The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-03-02
President Mckinley Will
Have His Hands Full.
The New Executive Will TRY
to Restore Prosperity.
He Will Attend TO Cuba Later On.
The People are Impatient.

| In TACT, not since L1ncOln's frSt inauQu
ration-has new president come into of
flee at such critical period. The Cubar
situation Is most difficult one to handle
| and President Mckinley viii have need o
all his skill and courage If no is to carry
out his policy with success. AS yet It 1:
| premature for any one TO say that he know.
| precisely what Mr.. McKinley's Cuban pol
| icy is 10 be. But from reports which hay,
reached ire from Canton through trust
| worthy channels, and from the statements
made in public and In private by Senator
Sherman here In Washington, it is fair "a
conclude that the new president has al
ready determined generally upon his line
of action.
New Tariff Law First.
Hc does not wish to intervene between
the Cuban insurgents and Spain till next
fall. Whether he will then be ready to do
so or not will depend upon circumstances.
But that for the present he wishes To hold
the whole matter In abeyance and to pre-.
serve the peace without undue excitement
In the public mind is, think, pretty well
settled. The reason Is obvious Major Nc.
Kinley's mission in the presidential chair,
as he views it, Is to restore prosperity 10
the American people. To restore prosper.
ity he believes IL necessary TO enact new
tariff bill. For this purpose the extra scs.
sion Is 60 be called. All the Mckinley pol
Icy since election day has been bent to this
end. International excitemcnts, wars on
rumors of wars, tiinidity on the part OF
capital, falling stock market, are not
things Major Mckinley wants i'm the early
days OF his administration irrespective OF
What may be necessary later on. For this
Ia fax. ~. "A
tion in Cuba till after the new tariff bill
has been enacted into law placed In opera
tion and the country has had chance to
recover from the long period of depression
which has harassed it,
But there Is another part of the McKin.
ley programme, SO far as IL has been ar.
ranged, which will increase the natural
difficulties Of the situation as the new
president has 1t TO his hand Major Nc.
kinley is not satisfied on the whole with
the efforts which the Cleveland admins.
tration has made to protect American citi.
zens in Cuba. He believes there should
have been more Of show of vigor and de-
termination. In this respect Major Nc.
kinley sympathizes with what may be
called the ultra American point OF view.
He Is an American through and through,
and shares all the traditions and sym.
pathics and prejudices of the average pa.
triotic American. 1t is safe to predict that
within ten days from next Thursday the
policy OF this government toward Cuba
Will be changed to considerable extent
Warship For Havana.
One thing understand Is already prac.
tically decided upon. 1t is that one of our
warships Will be dispatched to Havana,
with orders TO remain there. Major Nc.
kinlcy, whilo not as yet committing him
SELF to this programme, Is so strongly in
favor OF it that unless some good reason
appears after no takes Office why IL should
not bo done, look TO see the order issued.
Ii must bo understood that the sending Of
warship 10 Havana is not TO be deemed
In any sclse nn act of hostility to Spain.
A nation has perfect right TO station
warship in the harbor of another country,
II 1t be deemed advisable, for the protec-
tion OF its citizens or their property. Our
warshirs are stationed at SI.yrna. at
Seoul. They have boen stationed at Hon
olulu, ut the port of Santiago. in Chile,
and there Is no reason why they should
not be stationed at Havana. 1t is wholly
u question OF policy.
Before Issuing such an order Major Nc
situation. He will satisfy himself that
there Is real need of the presence of such
D ship In Cuban waters, and she could do
good by remaining there. The danger IL
that the populacc of Havana will become
unduly excited at the appearance of one Of
our men Of war in the harbor They might
look upon the innovation as tantamount 10
\ declaration Of war, and trouble might
m A iy,f hnf .,tt at,l ,fh
parts of Cuba All these are questions
which the new administration will have to
consider carefully. But II the order he
ssued, and IL probably will be, preceding
{ will be friendly notification to the |
Spanish government that the action Is
leemed necessary for the protection of our
,itizens, and that the appearance of the |
'essel at Havana need not be regarded as
'ther than n friendly act.
Cuban Filibusters.
Again, rs i have already reported In |
hese dispatches, the new president has de- |
ided that the department Of justice, the |
'avy and the revenue marine of this gov
rnment ought not to be used quite 80 |
igorously in running down and prosccut- |
ng Cuban llbusters. 1t Is claimed by the
'ubans that the present administration
as leaned much too far 10 the Spanish |
ide; that 10 has used the power Of the gov
rnment in helping Spain prosecute and
unish men who were engaged I'm sending
uns and munitions OF war TO Cuba. Pres
lent Mckinley, ms I understand II, while
Till desiring 10 enforce the ncS~'ality laws,
'ill lean the other way and give the bcne-
{ of the doubt to the Cuban symTcthizers.
% least no will not have the government
sed rs detective agency for Spain.
Every one understands that II President
adopts these policies he will
opularizo himself In this country. There
J profound sympathy with Cuba
throughout the United States. That sym
nthy, now and then stirred tn indigna-
on, finds vent In speeches in the senate
nd In resolutions I'm congress.
Can he send n warship to Havana with
nc bringing on troublef II he does not
md naval vessel there, will he not he
enounccd throughout this country TX
o rcvcrscs tie Cleveland policy as to prose-
iting filibusters. will Spain stand it with
NJ protests. which will anger our people
ill morc2 Tn case Of further outrages
Il