The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1897-12-08

influential within our own jurisdiction by
land and sea, and applicable by our own
instrumentalities. 1t could impart TO the
United States no jurisdiction between
Spain and the insurgents 1t would give
the United States no right of interventi IN
to enforce the conduct of the strife with
in the paramount authority of Spain ac-
cording to the International code of war,
For these reasons I regard the recogni
ton of the bclliGcrency of the Cuban in
surgents as now unwise and therefore in To-
admissible. Should that step hereafter lie
deemed wise as measure of right and
duty, the executive will take It.
Intervention upon humanitarian
grounds has been frequently suggested
and has not failed to receive my most
anxious and earnest consideration, but
should such step be now taken when It
| is apparent that a hopeful change has
supervened in the policy of Spain to-
ward Cuba? new government has
taken office in the mother country 1t ia
! pledged in advance to the declara ton
that all the effort in the world cannot
| suffice to maintain peace in Cuba by the
| bayonet; that vague promises to reform
| after subjugatlon afford no solution of
the insular problem; that with a SUBJ
| stitution of commanders must come a
| change of the past system of warfare for
| one in harmony with a new policy,
which shall no longer aim to drive the
! CubanS to the horrible alternative of TAX
ing to one thicket or succumbng in mis-.
| cry" that reforms must be instituted in
accordance with the needs and circumstal /.
ces of the time, and that these reforms
while designed to give full autonomy to
| the colony and to create a virtual entity
and self-controlled administration. shall
yet conserve and affirm the vcreignty
of Spain by a just distribution of powers
and burdens upon a basis of mutual in
terest untainted by methods of selfish ex-
| pedency.
The first acts of the new government
| lie in the honorable paths The policy of
cruel rapine and determination that so
| long shocked the universal sentiment of
| humanity has been reversed. Under the
| new military commander, a broader
clemency is proffered. Measures have al
! geady been set on foot to relieve the hor-
rOrs OF starvation. The power of the
spanish armies, Ii is asserted is to be
| used not to spread ruin and desolation,
! but to protect the resumption of peace
| full agricultural pursuits and productive
| industries. That past methods are futile
to force a peace by subiugation is freely
| admitted, and that ruin without con-
Citation must inevitably fail to win for
Spain the fidelity of oontented pen
| dency.
DEGREES in application of the foreshad-
! owed reforms have already been promul-
gated. The full text of these DEGREES has
not been received but, as furnished in a
topographic summary from our min
lister, are: All civic and electoral
rights of peninsular span'ards are
IN virtue of existing constitutional
authority. forthwith extended to colonial
| Spaniards, a scheme of autonomy has
been proclaimed by decree, to become eff
fective upon ratification by ~ cortes.
Ii creates "A Cuban parliament, which,
with the insular executive, can consider
and vote upon all subjects affecting local
order and interests, possessing unlimited
| powers, save as to matters of state, war
ana the navy, as to which the governor
general acts by his own authority the
delegate OF the central government. This
parliament receives the oath of the gov
ernor-general to preserve faithfully the
liberties and the privileges of the colony
and to it the colonial secretaries
are responsible. 1t has the right
to propose to the government through
the encouragement notifications of the
national charter, and to institute new
| projects of law or executive measures in
the interest of the colony. Besides its To-
cal powers 1t Is competent first, to reg
ulate electoral registration and procedure,
| ana prescribe the qualifications of cleo
tors and the manner of exercising suf-
| frage; second to organize courts of JUS
tice with native judges from members of
the local bar; third to frame the nsular
budget both as to expenditures and reve-
nues without limitation of any kind and
to set apart the revenues to meet the
Cuban share of the national budget,
which later will be voted by the national
cortes with the assistance of Cuban SEN
ators and deputies; fourth, to init ate
| or take part in the negotiat .ons of the ma
tfonal government for commercial trea-
ties which may affect Cuban interests ;
| NTH, to accept or reject commercial
treaties which the national government
may have concluded without the partci-
patton of the Cuban government six h,
to frame the colonial tariff acting in ac-
cord with the peninsular government in
scheduling articles of mutual commerce
between the mother country and the col
onies. Before introducing voting upon
a BILL the Cuban government or the
chambers will lay the project before the
central government and hear it's opinion
thereon, all the correspondence in such
regard being made public. Finally, all
conflicts of jurisdiction arising between
the different municipal, provincial and n
sular assemblies. or between the la n
and the insular executive power. and
which, from their nature, may not be
referrable to the central government or
decision. shall be submitted to the
courts.
That the government of sagasta ha.
entered upo a course from which recess
sion with honor is impossible can hardly
be questioned; that in the few weeks it
has existed 1t has made earnest of the
sincerity of its profession is undeniall a.
| shall not impugn its sincerity nor
should Impotence be suffered to embar-
rass 1T in the task 1t has undertaken. 1t
is honestly due to Spain and to our
friendly rel lions with Spain that she
should be given a reasonable chance to
realize her expectations and to prove the
asserted efficacy of the new order of
things to \ lch she stands irrevocably
committed. she has recalled the com
mander whose brutal orders inflamed the
American mind and shocked the civil ize 4
world. She has modified the horrible
order of concentration. and has under
taken to care for the helpless and per-
nit those who desire to resume the Gull
tivatlon of their fields to do so. and as
sures them the protection of the Spanish
government in their lawful occupa ions
She has Just released the Competitor
prisoners. heretofore sentenld to de 9TH
and who have been the subject of re-
peated diplomatic correspondence during
both this and the preceding ADMINISTERS
lions.
Not a sinrle american citizen is now in
arrest or confinement in Cuba of whom
this government mas any knowledge The
near future Will demonstrate whether the
indispensable conditions of righteous
and to Spain, as well as equit-
timately involved in the welfare of Gu
! ba, is likely 10 be attained. II not, the
exigency of further and other action 10y
the United States will be taken. When
that time comes the action will be deter
mined in the line of unuis Dut bile liphf nd