Omaha daily bee., 1896-12-19
crR1N INpEpENpENcE.

CUBAN INDEPENDENCE.
The senate committee on foreign rcla-
tions has agreed to report resolution
acknowledging the independence of
the republic of Cuba. There ap-
pearcd to be reason to hope
that the committee would take Il
conservative position, that 1t would not
recommend to congress action which
might aggravatc the situation and fur
nish Spain reason to believe that this
government is in fact hostile to that
country. If the resolution agreed upon
by the senate committee should pass con-
grcsS it would certainly be regarded by
Spain as notice of the readiness of the
United States to actively cspouse the
Cuban cause. Acknowledging the inde-
pcndcncc of Il people engaged in insur-
rection Is Il serious matter 1t is Il very
different thing from recognizing them as
belligercnts. 1t is held by some authori-
ties on international law to be an act of
aggression which makes the nation
granting the recognition Il party TO the
wTr This for the reason that it prcsup-
poses the accomplishment of the objects
of the rcvolutiOnists, an arbitrary as
sumption SO long as the struggle cndureS.
We referred short time ago to the opin-
ion of Prof. WoolScy of Yale college, an
eminent authority on international law,
who said that we cannot recognize
Cuban Independence, for that would be
in violation of fact. He said that 1t
would be Il war measure on our part,
wrong as great as recognition of south
ern independence by any European
power would have been at any time dur
ing our civil war. If this view is correct,
obviously Spain would be justified in re
garding the passage by congress of the
Cameron resolution as n cause of war
and there can be very little doubt that
it would be so regarded.
But how would it comport with the
dignity of this nation to acknowledge
the independence of what does not exist!
There is no "repubic of Cuba" The
president of the United States and the
secretary of state have so officially de-
clared. Thc'annual message of the presi-
dent says: "If Spain has not yet re-estab-
lshed her authority, neither have the
insurgents yet made good their title to
be regarded as an Independent state.
Indeed, as the contest has gone on, the
pretense that civil government exists on
the island, except so far as Spain is able
to maintain it, has been practically aban
dOnpd." Again the president said in
reference to the contention that the indie
pcndencc of the insurgents should be
recognized: But imperfect and re-
stricted as the Spanish government of
the island may be, no other exists there
unless the will of the military officer
in temporary command of a particular
district can be dignified as species of
government" Secretary Olney, in his
report, also said that the Cubans had no
form of government. 1t is true that
more than Il year ago they designated q
seat of government elected a president
and other officials and thus created Il
government on paper, but it has never
been established anywhere. 1t is there
fore manifcStly absurd, If not something
worse. to talk of Il Cuban republic as if
it were fact-a political entity capable
Of establishing and maintaining relations
with the rest Of the world. The unwar
ranted assumption of the Cameron reso-
luton is direct Impeachment of the
statements of the president and secre-
tary of state regarding the status of the
Cuban insurgents.
1t is to be hoped that congress will not
be as eager as the senate committee to
commit the country in favor of an ac-
acknowledgement of Cuban Independence
but there is reason to apprehend that the
needless spirit of jingosm will prevail
and that the nation will be placed in a
false position before the world and one
which may be productive of gravcr com
plicationS than are now apparent.