Evening star., 1896-11-14
THE CASE OF CUBA
Henry Norman II 4. tho United State.
+. u 1T4$ssrts~
The Hopeless Fsa a1tion -sf spai.-Tae
Re.pon.,5,iJtle. of rh,.
fe1ptry. -.--.-.li-

It Is again asserted positively that De-
fore the end Of the syear President Cleve-
land will take action amounting to the
recognition of the Cuban Insurgents as
belligerents. If he does not do 30, he will
leave the measure of popularity to be
gained by this step for the administrator
which succeeds him. That the United
States would do 50 sooner or later l have
never had any doubt. Five months ago l
said here: "The end of Spanish dominion
in Cuba is at hand Since then the situa-
ticn of Spain has grown steadily worse.
She has dispatched altogether no less than
100000 men since February, 1895, ~ per
cent of whom. according TO the special
correspondent of the. London Times. the
best authority we have had upon this mat
ter. were "levies of raw recruits caught up
fresh from the plough-tail." month ago
11,OOO men were. under treatment IN nos
pitals in Cuba. and very large numbers SICK
without medical treatment OF any klno
whatever. ".i.'@ 3 ! 80.
The Effort to Raise Funds.
A new loan of forty millions sterling Is
spoken of in Spain, but 1t seems improb-
able that she could raise so large a sum
without the assistance of some other pow
er. If this should prove to be France. IN
return for Spanish assistance In the mat
ter of Morocco. the spark would be set
to very dangerous train During the
next twelve months the correspondent l
have quoted calculates that f21, 4OO.OOO Will
have to be spent. by Spain In suppressfng
the rebellion Another rebellion mas broken
out In the Philippines and consideFaple
numbers of troops have been dispatched
thither. Certainly Spain Is making the
most patriotic efforts to hold on to the
remnants OF her once great empire, but
the efforts must almost necessarily be IN
vain. Filihustering expeditions from the
United states keep the Cuban insurgents
fairly supplied with, weapons and ammuni-
ticn, and they have several times lately
Inflicted bad defeats upon the Spanish
troops. 1 do not think the end can be very
far eff.
Recognition OF Belligcrents.
This question Of the recognition of bel
ligerents is very nice one. A definition
of the circumstances under which 1t Is
proper was given by Sir William Harcourt
in one Of his Historic u.s. letters, and has
been frequently quoted with approval in
works on international law. He wrote:
"As far as any practical rule can be de-
duced from historical examples. 1t seems
to be this. When sovereign state, from
exhaustion or any other cause. has vir-
tually and substantially abandoned the
struggle for supremacy. 1t has no right to
complain II foreign state treat the indie
pendence Of it's former subjects as de facto
established. nor can 1t prolong its sover-
eighty by a mere paper assertion of right.
When. on the other hand, the contest is
not absolutely or permanently decided a
recognition Of the inahoate independence
of the insurgents by foreign state is a
hostile act toward the sovereign state,
which the latter is entitled to resent as
breach of neutrality and friendship"
An Actfof Hostility.
According to this definition, the American
nF Cuba tn, Ia
be distinct act or hostility to SPAIN Not
withstanding thisitthere Is a good deal to
be said on the other side. When in 1873 1t
was believed that France intended to take
possession OF Cuba, the Secretary of State
reported q take rhe following quotations
from an Interesting monograph by, MIR.
Amos s. Hershey of the Indiana State Uni
yersity) that the island was "a natural ap-
pendage to the North American Continent"
and proceeded to give a number of reasons
why Cuba had IAN Importance in the sum
of our national interests witk which that
of no other foreign territory can be COM
pared, and little inferior to that which
binds the different members OF this Union
together" In 1s4S President Polk author
lied direct proposal to Spain for the pur-
chase of Cuba for high a sum as twenty
millions sterling. Spain considered the
offer - national iniignity." In 1852 Eng
land and France proposed a tripartfte
agreement to the effect that no one of
them would ever attempt to obtain eXcl-
stve control over the island. but the Ameri-
can reply was that the President .consid-
cred the condition of that island as mainly
an American question" In 1854 it was pro-
posed to offer twenty-four millions sterling
10 Spain for Cuba and threaten force If
Spain. dead to the voice of her own interest
and actuated by stubborn pride and n false
sense Of honor should refuse to sell Cuta
TO the United States. but this manifesto
was not approved by. the President. Amer
lcan policy toward Cuba therefore has
For
century. -
Commercial Relations.
The United States buys from Cuba over
slx-sevenths of her sugar; tvo-tbirds of
her tobacco and nearly one-half of her ci-
gars. while one-third of Cuban tmnorts
comes from 1.-The United States. Many
American citizens are domiciled in Cuba
and large amount of American capital is
invested there. Also, motives of huma nit "
count for a good deal, since the control of
spain has been cruel and unjust and the
welfare Of the island itself has been the
last thing considered in Madrid There
exists in Cuba a republic founded upon a
declaration Of Independence with a pro-
visional constitution. For nearly two wears
the insurgent army has more than held its
own, and its discipline and habits are at
troops All these circumstances combine
IN American eyes to Justify recognition of
beilfJerency, and to do in 1896 what Presi-
dent Grant refused to do In 1873 The in
surgent cause would Undoubtedly profit
vastly from the moral effect Of such recog-
milton. although from the point of view of
international law the island would be
rather worse off than at present as she
would come under direct responsibility 10
the United States for injury to American
rights or property. " '
Recognition, Then Annexation
Recognition, however. would in various
ways be the beginning of the end and 1t
is Impossible to suppose that Spain would
make an armed attack upon the United
States on behalf Of an island which she
is not able to wrest from her own rebellious
subjects. If America chooses to accept the
vast and incalcuable responsibilities which
ultimate possession would lay upon her,
other nations ought to be glad, for the
colonial rule of Spain Is altogether behind
contemporary cipilizati9n-
Art Museum. ahti Their Endowment.,
From the Boston Ersaing ffran,oript
In the seventeenth -aHnual report of the
trustees Of the Art. Institute of Chicago we
find some Significant figures as to the value
of buildings, grounds and collections. the