The Churchill county standard. (Fallon, Nev.) 1908-1920, 1916-02-02
SENATOR NfWLANDS ASKS CONGRESS
TO DROP POLITICS IN WAR ISSUES

the administration should take de-
eisive action
Finding himself gradually losing
the support of his own party in his
deliberate methods, the President
finally announced that he would de-
liver message to Congress upon
the Cuban situation on a particular
day, the following Friday. The
House of Representatives met in
expectancy of that message. Busi-
ness was suspended; the atmos-
phero was surchaged with electrici-
ty. Contention arose on the floor in
one or two cases leading almost to
physical violence while they were
awaiting the Presidential message.
Whilst | stood there philosophieally
viewing the scene and wondering at
the turbulence of aSso-called deliber-
ative body the Sergeant at Arms in
formed me that the President desir-
ed to see me at the White House.
went there and in the ante room
found two other Democrats, minori-
" members of the Foreign Affairs
Committee. We we're Immediately
ushered into the Presidents Office
fe sat thero at a table upon which
Ia document bound in red ribbon,
evidently the message which he was
about to send ~ Congress. l could
not but contrast the cam and the
dignity of that room and of the
President himself with tho scene of
turblence which | had Just left. The
President informed 10 that he had
Just received a telegram from Con-
sui General Lee at Habana advising g
him that Habana was in a high state
of excitement with reference TO his
anticipated massage; that there
we're 500 Americans in Habana
whom he wished to send back to this
country before that message was
announced and asking him to post
pone its delivery.
Mr.. Mckinley stated that the
country expected this message upon
that day and that Congress expected
IL. that he could not announce 10
tie country the cause OF postpone
ment, for If the telegram were pub
lished it might produce in Habana
the same effect that might be pro-
duced by the presidential message.
He said that he had therefore, called
Us as members of the minority and
adversary party TO ask our judgment
regarding the situation. We told
him that we thought the message
ought TO bo postponed. He replied
that he thought SO TO; that he would
, rather lose his right arm. as he ex-
pressed IT, than run the risk OF los
Ing a single American life. but that
he was unable to make any public
statement regarding the matter, and
he requested us to pass around,
without publicity, among our assoei-
ates on the floor of the House and
state that the President of the
United States had taken US into his
confidence and had presented to us
coed reasons for the postponement
of the message. We assured him
that we would do SO. and we thought
the undertaking an easy one. but
when We arrived at the House we
found that the turbulence of that
body increased. not diminished.
Word had been passed around that
we had been sent for and the pur-
pose YVES suspected. The result was
food of denunciation, particularly
from the so-called 'insurgent mem-
bers" of the Republican Party, some
OF whom in my hearing, upon our
return to that body. when we were
passing around in a rather ineffect-
i've way stating the result of our
communication with Mr. Mckinley,
denounced him rs a man without
back bone or with a rubber back
bone. have often since then
thought of that contrast between