The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1896-03-20
Mr.. stewards Error.

Ex- Congressman j. W. Stewart ha
a letter in tho Middlebury Registe
warmly commencing Senator Morrill,
action III voting against the Cubal
resolutions. fIc says no historical
: precedent can be found in support q
the present action of congress, ant
because there is no capital, no seaport
no localized central power, no navy
no machinery for revenue, no treasury
no courts, no army. the insurgents arr
not entitled to Il status OF helligcrcncy,
This is all u question of fact, an6
while both houses of congress deserve
criticism for the headlong way they
have operated, without any knowledge
of the facts, and it is especially true,
as has been we'll sal /, that either "the
senators acted like parcel of excited
school boys in the first instance, IL
they are acting like parcel of scared
schoolboys now'-thc fact still re-
mains that such requirements as Gov.
Stewart names would make it impossi
bic ever to recognize revolutionary
government, for it is impossible that
one should meet them all, The course
of justice and reason is to determine
whether the Cubaus have met enough
OF them so that we can recognize that
state of organized war exists which
il all belligercncy means They have
formed government which supposedly
exercises power over such territory as
they control They have maintained
the war for over year and now have
possession of more than three fourths
Of the island
GOV. Stewart adds:
Government policies look first to
home interests aud should be dictated |
by motives of self-interest, always kept |
within the line of infringement of the
rights of other nations. So guarded,
the line of elf-interest is the line of
duty. Neither passion
nor sentiment, nor both together,
afford ground for national foreign
policy. 1t is not the duty of an, gov
eminent to go to war with friendly
power, or to incur the risK of such war
by interference with its established
unless the public welfare
Or safety of such intermeddler is at
hazard.
This is not fair American doctrine.
The nation that stands for the ideal
If free and representative government,
las some duty to mankind besides thai
If mere self-interest and while the
md while extreme care is always due,
irst not to NEEDLE with the affairs of {
ther peoples and second not to en- {
ourage uprisings of lawlessness, it is !
y our history, our traditions and by :
he very paturc OF our institutions, our I
lain duty to do all we can within /
be lines of an honest observance of :
law, to uphold the aspira- =
ions Of other Peoples for self-govern e
lent, and certainly there is no meaner y
r moro inconsistent attitude for II
.merica than one that would hamper
le realization of such aspirations on 9.
le ground of sef-iuterest. 6.
A recognition OF belligerency in :,
Dives no possibility of war unless .,
pain without excuse forces one, and :,
merica is not going to refuse to do :,
ght with her fellownen on any such .,
ground as that. The a,
lestion is entirely one of right and of 4,
ct and while there may be chance ~
II disagreement about the facts or the ne
efficiency of them to warrant recog r.
tion, it is an insult to our national -
,cd name to ask that it be considered !.
! any other ground. a.