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War Speech By Mason

War Speech By Mason image
Parent Issue
Day
15
Month
April
Year
1898
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Washington, April 12. - Senator Masón delivered a speech in the senate in ansvver to the president's message. The speech, which declares for war, is likely to have its effect upon congress. it is aimed to answer the president's reference to President Jackson's message against recog-nition of the independence of Texas. The senator shows that following Jackson's message congress recognized the independence and credited a charge d'afiaires to the Texas capital. The senator says, white the president invoked executive precedents, he ought not to deny congress the right to apply legislative precedents in the same case. The Mason speech quotes from Henry Clay in favor of reeognition and from the action of Prance in 1777 toward the American revolutionists. When Texas Was Recognized. The senator says that when the republic of Texas was recognized there were only 30,000 Anglo-Americans withIn her borders. There are more men under arms in the insurgent army today than there were men, women and children in Texas when her ence was acknowledgred by an act of congress. The total army of Texas consisted of fewer than 800 men. Senator Mason took the fioor shortly after 1 o'clock to speak on the president's message. He was interrupted at the outset by a remark of Allen: "Hostilitieg wlll not commence today." "I don't know about that," sharply rejoined Mason. "Wait until you hear my speech." The senator was not agrain interrupted. The speech was less impassioned than he usually delivers, but its effect on the senators, especially that portion in which he answered the president's reference to the TeXas case, was marked and Iistened to with the closest attentlon. Jaeksoii's Reeommemlatioii. Commenting upon the president's message, in which he refered to President Jackson's recommendation against recognition of the independence of Texas, Senator Mason said: "I propose now to show, since the exeeutive has informed us what the executive branch of the government thought at that time, what the executive branch thought and did on the same question. "If the executive feels bound by exective precedent I must be permitted to feel bound by legislative precedent. President Jackson issued the message spoken of and I cali particular attention to dates- on the 21st day of December, 1836, immediately thereafter the reaolution was introduced into the senate of the tlnited States reeognizingTexan indenpendence by Robert J. Walker, a United States senator from Mississippi. Action of Congress. "On the lst of March, before President Jackson's time had expired, that resolution was debated and passed by the senate of the United States by a vote of 23 to 22 and a motion to reconsider on the following day was lost by a tie vote of 24 to 24. "The house of representatives immediately made an appropriation for a diplomatic agent from the United States to the government of Texas, thereby pursuing the very course suggested by Henry Clay in his attempts to recognize in congress the independence of Spanish-American states. "The last official act of President Jackson, previous to his retirement from the executive chair, was the nornination of Alcee Lablanche as charge d'affaires to the new republic of Texas. "It is a historical fact that within a few days thereafter the newly accredited ministers from the republic of Texas were given an audience at the White House and they were duly recognized as such ministers by the republic of the United States. Exceedingly ITufortunate. "I would not wish to suggest that the learned lawyer who furnished the authorities for this branch of the president's message was in the least disingenuous, but it is exceedingly unfortunate that the mere opinión of the executive should be cited as a precedent, when as a matter of fact, the government of the United States, composed of the executive and legislative branches, did set a precedent in absolute conflict with the opinión of President Jackson, cited in the message. "In other words, the message cited by the present executive from President Jackson was delivered on the 21st day of December, 1836, and in less than ten weeks after sending his opinión to congress he recognized the independence of the republic of Texas by accrediting ministers to and receiving ministers from that republic. Vulture and Engle. "The lrilliant orator from Iowa, Mr. Cousins, said the other day in the house that, hovering about the dark waters of that mysterieus harbor of Havana, the black-winged vulture watchea for the dead. w.iile over it and after all there is the eagle's piercing eye, eternally watching for the truth. "Mr. President, is it to continue to bc an eagle, or is the avarice and greed of the nation to cause it to descend and partake of the vulture's food? Perez, writing to Aranguren, said: 'The Yankees are hogs, and if you conquer your own independence they will absnrb you.' Mr. President, did he teil the truth? Mr. President, are we going out on an errand after mercy loaded down with daybooks and journals? Are we to forget our citizens who went down in the harbor of Havana in aur greed for gold and territory? Clns9 the Door. "Are t Ieave the door epen to. comP?1 additlonal tejjms from the insurgants wTio sacrificed their wives, their children, and their homes? Do we wish special treaties of commerce and Ieave the door open for that? Do we wish to Ieave some American investor who has bought Spanish bonds and who wishes t 'rade them for the bonds of the rapu'.iic? Do we, worse s'-ill, wish to leave the door open to compel those brave men and wonnen to accept some terms of autonomy, or to pay blood money to the Spaniard or to the Shylocks of our owb land? Tori fs-v no Then I say close the dorr. It can be done by the acknowledgíment of the independenee of Cuba today." The speech has airea dy . been pronounced the effort of Mason's life and there is no doubt he made a deen and lasting impression upon the heaiers. Appeal lor IndepeiulHiice. "Mr. President, I have been told and led to believe that as a rule at the close of life and approach of that change which we cali death, when nature ceases to struggle against nature and there is no more pain, there is given to each parting soul a moment that is absolutely serene. According to the statement of our own colleagues and wellinformed physicians, nearly twentyfive out of every 100 of the reconcentrados are marked for death. 1 appeal for them to the executive, and to the legislative bvanch of government as well. Driven and scourg-ed like dogs, they all hope still for the day of emancipation. May I be forgiven if I express the hope that the heart of the executive ma'y be touched in their own behalf? May we not hope that their last lingering look of life be not with suspicion and hatred upon your Hag and mine: that t may not rest upon the hated color of the yellow flag of Spain, but that in their rapt and parting móments they may be soothed and sustalned by the sight of their own flag', the flag with a single star. the flag of the republic of Cuba?"

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Subjects
Ann Arbor Argus
Old News