The Portland daily press., 1897-11-20
DESPlIRING ENTERPRISE.
Sasasta's Attempt to Reclaim Cuba
for Spain.
EX-MINISTER TAYLOR LECTURES
TO CORNELL STUDENTS.

says the Island is Already Lost-Com
"onds McKinIey's Course But Says He
should Not Try to Deceive Congress as
i to Real Situation.
lthaoa. n. Y, November Eek Unit
en States Minister to Spain Hannis Tay-
ior' delivered an address on Cuba before
Sooo people in the Library hall of Cornell
university tonight. The audience was
thoroughly in touch with the speaker and
frequently interrupted him with ap-
piause. The speaker was introduced by
PRESIDENT Schurman of Cornell.
MT. Taylor's address was moderate, but
earnest throughout. He maintained that
no people ever made q nobIer fight for
freedom against greater odds than the
Cubans are doing. He referred to his
critics only to say that he..wished them no
narm. Spain, he said, through her sell
iish system of paternalism, commercial
and political, had lost all her colonies in
the new world except Cuba and Porto
hico, the first of which is now about to
be lost in the same way. The selfish,
economic policy of Spain produced in
Cuba an economic crisis SO acute as to
make the struggle for bread the real
cause of the present revolution.
! During the dark days of the Competi-
tor case, when war was imminent, Mr..
Taylor said, he dropped his representa-
tive character and went to CASTELAR, as
friend to friend, to plead with Canovas to
grant some kind of honest home rule
to Cuba as the basis of peace and recon
ciliation. Canovas promised that he
would do so and then issued pretentious
scheme that was all sham. The real
difficulty was the firm determination of
the Spanish nation as q whole never to
grant to Cuba the right to govern herself
and the equally firm resolve upon the
| pat of the Cubans SO long scorned and
hunted like wild beasts, not to accept
that form of autonomy now offered, how
ever, genuine it might be. For these two
reasons, he said, the proposal Of peace
| full settlement between the two combat
ants was now an absolute impossibility
and the desperate efforts being made by
| the Sagasta ministry were simply de-
spairing enterprise that promised moth
| ing whatever.
Continuing. he said ''We should be
thankful that at this critical moment in
our foreign affairs is in the hands of a
conservative, experienced and patriotic
chief magistrate who, by his conduct in
peace and war, has won the right of the
Y confidence of us all. Our foreign policy
Ishould rest upon purely non-parJisan
basis; when the moral dignity OF the ma
4 ti0n as a whole is involved in its relations
with foreign nations all party differences
should stop with the shore; we should
then only remember that we are all me-
ricans. If we regard the Presidents s at
titude to Cuban affairs from that point
of view, we cannot fail to perceive that
he is now doing his entire patriotic duty
The Sagasta ministry certainly deserves
at his hands great consideration. AT the
queens call they have undertaken to face
a desperate situation; to revive the for
tunes of a fallen cause without adequate
means. They have done what they could
to remove the more revolving aspects of
a method of warfare that has shocked the
world and with that effort their power
for good has come to an end. 1t is no
fault of theirs that Canovas lost Cuba to
Spain forever before they came into pow
er by the substitution of Weyler for
u Campos. That fatal step made reconcile
alton impOssible; therefore all pending
negotiations now looking to that end are
4 the veriest moonshine, hopeless lus-
tlonS, that should mislead no one. But
5, true as that is, it would be very hard for
the President to say so in SO many words
to the Sagasra ministry without grave
r offense; he should not be expected to do
i SO. But if he owes that kind of courte-
sy to the present Spanish ministry, he
owes in great degree perfect candor TO
the Congress of the United States. For
his sake and for that of the country he
should not try to make them believe that
he is the victim of illusion; he should
not attempt to longer tie their hands by
assuming or asserting that pending ne.
got1atlons give any hope of a peaceful So.
luton whatever. Events are moving fast
and no man, not even the President, can
stop them. No real statesman ever tried
TO avoid crisis by turning his back up
on 1T, or by self deception. Ii the Presi-
dent makes the fatal mistake of attempt
Ing longer to muzzle Congress by putting
MS lmprilnatur upon false hopes and
empty illusions, before the ink is dry up
on his message, events will discredit all
ms productions. I therefore do not be-
ileve that he will attempt policy so
dangerous to his personal fortunes and
SO contrary to the business interests of
| the country that now demand o prompt
ana peaceful solution of crisis that
hangs like pail upon our reviving pros
| perlty. The President owes it to himself
ana to the country to submit the whole
question without prejudice and in an i'm
partial spirit to Congress, the body to
which it rightfully and oonstitutionally
belongs. Congress knows all the facts of
the case and can deal with them without
any diplomatic embarrassments whatever.
liz can recognize beligerency or it may
cut the Gordian knot once and for all,
6y prompt recognition of Cuban indepen
dence. -
TOBACCO FOR EXPORT.
Havana, November 19.-The Chamber
OF commerce and the leaf tobacco mer
chants have informed Marshal Blanco
tnat he should permit the expectation
--sa