The morning times., 1897-01-24
HE FAVORS THE REPUBLIC
In a Recent speech He Stated IL
as His Conviction That the United
States Must Intervene Sooner or
Iater-Cubans Have Fairly Ac-
Quired the Position of BeIIigerents

concur, IN securing to the people of Cuba
the same liberties We low enjoy"
With such words for peroration, Senator
Sherman closed the speech he made on
the resolutions reported in the first ses-
son OF this Congress Toy the Senate Com
mittee on Foreign Relations, recognizing
the bclligerency ofthe Cuban insurgents and
urging that the friendly offices Of this
government should be exercised TO induce
Spain 10 grant Independence to the island.
Senator Sherman made the speech from
which the opening paragraph OF this article
isquotcdonFebruary2 2S, 1886. ThequoJa-
tioa is from page 224s of the Congress
s.o1al Record Of the first session OF this
Congress The quotations which follow are
from the same page and pages 2246 and
224T
These quotations are apt now because,
first. Senator Sherman has accepted the
portfolio uf State under Mckinley, second,
because OF the conflict OF the various dis
patches alleging 10 set forth his position
on the Cuban question, and published since
his acceptance Of the State portfolio. AS
il is unlikely that the present administra-
ton viii intervene in the insunection and
as it is certain that without such inter
ventioa the iHsurrcction VIII continue tlll
after the Inauguration, ii is interesting 10
Know lust what the next Secretary of State
thinks Of the Cuban situation.
True. nearly a year has passed since the
Senator made the speech from which these
qUOtations are made. But as be voted for
the resolutions adopted by the Foreign
Relat t-oasCoumittceand which he presented
10 the Senate before the holidays just
passed, and a $ these last resolutions so
farther than those Of last year, il is safe TO
assume that if the Senator has changed
his views at all onthc situation il is toward
more radical rather than TO a more con
servativc end. In the first paragraph Of
his speech he said:
''Myt touYiCtiuns are strong, made stronger
every day, that the condition OF affairs in
Cuba is such that tie Intervention Of the
United States must aooner or later be given
10 put an end to crimes that are almost
beyond description
Some time ago Secretary Olney said
something about there being no one ere
with whom he could treat on the Cuban
question: that is, no one competent and
authorized to represent the Cubans On
this point Senator Sherman said in the
course Of his speech. mentioning docu-
ment received by the committee:
1t Is signed by T. Estrada Palma. who
represents the belligerenu Cubans and is
the agent so far as they can appoint an
agent. for the revolutionary government
OF Cuba"
From this il is fair to infer that when
Senator Sherman becomes Secretary OF
State he viii regard Palma as competent
to treat with, should occasion arise. With
reference TO the assertion made by Sec
retary Olney that the CubanS have no
oraguized government; that they have no
local habltation and name; that they have
DO Legislative powers; that there is nobody
elected to make laws, the following from
Eherman'S speech is particularly pate
The objection that the Cu6anS have no
organized government; that they have 10
local babitation and name; that they have
no Legislative powers; that there is nobody
to make laws is absolutely untrue Here
in this little pamphlet arc the proceedings
Of the government OF Cuba and of the peo-
PIE OF Cuba in organizing the government
Here is a statement Of the growth Of the
revolution, OF the battles and campaigns.
and coutempJraneous with these move
ments the preliminary organization of To-
cal self-gOyernmcnt as constituted.
Sir, much to nay surprise because
took up the general idea that those people,
IN the first instance, were merely a band
of discuntents. having nc reorganization. with
whom we could not deal, IL is shown by
this official document, communicated to
the Secretary Of State, that they have gone
through all the fUrmulae OF self-govern-
ment as fully and completely as the peo-
pie Of the United States did at the be-
ginning Of the Revolution.
Sometimes tits said that the local gov
ernment has no habitation; that II has no
place which it can hold to pass laws In
this respectively are like our Revolutionary
fathers, who assembled at Philadelphia.
adjourned TO Baltimore fled to Lancaster.
and convened al Yorktown The Cubans
found place in which they framed t,,n-
stitution which is liberal and full and
it is here printed, It is true, it is not of
the grandeur of, or in sembIance TO, the
Constitution Of the United States, but it
: Is a sufficient constitution % govern 500
oOo people,
On the questions Of the insurgents de-
serving the nights Of belhgerents Mr. Sher-
man said
Mr.. President. in every respect in which
] can look at this matter it seems to me
that this comparatively ignorant, compara-
lively inoffensiYe population, composed of
native Cuhans, emancipated blacks, and Of
free mulattoes, have by their victories over
greater numbers, fairly acquired the posi-
tion OF beligerents"
Speaking Of Spanish rule in general and
OF The autonomy England granted to Can
ada, Senator Sherman said:
''In Canada Great Britain was wise and
liberal. England was wise enough to see
that liberal policy was necessary to hold
distant possessions; but Spain never could
learn this lesson, never could find out that
a colony had inherent rights, never could
govern its distant subjects with Spanish
rule. except by the policy OF violence and
injustice, Of vengeance and barbarity''
That the Senator in his speech was not
moved by impulse to indorse the resolu-
tion recognizing the Cubans as belli gerents
is demonstrated by his reference to having
introduced such resolution himself in
1870 during the ten years war in Cuba
In its preamble it states that
The United States sympathize
with the people OF all American nations or
colonies in their efforts to independence of
European powers"
All Of which will be interesting reading
for the Spanish court, as will also his fol-
lowing reference to Weyler He said:
This man Weylcr, if we can judge by
what he has done, and if he is 10 be
Judged 10y what he threatens to do, is
one Of tie worst men who could be sent
there TO pacifg a people or to compel them
10 surrender His warfare is nlaSSa9ra