The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-04-15
Where Is the Difference ?

Where Is the Difference?
The president refers to his message
Of last December. quoting from 1t what
he then said about the possible lines
| of action towards Cuba. The impos-
sible line was annexation. He would
not speak of that. "for that cannot be
thought Of. That forcible anneXation),
by our code of morality, would be
| criminal aggression" The repetition
now of his view then is simply a reaf-
firmation that annexation by force is
out of the question.
The task has been quite generally
given up, even among the admirers of
the president, of attempting to recon-
! Gle his inconsistencies. From his
| favorite maxim that the foreigner pays
all the taxes laid on imports of his
wares to it's utter ignoring in the pro-
visions of the free list of his famous
bill, down to this adherence of forcible
annexation Of Cuba and hot ardor for
| the forcible annexation OF Hawaii,
there is a puzzle of Inconsistencies that
even Philadelphia politicians, heirs of
the astuteness Of the proverbial Phila-
delphia lawyer. cannot solve.
The proposed annexation Of Hawaii,
in every step, from the support of the
revolutionists by our minister and the
marines of the Boston, down to the
proposition to annex in face of the pro-
test Of q, 900 native Hawaiians, has
sill the essential elements of force. If
troops and battleships will not be re-
quired to quell the opposition of Ha-
waiians, it is simply because they real
ize the futility of attempting resistance
to such an overwhelming force. To
compel a people to accept form of
! government not resting upon their as
| sent. to transfer their allegiance from
| one government to another without
| submitting the question ito their deci-
sion, is an act of force whether done
| vi ct arms or not. Yet the president
| affects horror of such an act when
| proposed for Cuba and commends it
warmly when applied to Hawaii.
| We have received a pamphlet con-
tanning the reply of Perry Belmont to
| the comments Of the Buffalo Times
upon his letter in which he defended
Senator Murphy for voting for the Tel
Ter resolution, which was a reaffirma-
/ ton of 1878. 1t is needless to say that
Mr.. Belmont handles the subject in a
manner that leaves no ground under
the feet Of his critics. He shows that
the scarecrow Dingley hung out, and
which was Haunted all along the line,
was but dummy stuffed with straw
that, driven into a corner, Republican
! senators had to admit that the resolu-
tons then and now but declared an
existing fact and law, and that Teller
himself denied that his resolution had
any further scope or effect. That the
! financial world so took it was shown
| by the utter lack of effect on the mar
| ketS caused by the senate's adoption
! OF the Teller resolution. 1t follows that
| the action of the New York legislature,
demanding the resignation of Senator
| Murphy for his vote, was nothing but
a piece of party buncombe.
| The rumor that the president has
| fntimated to senators that he will veto
the senate resolution if congress adopts
it is improbable. It would seem as if
such a resolution, being in it's effect
declaration of war, is one that does
| L,
The constitution lodges the power to
declare war solely in the congress.
| The president may recommend and he
! must execute, but he cannot initiate.
| If he can veto a war resolution, then
| he can nullify an act of congress in
| the use of it's exclusive constitutional
power If it requires his approval,
| then the declaration is as incomplete
| without the presidents approval as is
| any ordinary act. Such a construction
| would make the president and con-
| gress the war-making power The
| prociamatfonS Of the presidents, where
! war was begun, all recite that where
/ as the congress has declared that a
! state Of war exists"
| -Murat Halstead, as war correspond
ent during the Civil war, won the SOU
briquet Of Field Marshal Halstead He
was always conducting campaigns, Or
rather directing them. telling how bat
ties should have been fought, and
otherwise displaying that military
genius which distinguishes the true
war correspondent. In his old age we
{ will have to dub him admiral, now
! that he has transferred his genius from
| the field to the sea, from army corps
| to flying squadrons, and is advising the
war and naval departments on the
! proper plan of campaign when the
| Foraker resolutions order the sea dogs
| Of war to be unleaShed. But Halstead
is sound in his notion that the fighting.
/ if it come to that, will be or should
| be on the sea, with blockade of Gu
ban ports that would soon put the
| Spanish forces there on mule rations
Get money, my son, if you can, but
get it, is what the thrifty father is
said to have remarked to John. Statis-
tics recently gathered by the Fidelity
and Casualty Insurance company, OF
New York, seem to indicate that the
getting of money has developed into a
grab among employees Of all kinds OF
organizations and bodies This COM
| pany's figures show that there
| were entertainments and defalcations
amounting to more than $4,000, 900 in
January last, distributed as follows:
| Federal and state go. ......... s., DIG. 5S7
Municipal 800. MISREPRESENTATION. pitt
Transportation companies ......... 134b2
Benevolent associations ............ SITS
Savings and building and loan asso-
cations 49,. .............. H,7O0
Insurance companies ......... 1861
Banks 49,. ............ ............. lac, 900
Court trusts ............ LOTT
Commercial corporations and firms. 116. $50
Miscellaneous ................ 30.n7