The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1896-12-26
Why Mr.. Cleveland is Waiting.
"Is OIOEDH6H0 ~ W UEIHHR
From h Kansas City Times.

From the Kansas City Times.
While Mr.. Cleveland has no aversion
to Spanish rule In Cuba, tho pv0pio of
the United States have. Nearly two
years ago public sentiment in favor of
the Cuban revolutionists began to voice
itself in the newspaper press of the
country, and in mass meetings. More
than a year ago it became c~rystallized
in both branches of congress by the
! passage of a joint resolution calling on
the president to intervene and put an
end to the frightful atrocities and the
wholesale destruction of property that
were being perpetrated on the unfor-
tunate island.
MI. Cleveland, observing the mulish
habit he has contracted since his second
entrance into office, OF ignoring the
peoples wishes, paid no more heed to
this joint resolution than If it had
been an edict of the Negus of Afghan
lstan. He maintained a mastery attl-
tude of inaction until congress adj
journed, and then nonchalantly HE'D
him to his naptha launch to revel in
the p~iscatorial pleasures of Buzzard's
Bay.
For another year the sack and pillage
OF Cuban plantations, the murder of
innocent children, the worse than muir
der OF Cuban women, and the perpetra-
ton of other revolving atrocities upon
the inhabitants of the island by the
fiendish minions of Spain went on in a
c~easeless round of inhumanity and
savagery. When the frightful night
mare of blood and devastation again
presented itself for the consideration of
our Chief Executive he ~complacently
regarded it not as an ~abhorrent spec
tacle, but as an unfortunate condition
Of affairs brought about mainly by the
loss of self-control the Cubans had
shown sin rebelling against their
mother country" who, although she
might nave oppressed, robbed and en-
shaved them and their ancestors for
well nigh 400 years, should not be de-
prived of her tortured thrail and VIC
tim, because, forsooth, she had loaned
Columbus three leaky ships to discover
America with, and had thereby infer
entially enabled the people of the
United States to enjoy the inestimable
boon embodied in the presidency of
Grover Cleveland.
Accordingly, in his message, while
admitting in effect that n of the o
beautiful and fertile islands on earth
has been changed by the torch of war
into a mass of charred and blackened
ruins, and that famine and pestilence
had Joined forces with the armies of
pertidious Spain to exterminate such of
the patriot Cubans who still survived
to battle for freedom, he gave the owl
Ish counsel to congress to wait a few
months - presumably TO allow the
Spaniards a chance to finish their job
of throat-cutting and butchery-and
then, if the unfortunate island still
remained %unpacified, the United States
government might, without violating
the laws of neutrality or wounding the
senslbilities of Spain, step in and ask
to grant Cuba autonomy or some other
milk-and-water kind of relief.
When the senate of the United States
indicates thai 1t is unwilling to sub
scribe to MIR. Cleveland's policy of
practically aiding Spain in the exter-
mination of the Cubans, and brings
forward resolutions acknowledging the
independence of Cuba, it is bearded by
Secretary Olney with the declaration
that the executive alone has power to
recognize the power of a foreign coun-
try fighting for liberty, and that if
should pass the Cameron res
olutions Mr.. Cleveland would veto
them, and that if they should pass
them over his veto he will defy con-
gress,
Meantime, while the citizens of near
every town, CITY and state In tba
are holding meetings and calll93
on the government to heed h CRY Qk
the brave people, almost at our VERY
fighting as desperately Tor Tres
dom as did orr patriot slres at Branez
vine and Yorktown, while the coRgres9
IS giving expression to the peoples
that the war of exterminatiqr
gaged in Cuba shall cease, His Corp
ency sits smiling in selfish uneonceFa