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Show i Bale talks of I X Cuban Intrigues Washington, May 23. This was a day of rasping political controversy and oratory or-atory in the senate. With the controversy contro-versy those on the Democratic side of the chamber, anamolous as it may j seem, had little to do. What by far-seeing far-seeing senators is regarded as likely to be the paramount issue of the approaching ap-proaching campaign '"'as the subject of two notable speeches, one by Mr. Piatt of Connecticut and the other by Mr. Spooner of Wisconsin. The former was an answer to the speech delivered a few days ago by Mr. Bacon of Georgia, on his resolution demanding an examination exam-ination of financial conditions in Cuba. Mr. Piatt favored the adoption of the resolution, but deprecated what he called a cheap effort to make political capital out of a shameful condition of affairs. The speech ot Mr. Spooner was a continuation of his address of yesterday yester-day on the Philippine question. On its , course he became involved in a heated and sensational colloquy with Mr. Hale of Maine over the government's conduct con-duct of affairs in our "insular possessions." pos-sessions." It was a remarkable controvery between be-tween two of the best equipped senators sen-ators in the senate and was listened to with profound attention by senators, many representatives and crowded gal- leries. In the heated interchange of remarks Mr. Spooner asked of Mr. Hale: "Has the senator any suspicion in his mind or in his heart that the pledge made in the resolution passed by congress as to the temporary character of our occupation in Cuba is not to be kept?" Mr. Hale replied: "I have very grave suspicions. I think there are very powerful influences in this country, largely located in New Tork, largely speculative and-connected with money-making money-making enterprises, that ' are determined deter-mined that we shall never give . up Cuba. I think that the time will never come, unless something earnest and drastic is done by congress, that the last soldier of the United States will be withdrawn from Cuban soil. I do not think the president favors holding ("uha. I discovered very powerful in- I fluenees, commercial, mercantile, money and political, that are opposed to our ever withdrawing from Cuba. 1 take up the newspapers that are foremost in the large cities and I find every day intimation and hints that we are never to withdraw from Cuba." Mr. Spooner If I were inclined to doubt for one moment that the United States government will seasonably withdraw from Cuba. I should be ashamed of the government and ashamed of its action. Mr. Hale That assurance-from the senator more than pays me for all that I have said. I shall count upon him '.n the future. When the session opened Mr. Morgan Ala.) called up his resolution calling upon the secretary of war and the secretary sec-retary of the navy for information rel-itlve rel-itlve to the cost of transportation of troops and supplies to the Philippines, and it was agreed to. The resolution previously offered by Mr. Bacon (da.), directing the committee com-mittee on relations with Cuba to make an investigation regarding the receipts J and expenditures of money in Cuba, was called up. Mr. Piatt (Conn.), chairman of the committee on relations with Cuba, said that the recent disclosures in Cuba are a blow to every true citizen of the United States, and that neither the administration ad-ministration nor the committee on re- lations with Cuba needed any prodding from the opposition party to induce them to make a most searching investigation in-vestigation and to use every effort to j punish summarily and severely any person guilty of wrongdoing or fraud in the island of Cuba. Mr. Piatt said congress could not well interfere with the investigation by the postmaster general. lie read a Jong letter from Postmaster Post-master General Smith to Fourth Assistant As-sistant Postmaster General Joseph L. Bristow, in charge of the investigation. The keynote of the letter was: "The Investigation must be comprehensive, covering every branch of the service and all classes of officials. The sole rule of action shall be thorough and complete investigation. , the rigorous and unspairing prosecution of all guilty persons and their swift and condign punishment." Mr. Tillman asked Mr. Tlatt in regard re-gard to the charges about the seven-mile seven-mile military road near Havana, saying say-ing he could supply witnesses if an investigation in-vestigation should be made. Mr. Piatt said this road had been built in haste by the quartermaster of the army. The road had cost $187,000. Mr. Bacon said his information was ; that the cost of this road had been ' enormous and he expected to prove this before the investigation was concluded. Mr. Piatt charged that Bacon's accusations ac-cusations were made for campaign pur- poses. Continuing, Mr. Piatt said the postal officials had been selected with great care, notwithstanding the subsequent unfortunate developments. Rathbone had been chosen because of his knowledge knowl-edge of the postoffice business. He had been guilty of misconduct, but it was riot the first time a good man had gone I wrong. As for Neely, he had the confidence con-fidence of all who knew him. No one could know how it happened. Mr. Piatt expressed a willingness for a congressional investigation of Cuban affairs. Mr. Bacon, he said, demanded to know why our government was in Cuba and why it did not come away. We are there, Mr. Piatt answered, because be-cause we have been sent there by the American people; because congress has pent our army there to destroy the power of Spain. "We have a duty yet to perform there," the senator went on to say, "and the American people will see to It that it is discharged. The military centre! of the island will cease when the. people set up for themselves a government which will properly con-i con-i trol the island. j "When will that time come?" inquired in-quired Mr. Bacon. "That time will be delayed long," said Mr. Piatt, "if a party for partisan purposes makes the work more difficult. diffi-cult. The blush of shame ought to mantle the cheek of every man who is trying to hinder or embarrass the operation of General Wood in Cuba, who is seeking to bring about that time as rapidly as it may be brought about." The conference report on the army appropriation bill was agreed to. MY. Spooner (Wisconsin) then resumed re-sumed his speech on the Philippine question. Incidentally he referred to the situation in Cuba and our responsibilities responsi-bilities there. Mr. Hale (Maine) interrupted him to say that in view of what had happened hap-pened in Cuba it would have been better bet-ter had we abandoned it. "Does the senator think," inauired Mr. Spooner, "in the case I have put, we should have abandoned Cuba?" "I think it would have been the best thing in he world for us if we had done i it." replied Mr. Hale. "I think if it were found that the population in Cuba was as hostile to us as it had been to Spain, we should have abandoned it, and been glad to get rid of it." "Well," replied Mr. Spooner, "that is a matter of opinion. In the case I have put I believe we should have taken Cuba and held it, giving to the people of Cuba what they had had in the world, individual liberty and good government." gov-ernment." Mr. Hale The senator has more confidence con-fidence than I have in the experiment we are trying today of teaching the people of Cuba honesty and good government. gov-ernment. I think we would have been I better off if we had not taught the Cubans Cu-bans the lesson that has been taught in the last few months." Mr. Spooner What lesson? Mr. Hale The lesson of fraud, peculation, pecu-lation, cheating, appropriation of revenues, rev-enues, stealing, carnival in every direction direc-tion of corruption and fraud." Mr.-Spooner (warmly) It is a little tiresome for me to be called upon on this side of the chamber to reply to a Democratic speech. .. Mr. Hale 1 am as good a Republican Republi-can as the senator from Wisconsin. I do not recognize any party obligations that compel me to consent to the proposition prop-osition that everything has gone right in Cuba. Mr. Spooner Nobody pretends it. Mr. Hale I think the experiment has been a failure. 1 would vote tomorrow to withdraw from Cuba and leave the people to establish and set up and maintain their own government. The time will come when ReDublicans will be glad when we get out of this thing without worse things happening than are now." Then ensued the colloquy between-these between-these two senators about the relinquishment relinquish-ment of Cuba. In reply to Mr. Spooner's defense of this government's action in Cuba Mr. Tillman (Dem., S. C.) declared that our agents on the island were carpet-baggers, and the sooner they got out the better. "Oh. no," replied Mr. Spooner, "if the senator from South Carolina finds a carpet-bagger in heaven when he gets there, will he prefer to go to the other place?" "I certainly will," replied Mr. Tillman. Till-man. Continuing, Mr. Spooner said if Mr. Bryan should ever become president of the United States, he believed he would appoint men to proceed to Cuba and the other island possessions, just as Mr. McKinley was appointing them. After a spirited colluquy between Mr. Spooner and Mr. Tillman, in which the latter expressed the belief that Mr. Bryan, as president, could settle the pending question in a different way than that adopted by Mr. McKinley, Mr. Alien (Pop., Neb.) rose and protested protest-ed against making a "political football" of Mr. Bryan's name. Further along, Mr. Spooner, discussing discuss-ing Aguinaldqas an "a!!v" of the United States, declared his belief that the Filipino leader was in league with the Spaniards to drive the Americans from the Philippine islands. He read a letter from Aguinaldo to the Spanish general in command at Iloilo, in which the expression occurred: "We may yet save from shipwreck the sovereignty of Spain in the islands." isl-ands." Soon afterward Mr. Spooner yielded the floor without having completed his speech, and after a brief executive session, ses-sion, the senate, at 5:20 p. m., adjourned. |
