The Mena weekly star., 1896-12-09

anu Wnen all the advantages of position and ,i nuinoers are on It's side In a country where ss ..l sna. ls ilalspensable to life in the way of loou clothing and shelter is so easily obtain able especially by those born and bred on the soA It IS obvious that there is hardly q limit to sne time during which hostilities of thfs eort may be prolonged Meanwhile. as in nlI cases ot protracted civil strife. the mas s.ons ~ ol the comoatants grow more and aore intamed and excesses on hoth eiaae become more frequent and more denloroblo Ihey also are participated in by hands of marauders who now in the name of one nartv ana now in the name of the other as may hest sulS the occasion, harry the country at v,ill uh" piuhder It's wretched inhabitants for their own advantage. Such condition of +bipcs would inevitably entail immense destruction or property even if it were the policy Of both partles to prevent 1t as far as practicable But Whtie such seemed to be the original policy of the spanish government it has now apparent- " abandoned It. and is acting upon the same theory as the insurgents, namely, that the ex- lgencles Of the contest require the wholesale aunlhlatlon or property, thaE 1t may not prove Of use and advantage to the enemy IL IS 70 the same end that in pursuance of zen cral orders. Spanish gGrrisons are now beino withdrawn from plantations and the rural pop. ulatlon required to concentrate itself in the towns. Tho sure result would seem to be that the industrial va.ue Of the island is fast d.
 
 radical chanee in existing conditions ft will soon diSappaar altogether. That value con- AlstS very lar9tiy of course, in it's capacity to produce Sugias. Q capacity already much re- Queed oS tAe Interruption to tillage, which nave taken place during tae last two years
 It is reliably asserted that should these in terrupt'ons continue during the eurrant year, and practically extend, as it is now threat ened- eo the eHtire sugar producing territory or the Island. s0 much time and so much money will be required to restore the lana to its normal prodnctiveness that it is extremly uoaoudl If capital can be induced to even make the attempt The spectacle of the utter ruin of an adjoining country, by nature one of the most fertile end charming on the globe woul engage the serious attention of the gov ernment and people Of the United States under any circumstances In point of fact. they have concern with it which Is by 10 means of 6 wholly sentimental or Dhilanthropc character It lies so near to us as to be hardly separated from our territory Our actual pecunary interest in it is second only to that Of the people and government of spain. It is reasonably estimated that at least from S3l.000, ,9O) to co 0,001 of American cap ltal are invested in plantations and in railroad mining and other business enterprises on the island The volume of trade between the United States and Cuba which in 1889 amount ed to about S6i,000,000. rose in 1893 to about Isi,0 O,O00 and in 1891 the year before the iu- surrection broke out, amounted to nearly }95- O09,00 Besides this large pecuniary stake in the fortunes of Cuba, the United States finds itself inextricably involved in the present con- test in other ways. both vexatious and costly Many Cubans reside in this country and directly promote the insurrection through the press by public meetings, by the purchase and shipment of arms by the raising of funds and by other means which the spirit of our institutions and the tenor of our laws do not permit to be made fhoc ca4t1a Af them, though Cubans at heart and in all their feelings in interests, have taken out papers as naturalized citizens of the United States. a proceeding resorted to with view to possible protection by this government and not unnatu- rally regarded with much indignation by the country of their origin
 These inevitable entang dement's of the United States with the rebellion in Cuba, the large American property interests affected and considerations of philanthropy and hu- manity in general have led to vehement de- mand in various quarters for some sort Of pos itive intervention on the part of the United States It was at first proposed that belliger- ent rights should be accorded to the insur- gents-a proposition no longer urged because untimely and in practical operation clearly perilouS and injurions to our own interests It has since been and is now sometimes contended that the independence of the insurgents should be recosHisod But imperfect and restricted as the Spanish government of the island may be. no other exists there, unless the will of the military officer in temporary command of 0 particular district can be dignifed as Q species of government It is now suggested that the United States should buy the island, suggestion possibly worthy of consideration If there were any evidence of desire or willingness on tho part of Spain to en- certain such proposal It is urged. finally, that all other methods falling. the existing in- ternecine strife in Cuba should be terminated by our intervention, even et the cost of war between the United States and Spain, war which it's advocates confidently prophecy could be neither large in it's proportions nor doubtful in it's issue The correctness of this forecast need be either affirmed nor denied The United States has nevertheless the character to main tain us a nation. which plainly dictates that right and might should be the rule of it's con- duct,
 IL would seem that if Spain should offer to Cuba genuine autonomy, measure of home rule which. while preserving the sovereignty of Spain would satisfy all rational requirements of her Spanish subjects. there should be no just reason why the pacihcation of the island might not be effected on that basis. It was in- timated by this government to the government of Spain some months ago that If satisfac- tory measure of home rule were rendered the Cuban insurgents and would be ac- cepted by them upon a guaranty of its execution the United States would en- deavor to find way not objection able to Spain of furnishing such guaranty. It should be added that 1t cannot be reasonably assumed that the hitherto expectant attitude of the United States will be indefinitely main tained While we are anxious to accord all due respect to the sovereignty Of pain, we cannot view the pending conflict in all It's features. and properly apprehend our incvita- ble relations to it and its possible results with
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