The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1898-03-22


making his burdens more trying This they
can do by Withholding thoughtless and adverse
criticism By abstaining from unthinktnz prod
ding that can but annoy and distract. by show
ing the President that they will as one man
stand behind him and Uphold him This the
President mas right TO expect of-the Amerf-
can people. this fhey owe him as = duty and. be
1t said. this they have rendered TO him
While Mr.. Mckinley evfnees determined
purpose TO uphold the honor Of the nation
while he moves forward to meet the obligations
imposed upon him By the situation that con
fronts him, By the laws OF common humanity
by due regard to the Iaws7sof nations. but
above all BY the preeepts Of right and justice
let him feel the presence Of 10 partisan oppon-
ents. q him feel only the presence OF friends
that he may gather strength in the knoxledge
that the whole American people stands united
y behind him Let the American people keep
guard that by no act Of theirs they add to the
difficulties Of the President In this. his hour Of
grave responsibility and trial Let them stand
unitedly behind him that he may gather
strength and eneourz cement from their unity
let them support him in . way 10 prevent any
weakening
Let the American people do this. above all
let his political opponents eoupors themselves
II this way. 20 II the President BY equ1Eocztiou
in some unfortunate hour Of weakness falls in
TO colossal blunder it may not be said that he
equivocated and hesitated and bIundered be-
cause of the uncertainty and loss Of confidence
| in his own judgment eagendered BY want Of
support. The country is coafronfed with
grave crisis. crisis that would have been less
grave it may be. II confronted earlier But It
is the present not the past Ghzt eoufronts Us;
with the present that we have to deal and crit
icisn Of the past viii do no good Eiu not help
Mr.. Mckinley II two years ago President
Cleveland had responded to the wish Of Con
gress expressed by concurrent resolution and
Acknowledged the Cuoans as beIIigereuts Ii
may be that we would never have been in seri-
Gus danger OF being cmbroiled with Spain as we
are today Recognition Of Cuban beIhgereney
BY the United States two years ago could not
well have been taken as an act Of hostility TO
Spain and such recognition Spain could NOS
Justly have resented Yet with such reeogni-
ton With fair treatment at the hands OF the
United States it is more than possible that the
Cubans would have won their indepe1dence ere
this and unzided-
But to lament the unwisdOn OF refusing to
acknowledge Cuban beIsgerency will as we
have said avail nothing now Tne past has
gone and we must accept the mistakes Of the
past And study OF those mistakes VIII not
furnish guide to the future fer conditions
that beset the Cuban question have much
changed since those mistakes were made. As
the contest has dragged On in Cuhz our respon-
sfhilfties have grown- The question Of reeog-
mixing Cuban beIIigerency has given place TO a
/ question OF intervention in Cuba in the nrne OF
a common humanity.
And this is the serious question that now
eonfrouts the President How TO respond to
the call OF humanity how to intervene in the
struggle between Cubans and Spanish put an
enc TO the Cuban horrors make C1ha free and
independent that she may resuscitate her for
tunes. reclaim her devasted felds- regather
her wasted population that the survivors may
reap the blessings Of liberty while they weep
/ for those who laid down their lives that such
blessings might be vouehsafed- that Cuba
might be free how 10 intervene so as to ze-
eonpIish this and yet escape war with Spain is
the great question that weighs upon Mr. Ne
KinIey.
1t mxy be that that question cannot be solved
save By war. II so let there be no weakening
/ no backing down from the fulnllment Of = sac
red Obligation 10 neighborinZ people against
whom has been issued an fahuman ediet Of ex-
termination. an edict that comprises women
and children as well as men all who have re-
volted at Spanish oppression resolved that
Cuoa shall be free To condemn to death the
leaders OF a rebellion is not unusual to con
demn TO to death whole population engaged
in revolt as penalty for tHeir rebellion Is not
/ without parallel but the carrying out OF such
I a wholesale condemnation Of a people stru--
Cling for liberty cannot tolerate On AmeEi-
can soil II to prevent the elimination OF such
q crime there must be war then let there hs
war. But il is hard 10 believe that Spain would
make war with the United States rather than
discontinue the var Of determination in Cuba
a war that is dspopulating the island. render
ing it q waste. that is costing Spain much ii
men and money yet thst can profit her nothing
The responsibility o. deciding between val
and peace rests finally with spain 1t can bs
war and the loss Of Cubz or peace and the loss
Of Cuna- Those are the alternatives between
which Spain has to choose and she can prohi
nothing by choosing war. Sovereignty over
Cuba she has Slready lost in good part to the
Cuban Republic. aud the allegiance Of the
Cuban people she can never regain This is
evident. She nav exterminste scores OF thous
snds more OF men women and children as Shs
has already exterminate1 half the Cuban popa
Iation. but sovereignty over the Cunsn popGIa
ton shs has lost forever she may kill and ex
terminate but csnpot force the submission OF /
} population that prefers death to submission
False pride may drive Spcin into war with th'
United States. bat from war she viii loSs
much proft nothing.
The people OF the United States do not invite
war. they would embark in war with Spain Will
no expectation Of territorial sgxrandixement
with no other purpose than TO do their duty b,
a rsishhoring people. for no other reward thai
the satisfaction one gains from doing an set no
for prott but because it is right. Let IuStie,
be done to the guilty and gSiitless- symps II,
be shown 10 the suffering and oppressed. Thf
is the wish Of the American people. this th'
principle by which they would see the govern
mcnt guided. the guide tast the prssislen
seems anxious, determined 20 undesiasinSN
pursue.
As Charles Emory Smith. editor OF the Phil
adelphia Press. writes in an evidently Inspires
editorial. The United States l. neither hslp
less, nor bent on war. 1t is strong enough no
to be rssh and greet enough net TO be Unius--'
: II the President lives up 10 the precept of ths
r one sentence he will merit and receive the ae