Show REBUKED BY A PRATER The blind chaplains prayer in the house of representatives on Friday for the success of the battle for independence inde-pendence now being fought by the struggling Cuban Insurgents was a rebuke re-buke to congress for its failure up to date to recognize the Cubans as belligerents bel-ligerents The eloquent prayer of the chaplain provoked ithe applause of members at the close of it and the demonstration ought to serve to hasten has-ten the report of the committee on foreign for-eign relations to which has been referred re-ferred the several resolutions for the recognition of the Cubans as belligerents belliger-ents Had the heroic struggl now being made in Cuba for independence been made half a century ago and attended attend-ed with anything like the success which has attended Cuban efforts in the present pres-ent struggle such help as could come from < their recognition as belligerents vould have been accorded long ere now But we live a half century more removed from the recollections of our own struggle for independence than our fathers did fifty years ago and it may be that the story of that struggle strug-gle has less influence upon us than it had upon them < Then again it is just possible that I we are becoming less and less sentimental I senti-mental and more and more influenced lin our conduct by the consideration of sordid interests The thing which prevents pre-vents our congress from recognizing I the Cubans as belligerents Is not any doubt of the justice of their cause nor doubt as to their having by their success suc-cess earned the right of such recognition recog-nition but as stated in our dispatches a few days ago there are sugar investments in-vestments in Cuba held by citizens of the United States amounting to some 30000000 which have suffered enormous enor-mous damage at the hands of the rebels reb-els in their raids So long as the revolution rev-olution has no recognized standing Spain is responsible for these losses and the owners of plantations hope to be able to secure reparation from herat her-at some future day When this government gov-ernment formally takes notice of the fact that a state of war exists In Cuba its citizens will have no ground upon which to base their claims These considerations con-siderations tend to retard recognition Whether they will defeat the movement for recognition remains to be seen This question of American interest Is I in all probability the block in the wheel of Cuban recognition and it does not speak well for American love of liberty lib-erty or American regard for republics repub-lics as against the monarchical colonial systems of government It is not a good omen to see consideration of sordid sor-did Interests so far prevail over patriotic patri-otic sentiment as to lead our national legislators to keep silent in a case where speech < prompt energetic speedh and not guilty silence is golden gol-den Pray on old chaplain of the patriotic heart Pray again for the success of the battle of independence until the i house shall not only applaud your holy utterances but moved to very shame for their tardiness shall act at to give recognition to least so far as men struggling for enlarged freedom |