leans suffering in Cuba
| The assassination of Canovas and the
| succession of Sagasta to the leadership in
| Spain had been contemporaneOus with the
departure of our Minister, Gen. WOJdford
to the Court of Spain, and the new Span
ish Government had indicated change
in policy which had somewhat ameliorated
the conditions. Weyler had been super
seded by Blanco as Captain-General, and
a less vigorous regime had been estab
| lished. But the war still ragged with NJ
! sign of abatement; and our COnsulGenera
| Lee, whose firm and intelligent course had
inspired great confidence in his opinion
testified in concurrence with the genera
view that the Cubans could not take the
towns, nor the Spaniards subjugate the
| country. and that both sides were conduct
| ing warfare of waste and ruin, and OF
indefinite duration.
| Under these circumstances the PreSi
| dent declared that of the untried meas
ures there remained only recognition OF
the insurgents as belligerents; the recog
milton of the independence of Cuba; neu
tral intervention to end the war, by pro
posing rational compromise between the
contestants, and intervention in favor OF
one or the other party. He added:
Il speak not of forcible annexation; FOL
that, under our code of morality, can no
be thought Of"
| He opposed any sort of recognition o
the Cubans, on the grounds stated b.,
Gen. Grant during the Ten Years War
which we have already quoted, but with
held any specific recommendation of hi.
own, declaring that 1.-THE near future woul(