The sun., 1896-12-09

iuouikohb iOTCeb larry EOprObohO phO AhNoAh-
gent aspirations OF a large proportion OF
the people Of the island; that they purpose
to wage the present contest to the end;
that they maintain in their ranks better
military discipline than was the case In the
last rebellion; that they are managed with
noteworthy tactical skill. and that their sue
cessful organization and maintenance Is
military success OF high order. In view
OF such undisputed facts, it is impossible to
deny that war exists on large scale In
Cuba, and 1t is equally impossible to deny
that. so far as the practical assertion of
Span's authority in the greater part Of the
island is concerned, the revolutionists are
already independent.
Why, then, should not their independence
be recognizedf Because, Mr.. CLEVELAND
says, they possess no regular Government
with which our own could enter into diplo-
matte relations. The Cuban Government,
so he alleges, has now given up adj at
tempts to exercise it's functions" and is,
consequently, "a government merely on
paper" This assertion, wc should note, is
denied by the revolutionists. They certain.
ly have adopted constitution and organ
lied civil Government under it, and they
is enforced and obcyed throughout large
part of the interior OF Cuba. That Govern
ment has sent, it is we'll known, duly ac-
credited agents to the United States. Ad-
mitting, however, for the sake Of argument,
that the machinery Of the Cuban civil ad-
ministration is less efficient than 1t
should be for the safeguarding Of the
lives and property of American citizens in
the territory controlled by the insurgents,
must not all of us who are conversant with
history admit that the same state OF things
existed in Peru and Colombia in 1928,
when not merely the belligerency, but the
independence Of those republics was recog-
nized by President MONROE? The lives and
property Of American citizens are safer at
this hour in all the regions dominated by
the Cuban insurgents, and not the scene of
actual conflict, than they were in Hayti
when the independence of that republic was
recognized by the United States. They are
as safe in Cuba to-day rs they were in
Greece for many years after the United
States acknowledged the independence of
that country.
Admitting. once more, for the sake of ar
gument, that the machinery of the Cuban
civil administration is not efficient enough
for the moment to justify the recognition of
the Cuban republic as an independent State,
we must at any rate admit, what is con-
ceded both by Mr.. CLEVELAND and Mr..
OLNEY, that state of war exists in Cuba,
and that the revolutionists are bclligerents
in fact. Why, then, should they not be pro-
claimed belligerents in name. and thus ac-
quire the rights incident to such status
Upon this point Mr.. CLEVELAND remarks:
at was at first proposed that belliger-
ent rights should be accorded to the
insurgents, proposition no longer
urged, because untimely, and in practi-
cal operation, clearly perilous and i'll
furious to our own interests" Mr..
CLEVELAND is mistaken in asserting that
the Cuban revolutionists and their count
less friends in this country no longer urge
the concession to them Of bellgerent
rights; on the contrary, they urge it more
strenuously than ever, provided, of course,
they cannot get a better thing to wit. the
recognition Of their independence. But such
a concession, Mr.. CLEVELAND thinks, would
he untimely." Why SOP If it was timely
many months ago, when Congress passed u
concurrent resolution in favor of it, it
the capacity of the insurgents to sustain
protracted struggle has received further cor
roboration. But the recognition Of their bel
ligerency would, in Mr.. CLEvELAND's opin-
ion, be prejudicial to our own interests. 1t is
true that by such Il recognition on our part
the Madrid Government would be relieved
from responsibility for wrongs done to our
citizens in the insurgent territory; its
blockade of Cuban ports would have to be
respected, and Spain would acquire the
privilege of exercising against neutral com
merce all the powers of party to mari
time war, including the right OF search
All the inconveniences that might result
from the recognition of Cuba's bell!gerency
were as thoroughly forescen by both Houses
of Congress when by great majorities they
passed the concurrent resolution as they
are foreseen to-day; but they were justly re-
garded as unworthy of attention, compared
with the tremendous impetus which rec
ognition of belligerency would give to the
cause of the revolutionists, and to the
work of delivering the island from Spanish
domination. Such recognition would ma
terially hasten the end of the existing war
in the only way in which the end of it can
De rcdcneu, LdiHcly, ny Gne ublcr oNerJhtO"
of Spanish rule in Cuba. Just in proportion
as that event is hastened, will be dimin-
ished the damage wrought by prolonga-
tion of the struggle. the destruction of lives
and property, the annih!ation OF agricul-
tural and mining Industries, and the i'm
poverishment of the islands commerce with
this country. Moreover, Congress did not
think last spring, and it does not think to-
day that the question Of recognizing the
Cubans as belligerents is one to be looked
at merely from "A sordid point of view. High
principles Of morality are involved in the
matter and grave international duties are
imposed upon our Government. AS Mr.. RICH
ARD ii. DANA has pointed out in his edition
of Wheaton," II Government under such
circumstances "owes il to its own citizens,
to the contendng parties, and 20 the peace
of the world, to make decision scasonably."
We have no moral right to remain impas-
oi va apnnt IN tnrs of 70 Str for lih.rtv. mr.,