Rensselaer Democrat, Volume 1, Number 1, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 April 1898 — Declares For War! [ARTICLE]

Declares For War!

Radical Resolutions Adopted After Brief Debate By The Remarkably Large Vote of 322 to 19. The following is the text of the resolution adopted yesterday by the national house of representatives: “Whereas, that the government of Spain for three years has been waging war on the island of Cuba against a revolution by the inhabitants thereof without making any substantial progress toward the suppression of said revolution, and has conducted the warfare in a manner contrary to the laws of nations, by methods inhuman and uncivilized, causing' the death by starvation of more than 200,000 innocent non-combatants, the victims being for the most part helpless women and children, inflicting intolerable injury to the commercial interests of the United States, involving the destruction of the lives and property of many of our citizens, entailing the expenditure of millions of dollars in patrolling our coasts and policing the high seas in order to maintain our neutrality; and,

“Whereas, this long series of losses, injuries and burdens for which Spam is responsible has culminated in the destruction of the United States battleship Maine in the harbor of Havana, and in the death of 266 of our seamen: “Resolved, etc., that the president is hereby authorized and directed to intervene at once to stop the war in Cuba to the end and with the purpose of securing permanent pence arid “order there and establishing by the free action of the people thereof a stable and independent government of their own in the island of Cuba; and the president is hereby authorized and empowered to use the land and naval forces of the United States to execute the purpose of this resolution.” J Resolutions reported by a majority of the senate committee on foreign relations, action on which was deferred, read as follows: “Whereas, the abhorrent conditions which have existed for more than three years in the island of Cuba, so near our own borders, have shocked the moral sense of the people of the United States, have been a disgrace to Christian civilization, culminating, as they have, in the destruction of a United States battleship, with 266 of its officers and crew, while on a friendly visit in the harbor of Havana, and cannot longer be endured, as has been set forth by the president of the United States in his message to congress of April 11, 1898, upon which the action of congress., was invited; therefore, i “Resolved, 1. That the people iof the island of Cuba are, and of right ought to be, free and independent. “2. That it is the duty of the United States to demand, and the government of the United States does hereby demand, that the government of Spain at once relinpuish its authority and government islar -1 • ir.tvv