The times., 1898-11-10
The Election Eject.

There are several enterprises in
which the people of this country are
interested that ought to go" now that
the elections are over. The timidity of
capital is proverbial, but it is reckless
in comparison with the managing poll
ticians when they are uncertain about
the popular sentiment. Even when
they have definitely determined on
policy, they hold it off until after the
elections for fear it may work against
them. The politician who has honest
convictions, believes he is heavily han
dicaped unless he can conceal his pur-
! poses. Therefore there is a suspension
of labor in the weeks preceding the
voting 1t has required little skill to
waste the time at Paris. All that was
necessary was to allow the Spaniards
to talk This was humiliating. since
they declined to talk about anything
| but a subject that was forbidden or
that the American Commissioners had
refused to consider and about which
they had uttered an ultimatum. It is
now six weeks since the conference be-
gan. and positively nothing has been
done. In a week of real work the treaty
could be negotiated and signed.
The delay for political purposes has
not been free from danger. The rep
resentatives of the two nations met
without thought on either side of the
Intervention of any other power and if
the business had been transacted as it
would but for the desire to influence the
American elections. Spain would have
found it expedient to agree to the
terms on which We were resolved to
insist. By listening to arguments about
the Cuban debt which cur Commits
sioners had formally announced they
would not consider; by consuming six
weeks in unfruitful discussion they
have admitted, in way, that the
Spanish claim was at least fit to be en-
tertained. More than that, they have
allowed time for Spain to call the at
tention of other nations to the situation
and to invite their Intervention. OF
course we have nothing to fear from
that il we choose to resent suggestions
from them, unless the menace of>var
between some of the powers should
more to espouse the cause of Spain At
any rate we had nothing to gain and
might have had something to lose by
the dilatory policy. In Cuba We had
much to lose, and have sacrificed no
small part of it by procrastination. AS
long as there was no agreement at
Paris, Blarco could give a show of
reason for refusing to ship any of his
army to Spain and for maintaining the
sovereignty to which we practically
submit while refusing it formal recognI-
ton. We have lost the good will and
confidence of q large part of the popu-
iation and have allowed Blanco to dis
tribute arms and ammunition among
the Cubans. to be used against Ameri-
cans in certain circumstances; to send
his agents to the Cubans of the Interior
for the purpose of discrediting the hon.
esty and unselfishness of our Govern
ment: to collect the revenues that be-
long either to the Cubans or to the
Americans: to sell public property for
private gain against the useless pro-
tests of our Commissioners, and to ex-
clude supplies intended to rescue the
people from starvation.
All this. solely to influence the course
of politics. We may now reasonably
expect the conference at Paris to come
to speedy end. In Cuba. however.
there is an element of mystery that has
defied the ingenuity of correspondents
to solve. They are united in represent
ing the conditions resulting from the re-