The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-01-02
CUBA SENATOR HII4I1-0IYIL
SERVICE.

/ f1ict between the President ana Coh-
| gress. Everything and everybody con-
nected with the State Department, from
the porter, who lugs ponderous volumes,
to Secretary Olney, who is never so well
pleased as when in an intellectual lega.
combat, is on a tension. Even the night
watchmen devote their leisure moments
10 studying questions of executive pre-
rogatfve," and swearing that Congress
is made up Of "a set Of politicians and
jingoists who ought to know that they
are not half as big as the man from
Buzzard's Bay and his Attorney General
| from Back Bay.
| The State Department is as eager
searching for precedents as ever Sam
Weller was insstent in his advice to
"prove an alibi." Mr.. Olney has all his
| clerks digging into old musty records to
| find where President deied Congress
and made himself absolute in matters Of
recognizing foreign countries. l CHANGED
to meet gentleman thoroughly imbued
with the idea that the President has
greater power than Gar, and modestly
| expressed the hope that the result of this
discussion would be to put metes and
| bounds to the powers of the executive.
He looked at me as if l were an escaped
lunatic, and hurled at me this question
/ which he Thought a sumner: did you
/ know that Polk had the army marching
across Mexico before Congress knew
anything about it?' l didn't know any
thing of the kind, but I told him chat
even if that were true, Polk had never
held that he could do so in defiance of n
| resolution of Congress directing a con-
trary course. Precedents show that
Congress upon foreign questions, but
| never in defiance of Congress. And here
is the root of the whole contention, and
the basis of all the Indignation that grows
out of Mr.. Olney's statement that the
President was not bound by Congress
sional action on the Cuban resolutions.
The indignation does not grow out of
the question of the ACCESSIBILITY of recog-
nizing Cuban independence. That is
quite another story" There are many
who agree with the President in his
position against recognition who stand
amazed at the new doctrine of Mr..
Olney that the President is bigger than
| Congress, and can override it's action.
They tremble for the future Of the Re
public if the power claimed for the execu-
tive is conferred or permitted. The
Presidents veto was intended to give him
a check upon aasty legislation, but not
to make of him an autocrat.
The general impression here is that this
Congress will take no action on the Cuban
question, and turn its settlement over to
/ Mr.. McKinley's administration. There
is strong sentiment in favor of recognizing
| Cubas independence, and If the Cubans
1 were white men there is no doubt that
the resolutions would go through before
| February. But there is a deep-seated
feeling here that the Cubans are incapa
BILE of self government, and that the Uni
| ted States would involve itself in a war
to give freedom TO men who would not
knew how either to maintain or to use
it or to enjoy it.
How long would Louisiana and South
CAROLINA retain Republican form of
government if the negroes had full con-
trol? About through two elections, and
then a dictator would usurp oil power.
Would it be any better in Cuba? This
is she question that will not down. It is
because the people cannot answer it
satisfactorily that they doubt the wisdom
| Of the Cameron resolutions, and it also
accounts for the slowness of the Senate
to act. If by some miracle the popula-
ton of Cuba could be converted into
| Auglo-Saxon, the Cameron resolutions
assembling of Congress. Race prejudice?
| Perhaps so. But it is not so much pre-
| julice as it is a fear THAT this country
would become involved in a war for
people who are unqualified for citizenship.
I was talking yesterday with q Republi-
can, resident Of the District of Column
| bia, who took the view outlined above,
ard he said: 1--WE tried negro suffrage
in= Washington. 1t came near bankrupt
ing the city. We had to disfranchise the
white folks in order to get rid of it, My
party gave the negroes the ballot in
order to make the South always Republi-
can. For few years it succeeded in
sending Republicans to Congress at the
cost Of everything decent in the States.
Then the white people rose up in their
might, and practically disfranchised the
negro. 1t is a pity it wasn't done in
North Carolina, as well as South Caro-
lima. Now they want us to try it in Cuba.
Z beg to be excused. / have seen enough
Of negro government, and / want no
| more of hhnm y