The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1897-12-08

houses of the cortes unanimously be-
cause it was utterly worthless. Two
years later, when Canovas was forced
to put forth a scheme of home rule, he
resolved to make it apparently genuine
upon it's face, and for that reason he
well knew the cortes would never enact
it into law. Under such circumstances
he invented an expedient for circum-
venting the Legislature by assuming
that the entire legislative power of the
Spanish kingdom is vested in the crown
alone.
"Sagasta, confronted by the same
difficulty has in like manner resorted to
the unconstitutional attempt to legis-
late by royal decree Knowing the
nation is against him, he does not dare
to state his proposals clearly upon the
main question, and it is certain that
if he should assert even his incomplete
scheme to the present cortes it would
be either rejected entirely or so amend
ed as to deprive it of all vitality
I'm one particular the cabinets at
Washington and Madrid are in identi-
cally the same situation. Both are
striving with all their might either to
defy or circumvent the national will as
embodied in their respective Iegisla-
lures.
But even if the Sagasta plan pos
sessed constitutional validity a careful
inspection of its artful terms must re-
veal the fact that, like the pretentious
sham put forth by Canovas, it con-
tains two cardinal provisos that would
enable the home government to reduce
the whole scheme at any moment to
zero. The autocrat of Cuba has ever
been the governor general, and the
present plan contemplates his contin-
uance as such, with full power to crush
by veto any and every act Of the
colonial legislature. The governor gen
eral can destroy any act of the insular
parliament by refusing to sanction and
proclaim it. He can have it destroyed
by the ministry at Madrid, of which
he is the mere agent. The fact that
the members of such an ilnpotent as
sembly are to be elected is of no i'm
portance whatever
"The difficulty can never be removed
until Cuba is independent or possessed
of an insular parliament that can reg
ulate absolutely her own tariffs. Moth
ing could be more disingenuous than
the device employed to obscure the
templated. A Cuban parliament is to
be given the power to form it's own tar
If, fixing both import and export
duties, provided the assent Of the home
government can be obtained thereto
In case Of a disagreement the point
in dispute shall be submitted to com
mission of members of the cortes, con
sisting of an equal number Of PENN
Bulars and Cubans. Everybody knows
the Cuban deputies in the cortes al
Madrid are mere men Of straw re-
turned by the governor general. Even
If they were Independent no change
could ever be made in existing tariffs
without the consent of the penlnsula1
Spaniards, who would never listen tC
such a thing.
''At the end of three years of whole
sale destruction, provoked by Spain
through unprecedented political and
economic oppression that has brought
death and famine to hundreds Of thou
sands, the Spanish crown at last con-
fesses the Cubans are right and that
their wrongs will be redressed by q
generous and genuine grant Of home
rule. When the proffered scheme is
examined It is found to be not only in.
definite and Illegal, but absolutely
wanting in sincerity upon the two vita
points at issue. Such a propose
has been extorted by the results Of I
struggle that has so completely hroke
the military and financial power O
| Spain that a conquest of the island
now hopeless. After expending $780,
| 100000 and after sending over the Sc
| 100000 soldiers, Spain has a fghtin
/ force in the island of less than 1000
while the revolutionary army, now
! possession of the greater part Of th
/ country, numbers about 6O,O0O
who has the right to say that tn
heroic men who have maintained sue
a conflict against such odds are M
capable Of self government Who wi
say that all the fruits that they HAY
won through death by sword an
famine should. in the hour of victor.