Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-12-22
AN ARTICLE OF ABILITY
Is The Report of The Foreign
Relations Committee
A FULL REVIEW OF HISTORY
From The Struggle Of Greece Up To The
Present Time.
CONGRESS HAS WAITED VERY PATIENTLY
And After Nine Months The Struggle For
Independence in Cuba Is Still On.
Recommends independence
and Friendly Offices.
ONGRESs HAS WAITED VERY PATIENTLY

WASHINGTON, Dec. 21.-The report from
the committee on foreign relations on the
joint resolution acknowledging the inde-
pendence of Cuba and offering the friend
ly offices of this government with Spain
to bring to a close the war between Spain
and the republic of Cuba was presented
in the senate today. 1t is document
of very great length and deals thorough
ly, though briefly, in its opening with
modern precedents of European inter-
yention where independence was the is
sue involved, the committee having, as
it's report mentions, examined with care
all the instances which have occurred
during this century of peoples claiming
independence by right of revolt.
The opening lines Of the report state
long and patient consideration, adopted
with practical unanimity the view eX-
pressed by your committee that the time
had come for resuming intervention
with Spain for the recognition of the in
dependence of Cuba. Spain having de-
clined to listen to any representation
founded on an understanding between
herself and the insurgents, and congress
having pledged itself to friendly inter-
vention, the only question: that remains
to be decided is the nature of the next
step to be taken with proper regard to
the customs and usages of nations.
With little further preamble the report
then refers as its first instance showing
that "the modern precedents of Euro
pean intervention where independence
was the issue involved began with
Greece" in the struggle which lasted
from 1921 to 1927.
Incidents of the struggle in which the
in6
cisely pointed out, traced until the peri
cd when the powers induced Turkey to
consent to allow her affairs to be dis
cussed in a general conference and
Russia insisted that the Greek insurrec-
ton should be included among the sub
jects of mediation
Following in regular order In its details
of circumstances of European nations
claiming independence on the ground of
the right of revolution, the cases are
mentioned of Belgium against the Meth
erlands in 1880, where the king of Hol-
land was coerced into accepting condi-
tions imposed by the powers upon a show
of armed hostility in November, 1882, by
the governments of France and England.
The coincident rebellion in Poland in
which the czar notified "the minister of
the new French king, Louise Philippe,
that he would tolerate no Intervention in
Poland" is given attention Then fol-
lows in the series of European nations
claiming independence, the recital of the
deposal from the throne of Hungary of
the Hapsburg dynasty, followed by the
election of Louis Kossuth provisional
president, and the intervention of Rus
sia on the ground that If she did so
intervene Hungary would establish her
Independence. This precedent" con-
tinues the report, tended to establish the
right of every government to intervene
in the affairs of foreign states whenever
their situation should tend to endanger
its own safety or the political equilib-
rum on it's own frontiers" AS far as
is known every other government in the
world tacitly acquiesced in the establish
ment of this precedent.
The report further states: Besides the
four precedents of Greece, Belgium, Po-
land and Hungary, where new national
tiles were in question, a much larger
number of interventions occurred in Eu-
rope in the process of disruption or con-
which has, on one hand, dis
the ancient empires of the
sultan, of Spain, of the church, and on
the other concentrated the new systems
of Germany, Russia and Italy"
Referring to the Ottoman empire, 1t is
mentioned that since the year 1927, inter-
vention in the affairs of the Ottoman en-
pire has been SO constant as to create
a body of jurisprudence and long Sc
ries of treaties on which the existence OF
all political systems of southeastern Eu-
rope seem IlOW " NC lioiC VI 1893 SiA
tirely based
Not only Greece, Montenegro, Rou-
mania, Bulgaria, Roumelia, Servia and
Egypt have been the creations of such
or the objects of its re-
straints, but also Samoa, Crete and even
the Lebanon owe their legal status 10 the
same source.
An authority so great must assume
some foundation in law, seeing that the
entire world acquiesced, not only in the
practical exercise of the force, but also
in the principle upon which now it rested,
whatever that principle was.
The treaty of Berlin in 1873 was broad
assertion of the right of the European
powers to regulate the affairs of the OF
toman empire, but that really contains
prudence on which the right rests.
From this body of precedent it is clear
that Europe has invariably asserted and
pra actised the right of interference, both
and separately, amicably
and forcibly, in every instance, except
that Of Poland, where a European people
has resorted to insurrection to obtain in
dependence.
The report then continues with a de-
of the experiences of Asia and
America.
I'm regard to Asia probably all au-
thorities agree that the entire fabric of
European supremacy, whether in Asiatic
Turkey, Persia, Afghanistan, India, Siam
or China rests on the right of interven-
tion," it is remarked, after which follows
a lengthy consideration of American
events belonging to the subject the COM
mittee Is considering
america, both north and SOUTH" it Is
stated, "has always aimed to moderate
Intervention and to restrict it's
exercise"
The report epitomizes the history of the
of the Spanish colonies in
America for independence, resulting in
President Monroe sending to congress his
celebrated message of March s, 1922, rec
the recognition of all the re-
yolted colonies Of spain-Mexico, Colom-
bia, Chilli and Buenos Ayres.
These countries asked no more. They
based their claim on their Independence,
de facto, and Monroe admitted its force.
The provinces, he added, which have de-