The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-12-08

affected ON that basis Such II result
would appear TO be in the true interests
of all concerned. 1t would ut once stop
the conflict which is now consuming the
resources of the Island and making it
worthless for whichever parry may ulti-
mately prevail. 1t would keep intact the
possessions of Spain without touching
her honor which will be consulted rather
than impugned by the adequate redress
| OF admitted grievance. 1t would put the
| prosperity of the Island. the fortunes of
| It's Inhabitants, within their own control
without severing the national and an
cient ties which bind them to the mother
country, anu would yet enable them to
| use their capacity for self government
under the most favorable conditions 1t
has been objected OH the one side that
| Spain should not promise autonomy until
her insurgent subjects lay down their
arms; on the other side that promised
autonomy. however liberal, is INSULT
| cient, because without assurances of the
promise beinr fulfilled But the reason
ableness of requirement by Spain of un-
| conditional surrender on the part of the
insurgent Cubans before their autonomy
| Is conceded. is not altogether apparent.
| 1t ignores Important features of the situ.
ation-the stability two years. duration
| has given to the insurgents; the fcasibil-
|
nature of things, and, as shown by past
| experience, the utter and iInmiuient ruin
| OF the Island unless the present strife is
| speedily composed; above all, the rank
abuses which all parties in Spain, all
branches of her government and all her
| Leading public men conccdc to exist and
| profess a desire to remove
No Unconditional Surrender
FacinS such circumstances to withhold
| the protier cf needed reforms until the
parties demanding; them put themselves
| at their mercy by throwing down their
| arms has the appearance OF ncglecting
| the 9ravest OF perils and inviting suspi-
| cion rs to the sincerity OF ANY profcsscd
willingness to grant reforms. The objec-
ton ON the part of the insurgents, that
| promised reforms cannot be lied upon
must OF course be considered, though we
have no right to assume and no reasons
for assuming that anything Spain un-
dertakcs to do for the relief Of Cuba will
not be done according to both the spirit
and letter of the undertaking.
Guaranty Promised .
Nevertheless, realizing thai suspicious
and precautions on the part of the weaker
Of two combatants are always natural.
and not always unJustifiahlc, being sim
cerely DESTROYS in the interests of both Il )
|
ban problem should he solved with the
least possible delay, it was intmated by
this Government to the government OF
| Spain some months ago that ii II salts
factory measure of home rule were ten
| dered the Cuban insurgents and would
be accepted ny them upon II guaranty of
its execution, the United States would
cndeavor to find II way not objectionable
to Spain of furnishing such guaranty.
| Our Friendly Offices.
| While no definite response to this init
nation has yet been received from the
Spanish government, it is believed to he
not altogether unwelcome, while, rs al
| ready suggested, no reason is perceived
why it should not be approved by the in
| surgcnts. Neither party can fail to see
the Importance OF early action and both
must realize that to prolong the present
! state of things for even II short period
will add enormously 10 the time and la
Dor and expenditure necessary to bring
about the industrial rccuperaton of the
Island. 1t is therefore fervcntly hoped
on all grounds that earnest efforts for
healin" the breach between Spain and the
insurgent Cubns, upon the lines above
Indicated, may be at once inaucurated
and pushed TO IN immediate ana success
ful issue. The friendly Offices of the
United States either in the manner above
outlined Or in any other way consistent
! with our constitution and laws, will al
ways ce at the disposal OF either party
Whatever circumstances may arise, our
policy and our interests would cOnstrain
us TO object to the acquisition of the IS
land or I'M interference with its control
by any other power. 1t should be added
that it cannot he reasonably assumed
| that the hitherto expected attitude % the
NJ Fad - f,s. .,s1fl
tanned. While we are anxious to accord
MI due respect to the sovereignty Of Spain,
we cannot view the pending conflict in
all its features and properly apprehcnd
| our inevitably close relations to it, ana
its possible results, without considering
that by the course of events we may 10
| drawn into such an unusual and unprec-
edented condition rs will fix II limit to our
patient waiting for Spain to end the CON
test, either alone and in her own way or
with our friendly cooperation.
When We VIII Act.
When the inability of Spain to deal
successfully with the instruction has
become manifest, and it is demonstrated
that her sovereignty is extinct in Cuba
for all purposes OF its lghtful existence,
and when hopeless struggle for its re.
establishment has degcnerated into a
| strife which means nothing more than
| the useless sacrifice OF human life and the
utter destruction of the very subject-niat.
Ter Of the conflict. II situation will be
presented in which our obligations to the
sovereignty of Spain will he superseded
by higher obligations, which wr can
hardly hesitate 10 recognize and dis
charge deterrins the choice OF ways and
methods until the time for action arrives
We should make them depend upon the
precise cond tioms then existing, and they
should not be determined upon without