Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-10-08
CUBAN RECOGNIT TlON
No Attempt to Secure 1t Until Congress
Shall Assemble.
An Interesting Precedent Found in
Archives of the State De-
partmcnt.

Gonzales de Quesada secretary of the
Cuban revolutionary party with head
quarters in New York, has been in Wash
ington recently on private business. He did
not see Secretary Oiney. nor were any steps
taken toward securing the recognition of
the Cuban insurgents as belligerents Mr..
Quesada had come on to attend the trial of
the Cuban nlibusters at Wilmington, and
extended his trip to Washington to see
friends.
The policy of the Cubans in seeking recog-
milton of the United States has been out
lined substantially as follows: No appli-
cation will be made to the executive branch
of the government until Congress assem-
bles 1t is the feeling that even if the eX-
ecutive authorities were disposed to recoS-
niZe the CubanS, the action would involve
such grave responsibility that the executive
branch would desire to have the co-opera-
ton and support of Congress. Care will
be taken, also, to see that there is uniform
ity in the steps proposed to Congress. In
this way the mistakes made at the time of
the last Cuban uprising will be avoided.
At that time there were no less than forty
different Cuban resolutions referred to the
House committee on foreign affairs, pro-
posing recognition. arbitration and many
other plans, all intended to favor Cuba.
In the end this diversity of proposals pre-
vented an agreement on any one course.
An Interesting Precedent.
In connection with the probable presenta-
tion of the subject to Congress and the ex-
ecutive branch an interesting precedent
has been found in the archives of the State
Department. 1t involves the recognition by
President Monroe of the South and Central
American republics when they broke away
from Spain. The Spanish minister at WASH
iEgton made the most urgent protest. to
which John Quincy Adams, Secretary Of
State. replied, stating the policy of this
government in giving recognition. The
propositions then advanced by Spain and
the replies made by the United States are
said to be exactly parallel in the state
ments of facts to the status of the Cuban
affair today.
President Monroe sent a message to Con-
gress in March, 1872, in which he proposed
the recognition of the insurgent govern
ments in Spanish America, as then desig-
mated, ard including Mexico, Peru, Chile,
Colombia, Brazil ard other countries On
March ., 1872, Sanor AnduaSa, the Spanish
minister, addressed a letter to Secretary
Adams, expressing his astonishment 1t the
course of the President. After ceciting
many acts of kindness Spain had done for
the United States the minister said
But even admitting that morality ought
to yield to policy, what Is the present state
of Spanish America and what are its gov
ernments to entitle them to recognition?
Buenos Ayres is sunk in the most complete
anarchy, and each day sees new despots
produced. who disappear the next. Peru,
d y,
gates of it's capital a Spanish army. In
Chile, an individual suppresses the senti-
ments of the people. On the coast of
Firma, also. the Spanish banners wave.
The inSurgent generals everywhere are oc
cupied with quarrels among themselves.
In Mexico there is no government Where
then are the governments which ought to
be recogniZeu?'
General Principles Laid Down.
Secretary Adams answer is dated April
6, 1S22 He says ne at once laid the Span
ish minister's letter before the President.
The latter desires the friendiest relations
with Spain. But in recognizing the south
ern countries, the President had been gov
erned by facts, which, Mr.. Adams points
out. are quite different from the facts set
forth by the minister. Mr.. Adams lays
down the general principles governing the
recognition of the new countries. One is
the principle of right, the other the prin-
cipie of fact The Secretary says that the
United States has carefully refrained from
taking any part in the outbreak, and has
maintained a most impartial neutrality.
But the contests have proceeded until the
insurgent countries have set up their own
governments and have successfully resisted
Spain. These are conditions of fact, and
they are such as to entitle the nsurgent
countries to recognition. Mr.. Adams adds:
THE government of the United States,
far from consulting dictation of policy
questionable in its morality, has yielded to
an obligation of duty of the highest Or
der, by recognizing as Independent states
nations. which, after deliberately asserting
their right to that character, have MAIN
tained and established it against all the
resis tance brought to oppose it. This is
the mere acknowledgment of existing facts
with view to the regular establishment
with the nations newly formed of those re-
lations, political and ceremonial, which it is
the moral obligation of civilized and Chris
tian nations to entertain reciprocally with
each other"