The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1896-03-04
THEY OPPOSE RECOGNITION
The President and His Cabinet Uphold
Grants Attitude.
THE REPUBLIC NOT ESTABLISHED
The Function of the Government is to Act,
and Not to Express Feeling The
Present State of Affairs Does Not
Justify Governmental Action.

WASHINGTON, March 4-The president
and his cabinet undoubtedly are strongly
opposed to the present recognition of the
belligerenCy of the Cuban insurgents, and
to any declaration concerning their indie
pendence as embodied in>Tecent congress
sional resolutions. The following is not
an official statement, but it is known from
careful inquiry that it accurately repre-
sents the administration views of the
matter.
While the president and the members OF
the cabinet personally feel the sympathy
common to all Americans with those
Cubans who are contending for self gov
ernment, they feel that in their official
action they should not depart from the
well settled principles which were followed
by former presidents and secretaries of
state during prior instructions in Cuba.
These were clearly set forth by General
Grant in his message of 1875, in which he
dealt with the question of the recognition
of Cuban Independence and also with that
of the recognition of belligerency.
Both independence and belligerency are
facts, and their recognition by other pow
ers, as the term implies, is merely formal
acknowledgement of a state of things
which rightly or wrongly has come about.
When people, united under some known
or defined form Of government which adj
ministers its functions by the usual meth
DDS, come to occupy and control of known
territory over which it is competent to ad-
minister Justice, and within which it af-
lords protection to citizens and strangers
new state exists. Refusal of recognition
would not change the fact any more than
premature recognition" would create it.
The former would be merely a slight to
the new government, just as the latter is
merely an atfront to the old one. The
question necessarily is always what gov
ernment is actually in control of the coun-
try?
Recognition of belligerency depends upon
the same facts, and is modified form of
recognizing independence, though the lat
ter implies more perfect accomplishments
The difference between mere insurrection
and war, though in both armed bodies are
in conflict, is that in the former only one
sovereign power is engaged, while in the
latter there must necessarily be two. If
an armed conflict be carried on by "a sub
stantial political organization, real pal
pable and manifest to the world, having
the forms and capable of the ordinary
functions of government toward its own
people and to other states, having a
"local habitation" where it may be dealt
with by other nations, then there is war,
and refusal to recognize belligerency
would be willful In the absence of these
features there is nothing "to take the con
test out of the category of a mere rebel
lious insurrection.
The pretense of recognizing what does
not exist sis always, and justly, regarded
as an unfriendly act and gratuitou7
demonstration of moral support to the re-
bellion."
1t is understood that, judged by these
tests, the administration does not think
the present stage of affairs in Cuba iusti-
fies any change in the attitude of the gov
ernment Its function is to act and not
to express feeling. The only action now
proper is to continue to hold responsible
for injuries to American citizens the only
government which, so far as appears, has
and maintains authority in Cuba, until
some other government succeeds, at least
temporarily, in supplanting it,