Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1896-12-26
TAE LAW on pREcEpENT.
re Forms the Basis of tho Senate Commit
teas Demand for Intervention s, CubaI

re Forms the Basis of tho Senate Commit
teas Demand for Intervention 81 Cuban
Affi,irs.
WASHINGTON. Doc. e2.-The report OF the
committee on foreign relations on the joint
resolution acknowledging the independence OF
Cuba and Offering the friendly offices OF this
government with Spain to bring to n close the
war between Spain and the republic OF Cuba |
was presented in the senate Monday. 1t Is |
document of great length and denls thoroughly |
with modern precedents of European interven-
tion where independence was the issue in |
VOWED, the committee having, Us its report |
mentions examined with care oil the instances |
which have occurred during this century OF |
volt.
The opening lines of the report read that |
congress ut its last session adopted with prnc- |
tical unanimity the view expressed by your |
committee that the time had come for the re- |
cognitlon OF the independence OF Cuba Spain |
having declined TO listen to any representation |
founded on an understanding between herself |
and the insurgents, and congress having |
pledged itself to friendly Intervention, the only
question that remains to be decided is the ma
ture of the next step to be taken with proper
regard to the usages of nations.
The report says the modern precedents OF
European intervention where independence
was the issue involved began with Greece, in
the struggle which lasted from 1921 until 1927
The summary of the events in this strife Is
told in graphic manner
The history of that struggle is carried along
in the report to the date Mt which the sultan,
declining to the last to permit any mediation
between himself and his subjects. France En-
gland and Russia, on July ., 1897, united in
formal treaty which committed them to armed
Intervention in case the sultan should still re-
ject their proifered mediation within the space
of one month.
| Following in regular order In its details OF
circumstances OF European nations claiming
| independence on the ground of the right of rev.
olution. the cases are mentioned of Belgium
against the Netherlands in 1880, where the king
| of Holland was coerced into accepting condi-
tions imposed by the powers upon show OF
| armed hostility in November. 1882, by the gov
ernments of France and England
The coincdent rebellions in Poland in which
| the czar notified the minister of the new French
| king, Louis Philippe, that he would tolerate no
| intervention in Poland, is given attention.
| Then follows in the series of European nations
claiming independence the recital Of the de-
posal from the throne of the Hapsburg dynasty,
| followed by the election of Louis kossuth as
provisional president and the intervention of
Russia on the ground that If she did not so in
| tervene Hungary would establish her independ-
ence This precedent, continues the report,
| tended to establish the right of every govern
ment to intervene in the affairs of foreign
| states whenever the situation should tend to
| endanger its own safety or the political equi-
| librium on it's frontier. AS far as known every
| other government in the world tacitly acqui-
| esced in the establishment of this precedent
| Interventions have occurred most conspicu-
ously in Spain by France in 1923; in Portugal
| by England in 1927; again in Spain and Portu-
gal in 1885 by England and France under what
| is called the Quadruple treaty, and many other
instances OF national intervention in the affairs
of other states are alluded to. while since 1897
intervention in the affairs of the Ottoman en-
pire have been so constant as to create body
of Jurisprudence and o long series of treaties
atthtn thn i1t nf nj
of southeastern Europe seems now to be more
or less entirely based.
| The six precedents above quoted make IL
clear that Europe hos invariably asserted the
right to interfere in every instance, except that
of Poland, where u European people had re-
sorted to insurreotion to obtain independence
The report deals very thoroughly with the
schemes arranged by Lords Russell and Pal
merston and Napoleon I'LL to intervene ut the
time OF our civil war from 1876, with refer
ence particularly to the active proceedings Of
Napoleon in Mexico; the sending Of 81, 900 men
to reinforce the French army there and simul-
taneously sending formal invitation to En-
gland and Russia to intervene in the American
civil war. Those papers tho report says, have
not been published and We do not know the ex-
press grounds which the invitation was
offered or declined. To the fact, says the re-
port, that Russia was avowedly friendly and
the two most powerful prime ministers OF their
time were outvoted in their own cabinet. Amer
lea owed her escape from European domina-
| tion.
Then with particular reference to Cuba, the
| report declares the government of the United
States has always regarded Cuba as within the
sphere of its most active and serious interest.
AS early as 1926 when the newly recognized
states OF Colombia and Mexico were supposed
to be preparing an expedition to revolutioniZe
Cuba and Porto Rico, the United States inter-
posed it's friendly offices with those govern
ments to request their forbe% rance The actual
condition of Spain seemed to make her reten-
ton of Cuba impossible, in whicn case the
United States would have been obliged for her
own safety to prevent the island from falling
into the hands of a stronger power in Europe.
That this emergency should not occur may
have been partly due to the energy Monroe an
nounced, Our right and power to prevent it, ;
; and his determination TO use all the means
within his competency to guard against and
forefend it. This right of intervention in mat
ters relating to the external relation of Cuba
, asserted and exercised 40 yerrs ago has beer
, asserted and exercised at every crisis in which
the island has been involved.
/, Reference is made to the action taken by con
, gress in the last session requesting the presi
dent to interpose his friendly ofices with Spair
for the recognition OF Cuba. This action was
the report declares, taken on great cOnsidera
tion and on just principles, on right of inter
| vention exercised % years ago, and after pa
tient delay unexampled in history The inter
S val of nine months has proved the necessity o
I carrying 1t out to completion The report de
cares that there is conclusive evidence in tn,
. opinion OF the committee that the inability o
: Spain to deal successfully with the insurrec
} tion has become manifest and that her soy
= ereignty is extinct in Cuba for all purposes o
: its rightful existence.
!, Cuban War News.