The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-07-31
!. CHANGE IN SENTIMENT.

In the earlier days of this republic. the
statesmen who conducted the Affairs and
the people alike. considered 1t an emf
nentiy proper thing 10 publicly express
sympathy for every movement In any
quarter of the globe tending either to
overthrow monarchioal institutions. or to
relieve the people of any country OF a
foreign and tyrannical dominion exercised
over them. Towards every movement Of
the class not alone sympathy. but ma
teriaI aid was privately extended so far
as could be done without too open an
invasion of the neutrality laws. Exam
pies of this are numerous.
In view OF the attitude OF the present
Democratic administration towards the
Hawaiian republic. as well as towards the
revolutionary party In Cuba, IL is prob
ably well TO call attention TO how some
OF Mr.. CleveIand's Democratic prede-
cessors in the presidency looked upon
struggles for freedom by an oppressed
people, when the memory OF the con-
fiict which led to the birth of this coun-
try was yet fresh in the minds OF the
men living at that day. When the
Greeks rose I'm revolt against the Turks,
Mfr. Monroe made the rebellion the text
for a paragraph in his annual message TO
congress in these words:
"A strong hope has been long enter
tanned, founded on the heroic struggle of
the Greeks, that they would succeed in
their contest and resume their equal sta
ton among the nations of the earth. 1t is
believed that the whole civilized world
takes a deep interest in their welfare. Al
though no power has declared in their
favor. yet none, according TO our infor-
nation, has taken part against them.
Their cause and their name have protect
cd them from dangers which might ere
this have overwhelmed any other people
The ordinary calculations of interest and
ment, which mingie so much In the trans
actions OF nations, seem TO have had no
effect In regard TO them. From the facts
which have come to our knowledge. there
is good cause to believe that their enemy
has lost forever all dominion over them:
pendent nation
These sentiments, thus expressed, have
little in common with the cold diplomatic
attitude or open hostility displayed by
the present administration towards such
people as engage I'm a struggle for lib
erty or successfully overthrow monarchi-
cal institutions today. They contrast
somewhat forcibly with the advice given
by the present secretary of state to a
banker. who asked whether he could,
without violating the neutrality laws,
keep on deposit the funds raised for the
use of the Cuban insurgents. The secre-
tarys reply was that while not In vio-
lation of the neutrality laws, such an
action was morally wrong" According
to that standard, what moral offender
President Monroe must have been when
he publicly expressed his sympathy for
a set of rebels who were precisely in the
situation of the Cuban insurgents of to-
day
The matter of recognizing the Cuban
insurgents as being entitled TO bellger-
ent rights will probably be pressed upon
the attention of congress at the next
session. although there is little like
lihood of its being among the recon-
mendations made in the annual message
of the president. Would 1t not he well
TO follow the precedents set by tho
founders Of the country. and within the
bounds set by the law Of nations. ex-
tend diplomatic sympathy and encourage
ment 10 a brave people who are strug-
Cling to throw off foreign yoke. to the
end that they may set up a republican
form of government patterned after our
OWN