The times., 1897-05-22
Is the President for spuin7

Is the President for Spuin?
A dispatch received by The Times from
Havana yesterday may possibly serve 10
clear up whatever doubt may have been
left regarding the real Administration pol
icy ON the Cuban question, after the sig
nificant statements made on the subject by
Mr.. Hoar in the Senate and Mr. Hit in the
House of Representatives.
1t is semi officially given out in Madrid
and Havana that our minister TO Spain has
been instructed to assure the Spanish
government that President Mckinley and
in the least affect the Spanish sovereignty
in Cuba
The report may or may not be true; but
it is quite conceivable that some such as
surance has been sent to Madrid in fur
therance of the understanding that un-
doubtedly exists between the two cabinets.
Spanish public opinion may not yet be pre-
pared for a surrender of sovereignty, and
nothing OF the kind may be intended by Mr..
Mckinley, although the inspired utterances
OF Administration leaders are carefully de-
signed TO make this country believe that
the scheme OF Intervention now.in prepara,
tion is to include Cuban independence.
II it should include that, it win be only
because the influence of the Spanish bond
holder and the Anglo-Anerican sugar trust,
in whose behalf the movement has been in.
ang,irated, is strong enough TO compel
Spain TO concede it. We are much in-
clined to suspect that, at the last, a part
Of the play now in rehearsal viii be an
appearance of indignant resistance on the
part OF the Spanish government, TO be FOL,
lowed by submission to American coercion.
But OF one thing we may be sure There
is not the least intention on the part of
the Administration to treat with the Cuban
Republic, as a party to the settlement of
the war If Cuban independence becomes
factor in the negotiation, it will only
be because Spain can be brought to accord,
in return fol- an undertaking on the
pait of the United States, that the Spanish
Cuban debt shall be ''reorganized'' and
saddled upon the back of the young re
public We may be equally sure that the
claims OF the Anglo-American sugar syn
dcate will be cared for in the same friendly
spirit, To the tune of another hundred or
hundred and nifty million dollars
Unless this arrangement can be made
there will be no intervention, and no Adj
ministration movement before the eve OF
the Congressional elections in 1898. Then,
OF course, it has been intended in any case
to make a lingo" demonstration for po-
.itieaI effect; but it must be manifest
by this time that the opportunity for
such political by-piay has been destroyed
long N advance, and that nothing now
remains for Mr. Mckinley but 10 make an
attempt TO pay his campaign debts by an
effort at intervention which shall save
the interests OF the contributory finan-
eiaI and trust elements, without regard
to what may happen the cause Of liberty
In Cuba.
There are serious reasons for suspecting
that the conspiracy is shrewdly organized
and carefully calculated to befog public
sentiment in the United States When
the time for action comes it will be found
next to impossible to communicate with
the leaders Of the Cuban revolution in the
field. We do not doubt that they are
today in ignorance of the scheme to rob
them of the practical fruits of their Vic
tory That they or the gallant Cubans In
arms under them, would for a moment
ence'' at the price OF assuming the Span-
fsh-Cuban debt and the sugar claims, is
not to be believed. But "Cubans'' may
conveniently be found who Will say that
it is all right and the game willgo on,
unless stopped by the publicity which has
been given it in Washington by this journal
during the past weeks.
Friends OF Cuba throughout the length
and breadth OF this country will be foolish
and untrue to the cause of human liberty
if they do not quickly organize public
sentiment in opposition to this nefarious
scheme.