The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-12-08

country, and would yet enable them to
/ test their capacity for self-government
/ under the most favorable conditions
! 1t has been objected to on the one side
! that Spain would not promise auton-
omy until her insurgent subjects lay
/ down their arms; on the other side,
! that promised autonomy, however lib
eral, is insufficient, because without
assurance of the promise being full
filed
But the reasonableness of the re-
quirement by Spain of unconditional
surrender on the part of the insurgent
/ Cubans before their autonomy is con-
coded, is not altogether apparent. 1t
ignores important features of the sit
uatiOn-the stability two years dura-
ton has given to the insurrection; the
feasibility of its indefinite proionga-
ton in the nature of things and as
shown by past experience: the utter
and imminent ruin of the island, unless
the present strife is speedily COM
posed above all, the rank abuses
which all parties in Spain, all branches
of her government, and all her leading
public men concede to exist and pro-
fess a desire to remove.
Facing such circumstances. to with
hold the proffer of needed reforms until
tho parties demanding them put them
selves at it's mercy by throw
ing down their arms has the
appearance of neglecting the grav-
est of perils and inviting sus-
piciCn.. as to the sincerity of any pro-
fessed willingness to grant reforms.
The objection on behalf of the insur-
gents-that promised reforms cannot
be relied upon-muSt, of course, be con-
sidered, though we have no right to
assume and no reason for assuming
that anything Spain undertakes to do
for the relief of Cuba will not be done
80
letter of the undertaking. Neverthe-
less, realizing that suspicious and pre-
cautions on the part of the weaker of
the two combatantS are always natural
and not always unjustifia ble-being
sincerely DESTROYS in the interest of
both as well on its own account that
the Cuban problem should be solved
with the least possible delay-it was
intimated by this government to the
government of Spain some months ago
that if satisfactory measures of home
rule were rendered the Cuban insur-
gents, and would be accepted by them
upon guarantee of its execution, the
United States would endeavor to find q
way not Objectionable TO Spain of
furnishing such guaranty While no
definite response to this intimation has
yet been received from the Spanish
government, it is believed to be not
altogether unWelcome, while, as al
ready suggested, no reason is perceived
why it should not be approved by the
insurgents Neither party can fail to
see the Importance of early action and
both must realize that to. prolong the
present state of things for even a
snort period will add enormously to the
time and labor and expenditure neceS-
Sal'y TO bring about the industrial re-
cuperation of the island 1t is there
fore fervently hoped ON all grounds
that earnest efforts for healing the
breach between Spain and the inSur-
gent Cubans upon the lines above in
dicated may be at once inaugurated
and pushed to an immediate and sue
cessful issue. The friendly offices of the
United States, either in the manner
above outlined or in any other way
consistent with our constitution and
laws will always be at the disposal of
either party.
Whatever circumstances may arise,
our policy and our interest would con-
strain us to object to the acquisition
OIL the island or an interference with !
its control by any other power
1t should be added that it cannot be |
reasonably assumed that the hitherto
expectant attitude of the United States /
will be indefinitely maintained While /
we are anxious to accord all due re- !
spect 10 the sovereignty of Spain we |
cannot view the pending conflict in all /
Its features and properly apprehend |
our inevitably close relations TO it and /
its possible results without considering
that by the course of events we may
be drawn into such an unusual and un-
precedented condition as will fix limit I
TO our patient waiting for Spain to |
END the contest, either alone and in her |