The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-04-21
UNCLE SANS RECORD.

| lew udIlODS steer 50 SJIdlSHI THAT tl'
are not sometimes wrecked on the
| former utteranceS and actions.
Congress has asked President Clev
land to mediate between Spain al
Cuba. This congressional action hi
met with popular favor. There
scarcely a man in all the nation WI
does not want justice done to Cuba.
But it is wrong not to expect Spai
to get huffy about any such offer.
If this nation were in trouble viii
any part of itself, an offer of medi;
ton by England would be regarded b
US as an insult.
Just such an offer was made by Ems
land, who proposed to President Lii
coin English mediation between tn
North and the South.
Mr.. Stewards answer was decisive
He said:
THE British government, while de-
Ginning. out of regard to our natural
sensibility, to propose mediation for
the settlement of the differences which
now unhappily divide the American
people, has nevertheless expressed, in
a very proper manner, its willingness
to undertake the kindly duty of me-
diation, If we should desire il. The
president expects you to say on this
point to the British government, that
we appreciate this generous and
friendly demonstration, but that we
cannot solicit or accept mediation
from any, even the most friendly quar-
ter
Before that he had said with the truI
American ring in his words:
This government could not, con-
sistently with a just regard for the
sovereignty of the United States, per-
nit itself to debate these novel and
extraordinary positions with the gov
eminent of her Britannia majesty;
much less can we consent that that
government shall announce to US a de-
cision derogating from that sovereign
ty, at which it has arrived without
previously comforting with US upon the
question. The United States are still
solely and exclusively sovereign with
in the territories they have lawfully
acquired, and long possessed, as they
have always been What is now
seen in this country is the occurrence,
by no means peculiar, but frequent in
all countries, more frequently even in
Great Britain than here. of an armed
insurrection engaged in attempting 10
overthrow the regularly constituted
and established government. There
is, of course, the employment of force
by the government to suppress the in
surrection, as every other government
necessarily employs force in such
cases. But these incidents by no
means constitute a state of war i'm
pairing the sovereignty of the govern
ment, creating belligerent sections, and
emitting foreign states to intervene or
to act as neutrals between them, or in
any other way to cast off their lawful
obligations to the nation thus for the
moment disturbed. Any other prin-
ciple than this would be to resolve
government everywhere into a thing of
accident and caprice, and ultimately
all human society into a state of per-
petual war"
England in 1850 had as profound a
contempt for the great American re-
public as she has tOday-fOr she has it
today. She conceals it some now. She
thought she was safe in displaying it
then.
The English newspapers were par
ticularly jovial in their contempt for
soldiers and generals. Dur
ing the war BlackwOod's Magazine
said: eve cannot pretend to even
keep our countenance when the ex-
PLOTS of the Grand Army of the Po-
tomac are filling all Europe with in
laughter" and, 1--WE
know not whether to pity most the Of
ficers who lead such men or the men
who are led by such officers" In JAN
uary, 1862, the same magazine said:
''Englishmen are unable TO see any
thing peculiarly tragical in the fact
that half 4 million of men have been
brought together in arms TO hurI big
words at each other across a river" In
April of the same year the magazine
said: Americans do not demand our
respect because of their achievements
in art, or in literature or in science. or
They can make no pre-
tense to the no less real, though less
beneticient great military power"
And again: ''The venerable Lincoln.
the respectable Seward, the raving ed
itors, the gibbering mob. the swift
footed warriors of Bulls Run are no
malicious tricks OF fortune played off
on an unwary nation, but are all of
them the legitimate offspring of the
great republic" and the editor was
glad that the end of the Union seems
more likely to be ridiculous than ter
rible."
The American papers have adopted
great deal of this tone towards Spain
and its generals. The result is that an
offer OF mediation now is taken as an
insult by Spain.
But all Of it goes to show the utter
folly Of dishwater diplomacy and milk
compromise.
The Cubans have suffered unspeak-
able wrong. If the United States be-
-ieveS that and is interested. it Is the
of the United States TO recog-
nize her independence ana be done
With it. A half-hearted offer of media
ton simply makes Spain our enemy
and does not make Cuba our particular
friend.