The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-04-12
The President and Cuba.

I pressure is being brought to bear upon
the President 10 have him either to take
Z some action in accordance with the Cuban
resolutions which congress has adopted
/ or 10 state to congress his reasons for
disappearing them. 1t is claimed by some
that the resolutions ought to have been
officially presented TO him and that he
ought 10 adopt the policy indicated in
them. or else state his objections to
them in a message. so that congress could
take additional action if II deemed it adj
visable to do so. Others hold that as the
resolutions are concurrent and not joint.
the President is under no obligation 10
notice them. The practice is for the Pres
ident not to notice officially concurrent
resolutions.
As matter Of fact. it is the duty Of
the executive. and not Of the legislative.
branch of the government to say when
beligerent rights shall be granted. It is
not apparent. therefore. that congress is
in a position to instruct the President in
reference to the course he shall pursue
in respect to Cuba.
But it is not probable that the Presi-
dent will leave the country long in doubt
as TO the course he intends to pursue.
Several rumors are afiOat as to what his
purpose is. though 1t is not possible 10
source. One is TO the effect that he has
already opened communication with the
Spanish government. through its minister
at Washington. with the view of bring
ing hostilities in Cuba to an end. his idea
being that Spain should grant the insurg-
ents certain concessions. which would
likely be accepted by them. The rumor
has very little foundation. and is doubt
less a child of the fertile imagination of
a Washington correspondent.
In the Morning News Washington dis
patches yesterday there was an extract
from the Presidents last annual message,
which bears upon the Cuban issue. That
extract. doubtless, explains the Presidents
present state of mind in regard to Cuba.
He says that the United States should
observe in good faith the recognized OBJ
legations of international relationship"
The President is noted for his consisten-
cy. He does not take one position to-day
and another tomorrow about any i'm
portant matter That being the case, the
first thing he viii do, in all probability,
is to find out whether this government
would violate any obligations of inter
national relationship by recognizing
the belligerency of the insurgents. If so,
it is pretty certain that he will not grant
them belligerent rights, but if not. then,
in all probability, he will 1t can be stated
with great degree of certainty that he
is not going to take any step that would
likely put the United States in the posi-
ton of doing a wrongful act. While he
sympathizes with the insurgents. he un-
derstands that his first duty is to be
watchful Of the interests of the United
States.
1t is a question If congress would have
passed the resolutions if this were not
presidential year. Politics was at the bot
tom of. them. The republicans wanted to
put the democratic administration in a
hole, and the democrats under the circum-
stances, could not have afforded to op-
pose the resolutions.
If the republicans in congress had been
very much in earnest-that is, if they had
been wholly sincere in the Cuban matter
they would have passed joint instead of
concurrent resolutions. Then the Presi-
dent would have had either to grant
the Cubans belligerent rights or to veto
the resolutions. The passing of concur
rent resolutions indicates that in taking
up the Cuban matter the republicans were
influenced by political motive.
No doubt the American people sympa-
thize with the Cubans, but it is ques-
ton whether public sentiment favors in
reference in the struggle that is going on
in Cuba to the extent OF violating inter
national relationship or involving this
country in a war with Spain.