The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-12-10
SHORT-SIGHTRD POLICY
HANNIS TAYLOR'S COMMENTS ON
THE CUBAN QUESTION

His Severe Criticism Of the Attitude Of the
Adm,nistration-Biindly Laying Up Ser
ious Trouble for the Future-Aside From
she Cause Of Humanity, crest
Should Compel K~cognjtton Of the Gu
bans Belligerent Rights Reasons for
HI. Convictions
Mobile, Ala, December 7.-Ex-Minis-
ter to Spain, Hon. Hannis Taylor, tonight
gave out an expression of his views as
to that part of the presidents message
relating to Cuba. He condemn the
presidents u~tterances and thinks con
grees hould reject such "a policy of
ir~esolution and non-action." He
claims it is impossible for Sagasta to
give the Cubans a valid grant Of In
autonomous olonial system without
h consent of both houses of the cor
ses and approved by the queen regent.
This he says, cannot be obtained. At
ter pointing out what he claims to'be
flaws in the Sagasta scheme that
makes it nugatory. Mr.. Taylor says the
Cubans are right. Mr.. Taylor con-
cludeS as follows:
There are limits even to the patience
of the American people; and the time
has now come when the executive pow
<r should be made to feel through true
public demonstration that the nation
will no longer permitsits sovereign will
In a righteous causesfo be entirely set
aside in the interest of a tremulous.
selfish, short sighted policy. The whole
contest now centres in the passage Of
the belligerency resolution pending in
the house. If that cannot be carried
then nothing whatever can be done to
end a strife that has been going on for
fifteen out Of the last 20 years, and
which, after destroying our commerce
with the island, has become a warclOud
that obscures every business enter
prise. If the present administration
proposes to indefinitely pursue uncer-
tainty at the cost of every business in
terest, it must be prepared to suffer the
consequence.
Eat this last stage of the struggle
there can hardly be a doubt that If
beligerency should be recognized, with
In three months the insurgents would
be so dominant in the island that the
war could shortly be ended by the re-
cognition Of Cuban independence.
Those who are best informed, firmly
believe that without one word OF aid
or sympathy from us, the result will
be attained within twelve or eighteen
months. If bungling diplomacy shall
permit such an event, the situation may
assume a serious form that few seem to
contemplate.
"If we can scorn and spit upon the
Cuban unit victory and independence
are won without aid or comfort from
US. why should they not turn to one or
other OF the great maritime owe
that will be then only too eager to sup
ply all their wants and to enter into
the closest relations with them. We
have for a long time declared no Euro
pean power other than Spain shall ever
possess Cuba. We may so blunder as
to be forced to maintain that contention
at the point Of the sword.
''Out of such difficulties, the way is
now clear and easy. Let the pending
belligerency resolution be promptly
passed by the house and Spain's power
in Cuba will collapse like a punctured
balloon. For that reason she is maxi
ing a desperate fight against it with
the aid of the present administration.
Only through the triumph Of the reVO-
lutionary government "a permanent
and lasting peace be abllshed IN
Cuba; only through a prompt and de-
cided expression OF sympathy with that
government can we e%xtricate ourselves
from q dilemma which is fast growing
into the most short-sighted and dis
graceful episode in our national MIS-
tory"