The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-01-28
WELLINGTON ON CUBA.
SenatOr-Elect Is Opposed to the Recqkni-
ton of the Insurgents by the United
States,


Hon. George L. Wilmington respn-
ded as follows to the toast Cuba |
Libre" at the banquet of the mer-
chants and manufacturers in 8a4ti-
more on Wednesday night qIRast
week: N
Mr.. Toastmaster and gentynen
of the Merchants and Manufactf ers'
Association.
The American people shoull be
the leaven among the nationsbf the
earth for freedom, liberty anl self
government.
"They have demonstrated their ca
pability to constitute and preserve
republic, and their aspiration should
be to see other nationalities enjoying
the same great heritage, which of
right belongs to them. FROM the
hour in which the great declaration
went forth from old Independence
Hall in the city of Brotherly love,
and gave notice to all the worldthat
| the American colonies were and of
right ought to be free and indeIend-
ent states; through all the vicisit1des
of the Revolution, and century of
constitutional government which, rs,
passed since then, we have stood as
an exemplar of the possibilities of
people imbued with a desire for free
dom gradually developing into great
nation in which each man is a sover-
eign and the government is one of the
people, by the people, and for the
people.
at would be we'll to remember,
however, that freedom is not anarchy,
that liberty is not license, and that
continuous rebellion against any and
all forms of government is not self
government, and while the sympathy
of this nation should be with any
people that is struggling to accom-
plish independence against great odds
and under many difficulties, we
should be slow to enter into a quarrel
on their account with another nation
to whom we owe much, and with
whom we have had no disagreement
such as would warrant war. The
island of Cuba has been dependency
of Spain since its discovery. Four
centuries have passed since the Geno-
csc navigator stood beggar in the
courts of Europe for men, money and
ships, that he might sail into the vast
ness of the unknown deep, and give
to the Old a New World. His genius
| was certain that to the westward
there was another, perhaps a brighter
and better land, but neither England,
France, Germany, the Papal Court,
nor the Republic of Genoa listened to
his appeal, and it was the Spanish
King and Queen of yonder age-Fer-
dinand and Isabella - whose names
should ever be remembered and held
in highest esteem, with that of the
| great discoverer himself, who gave
not only the moneys of the state but
their private means, and sent Column
bus upon that voyage, which was
fraught with great results, so great
indeed as to change the whole current
of the worlds history. Among the
first discoveries of Columbus was the
Gem of the Antilles the island of
Cuba, which after having explored
the coast for hundreds of miles, he
believed to be the main land of the
new continent. If there be any ma
ton among all the European peoples
that deserves commentator for it's
conduct it is the great transaction
which brought about the discovery of
the new continent on the Western
| Hemisphere, known as America, that
nation is Spain.
IF there is to be sentiment in mat
tiers of state, then we owe a great
debt of gratitude to them which can
never be repaid, and | for one am
willing to acknowledge that debt, and
let it go far toward making good
many of the shortcomings of which
the monarchy of Spain has been
guilty since then. If sentiment is not
to be INDUCED in, upon what other
ground will you Justify the interven-
ton of the United States of America
in Spanish affairs, such as the REBEL
ion of the colony against the mother
country?
"When the North American Colo
MES of Great Britain declared their
independence, they set forth their
grievances and appealed to the ma
lions of the earth as TO the justice of
their cause One of the causes which
led to the rupture with the home
government was taxation without
representation. This was the chief
form of oppression of which the colo
MES complained. Can Cuba make
the same complaint? Assuredly not.
The people of that island are repre-
scented in the Spanish Cortes the same
as the Spaniards themselves. That
there has been misgOvernment on the
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