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CONGRESS. (CUBAN AFFAIRS THE ARMENIAN QUESTION.) 



" They [the members from the Senate] and many 

 other Senators made an earnest effort to have them 

 adopted by the Senate ; but after weeks had passed 

 away in debate which appeared likely to be indefi- 

 nit e'in length, the Senate, on the motion of the chair- 

 man of the Committee on Foreign Isolations, who 

 had urgently pressed those resolutions, noncon- 

 curred and asked for another conference. We met 

 them again, and they assured the House conferees 

 that while they were as earnestly of opinion as ever 

 that the resolutions which the House had adopted 

 ought to pass, yet they could give no assurance that 

 they would at any time pass the Senate, as there 

 was manifestly an organized obstruction, which, 

 under the antiquated rules of that body, where 

 there is no means of stopping debate and bringing 

 on a vote, might continue indefinitely. They asked 

 us to now act in the same liberal spirit in which 

 they had met us, to agree to the Senate resolutions, 

 take them back to the House, and pass them. This 

 would at once secure final and complete action and 

 defeat the dilatory debate. 



' Remembering the great majority by which the 

 House had adopted our resolutions and considering 

 the vote an instruction, we who were conferees for 

 the House for a long time insisted upon the action 

 of the House being adhered to. The first resolu- 

 tion, that which favors the recognition of the bel- 

 ligerency of those struggling in Cuba, is substan- 

 tially the same as passed by the Senate and as 

 passed by the House. The second, which relates to 

 the 'independence' of Cuba, as stated in the Sen- 

 ate resolution, and to ' a government by the free 

 choice of the people of Cuba,' as stated more cau- 

 tiously in the House resolutions, aimed at the same 

 thing, the tender of good offices to secure that pur- 

 pose. The third House resolution, which related 

 'to the protection of American interests in Cuba, 

 though wholly unobjectionable, though in accord- 

 ance with international law, the usage of nations 

 and the practice of our Government, so plainly that 

 the only objection to it would seem to be that it 

 was hardly necessary for Congress to make such a 

 suggestion to the Executive this resolution they 

 asked us to drop. 



" It would be in no worse position if it were 

 dropped than if we persisted, and all of the resolu- 

 tions would fail because there was no limitation on 

 debate there. All of them would be talked to death 

 if they once got back to the Senate, though there 

 were not a dozen votes that could he mustered 

 against them. Accordingly your conferees agreed 

 to the two Senate resolutions. We now ask their 

 adoption by the House. 



" The second resolution differed from ours in that 

 it proposed the tender of the good offices of this 

 Government to secure the recognition of the inde- 

 pendence of Cuba by Spain. It was said I said it 

 and others said it on this floor in the former de- 

 batethat the expression 'independence' seemed 

 harsher than was necessary, and we said so to the 

 conferees; but it was urged, and it is true, that 

 while a proposition to any Government in ordinary 

 time of peace to recognize the independence of a 

 part of its territory as independent would be 

 offensive, the reason why it is offensive is because 

 it is on its face manifestly intended to offend." 



The report was debated in the House that day 

 and the next, and a vote was taken April 6, result- 

 ing in the adoption of the report yeas, 247; nays, 

 27; not voting, 80. So the resolutions were passed 

 in both houses. 



May 15. Senator Morgan, of Alabama, submitted 

 the following, which was passed the next day : 



" Resolved, That the Committee on Foreign Re- 

 lations is directed to inquire and report to the Sen- 

 ate what are the rights of the United States, under 



our treaties with Spain, as to the trial of our citi- 

 zens arrested in Cuba, and now under condemnation 

 and sentenced to death by the Spanish military tri- 

 bunals for alleged offenses of a political or other 

 character against the Spanish laws or Government, 

 and to report on that subject by bill or otherwise. 



2. " That the Secretary of State is directed to 

 send to the Senate literal copies of the original text 

 of a protocol of conference and declarations con- 

 cerning judicial procedure, signed by Caleb dish- 

 ing, as minister of the United States, and Sefior 

 Don Fernando y Collantes, minister of the King of 

 Spain, on Jan. 12, 1877, as the same was executed 

 and interchanged, both in the English and Spanish 

 languages; and that he will inform the Senate 

 whether the established or agreed original text of 

 said protocol is in the English or the Spanish lan- 

 guage. 



3. "That the Secretary of State is further di- 

 rected, if it is not incompatible with the public 

 service, to communicate to the Senate copies of any 

 correspondence that has taken place between the 

 governments of Spain and the United States re- 

 specting the said protocol and its bearing or effect 

 upon the trial and condemnation of citizens of the 

 United States who were recently captured on or 

 near the vessel called the 'Competitor,' that was 

 seized under Spanish authority in Cuban waters, or 

 near to that island." 



The Armenian Question. The following con- 

 current resolution was submitted to the Senate 

 Dec. 12, by Senator Call, of Florida. 



" Resolved by the Senate (the House of Repre- 

 sentatives concurring), That humanity and religion 

 and the principles on which all civilization rests 

 demand that the civilized governments shall by 

 peaceful negotiations, or if necessary by force of 

 arms, prevent and suppress the cruelties and mas- 

 sacres inflicted on the Armenian subjects of Turkey 

 by the establishment of a government of their own 

 people, with such guarantees by the civilized powers 

 of its authority and permanence as shall be ade- 

 quate to that end." 



It was referred to the Committee on Foreign Re- 

 lations as were also other resolutions and many 

 petitions and memorials upon the subject. The 

 committee, reported Jan. 22, the following resolu- 

 tions, which were debated Jan. 24 : 



" Whereas the supplementary treaty of Berlin of 

 July 13, 1878, between the Ottoman Empire and 

 Great Britain, Germany, Austria, France, Italy, and 

 Russia contains the following provisions : 



" ' LXI. The Sublime Porte undertakes to carry 

 out without further delay the ameliorations and 

 reforms demanded by local requirements in the 

 provinces inhabited by the Armenians, and to guar- 

 antee their security against the Circassians and 

 Kurds. 



" ' It will periodically make known these steps 

 taken to this effect to the powers, and will superin- 

 tend their application. 



'"LXII. The Sublime Porte having expressed 

 the wish to maintain the principle of religious lib- 

 erty, to give it the widest scope, the contracting 

 parties take note of this spontaneous declaration. 



" ' In no part of the Ottoman Empire shall differ- 

 ence of religion be alleged against an individual 

 as a ground for exclusion or incapacity as regards 

 the discharge of civil and political rights, admis- 

 sion to the public service, functions and honors, 

 and the exercise of the different professions and 

 industries. 



"'All persons shall be admitted, without distinc- 

 tion of religion, to give evidence before the tribu- 

 nals. 



" ' Liberty and the outward exercise of all forms 

 of worship are assured to all, and no hindrance 



