The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-10-02
The Cuban Question in American
Politics.

mic Rannb1;can papers and the Sun
are daily increasing the acerbity OF their
comnlaints because President CieVelaho
refrains from declaring war on SPAN
and proclafming the independence Oh
cnha or some such thing. 1t looks as
if they intended to make the CUBAN
nonsense a second edition of the Hid
waiian humbug. No doubt, when Con
press meets in December, Senators Frye
and Vance and the OTTER lingo lunatics
will show their fine contempt for Ma
tional honor and International law in the
same way they did when. the annexation
conspiracy was a feature of practical
politics.
Fortunately, President Cleveland is
not a man to be swayed by the mouth
ings of d-emagogues. He will maintain
the position of friendship to Spain which
the honor of the country requires. II
any course of violence or bad faith IS
adopted in the future, it must be the
work of the Republicans who at present
control Congress. qssl
Assuming for a moment that the Cuban
rebel cause is a holy and noble one
we still have no right to interfere. 1t is
absolutely no affair Of ours. Even II
our synpathies were with Cuba, our
duty is to Spain, which is our friend and
allv. We are no mere justified in grants
ing beaigerons rights to the rebel bands
than We would be il recognizing Don
Carlos in one Of his periodical outbreaks.
AS for the attempts which are made to
organize armed alibustering expedi-
tions in this country fer the invasion of
the island, they are no more to be toll
Grated than was Colonel John o'Neilrs
invasion of Canada in 1867.
We should not forget our W bitter
complaints during our W great Rebel
lion. We should not forget the protests
which we uttered against the encour-
agement AFFORDED by France and n
land to the cause of the Confederaey,
nor should we forget that we made n
land nay dearly when the war was over
for the shelter that she afforded to Con-
federate cruisers to repair and reht. And
vet. the C~onfederacy Enthusiastically had
me semblance of a nationality. 1t had
an organized government and an army
and navy which we ourselves were oblig-
Oh 70 treat. not as rebel bands but as
belligerent forces protected by the Gus
toms of. civilized war; 4aAsAH@
As a matter of fact, the Cuban u
is totally undeservirg of sympathy. 1t
is a menace to civilization. We are un-
der no Illusions as to the cruelty and
corruption of Spanish rule. The history
Of Spain itself, in it's domestic aspects,
i a hideous thing. But it is altogether
mild and clean in comparison with the
awful history of Spanish America. Since
the day when the independence of the
South American Republics was accom-
Wished, their history has been nothing
hut a long tale of despotism, of blood
and lust ard robbery, which the history
OF the African ~sultanates or the king
dom Of Siam can hardly surpass. The
present rebellion appears to have the ad-
ditional horror of an uprising of the
blacks against the white population, and
when we hear of a Republican club Oh
Jersey City Heights passing resolutions
in favor of Cuban independence, we
wonder if any of the members ever heard
Of soulouque or Toussaint FOuyerture.
Within a day or two a cable despatch
came from ondon asserting that the
money, which the Cuban leaders unmis-
takably enjoy, was furnished to them
BY the American Sugar Trust. They
were given a million dollars, the story
saws. on the understanding that they
would destroy the Cuban sugar planta-
tons totally. OF a bargain of this sort,
no proof can be obtained, but one can
watch events and guess as to it's prob
ability. AS a matter Of fact, the Cuban
efforts have been almost entirely de-
voted to the destruction of sugar PLAN
tations. and the whole world has been
marvelling as to what the motive OF
such action could be.
Now here is patriotism for you-pa-
triotism with a v~engeance! It is the
sort Of patriotism that the Republican
party wants US to encourage by declar-
ing war on Spain.
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