Connecticut western news., 1896-03-05
CUBA'S RECOGNITION.
THE PROBABLE ATTITUDE OF THE
 PRESIDENT AND CABINET.

Action of Congress Makes the sp.niards
 Wildly Angry-AnerIcan Consulate at
 Barcelona Stoned by a Mob-Prepara-
 tions For War In Madrid.
 WASHINGTON, March 4.-The president and his cabinet undoubtedly are strongly opposed to the present recognition of the belIigerency of the Cuban insurgents and to any declaration concerning their inde- pendence as embodied in recent congres- sional resolutions. The following is not an official statement, but 1t is known from careful inquiry that it accurately presents the admtnistration's view of the matter;
 While the president and the members of the cabinet personally feel the sympathy common to all Americans with those Gu bans who are contending for self govern. ment they feel that, in their official action. they should not depart from tho well set tied 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 recognition of belligerency.
 Both independence and belligerency arc facts, and their recognition by other pow CTS, ss the term implies, is merely formal acknowledgements of a state of things which rightly or wrongly has come about
 When a people, united under some known and defined form of government which administers its functions by the usual methods, come to occupy and con trol a known territory over which it Is
 competent to administer justice and with In which 1t affords protection to citizens
 and strangers. new state exists.
 Its refusal of recognition would not
 ,hange the fact any more than premature recognition" could create 1t. The for mer would be merely a slight to the new government, just as the latter merely an affront to the old one. The question neces- | sarily is always, What government Is ac-
 tually in control of the country
 Don't Think RecoGnit ion Warranted. Recognition of belliecrenoy depends up- On the same facts and is only a modified | form of recognizing independence, though the latter implies more perfect accomplish men1 The difference between mere in- surreotion 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
 substantial political organization, real, palpaple ana manifest 70 the WOrLus nav | ing the forms and capable of the ordinary functions of government toward its own people and to other states" having "lo- | cal habitation," where 1t may be dealt
 with by other nations, then there Is a war.
 and refusal to recognize belligerency would | be willfuL In the absance of these features there fs
 nothing ito take the contest out of the
 category of mere rebellious insurreotion,
 or occasional skirmishes, and place 1t on
 the terrible footing of war" The pretense
 of recognizing what does not exist ''is all
 ways-and iustly-reRarded as an un- | friendly act and a gratuitous demonstra-
 ton of moral support to the rebellion. It Is understood that, judged by these
 tests, the administration does not think
 the present stage of affairs in Cuba justi-
 fies any change in the attitude of the gov
 ernment It's 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 appears, has
 and maintains authority in Cuba until
 some other government succeeds, at least
 temporarily, in supplanting it."