The record-union., 1898-06-12
SENIOR MORETS ARRANGEMENT.

SenOr MOret or the spanish OdplLel
is cheerful, to be sure. He says that
we were impatient; that was all. Ii
we had only waited, autonomy would
have been successful in Cuba; under
the new regime autonomy would have
broadened into perfect freedom, and
finally it would have expanded into
complete independence of the Cubans.
: But he insists that the people Of Cuba
/, have never demanded their independ-
ence; that Spain does not wish to hold
Cuba, but will surrender it to its peo-
pie whenever they demand it and prove
capable of taking it's affairs in charge.
But herein Senior Moret differs from
Queen Christina. She says that Cuba
is the brightest jewel in the crown OF
her son; that it is the chief colonial
heritage left the boy by his father,
and she must see to it that this bit Of
precious property is handed over to
him on the day Of his majority.
The statesman holds Cuba to be
property to be honorably given up to
the people who constitute its inhab-
itants The royalist holds it to be a
crown jewel; bit of personal property
that belongs to her by right Of power
inherited, and title descended, and OF
which she and her son cannot be justly
disposessed.
But Senior Moret is not disturbed by
the position Of his Queen. He evident
ly looks forward to the passing Of Cuba
out of Spain's hands. Indeed, he says
in so many words: 1--WE had no desire
to retain Cuba if the majority of her
people had willed otherwise" AS to
the war, he insists that the United
States will lose more than Spain, since
she will abandon her traditional policy,
having entered upon a conquesting
scheme. and will have to change en-
tirely her system of being. She will
have to maintain great standing army
and a powerful navy, and for her tri-
umphs in the realm of science she will
have to substitute victories won by
the sword. But, he warns US, that
which is won In a day by the sword
may be also lost in q day" He adds:
She has set the example of aggres-
sion on the rights of other nations,
and this example will be followed by
those nations which feel conscious of
their strength to follow it. The laurels
which she has won in the moral realm
she will have to exchange for the lau-
rels of war, which must be watered
with blood to keep them fresh, for
they wither in peace. The military
ideal will thus replace the moral ideal
with her people, and respect for force
will take the place of respect for
justice In a word, she has turned
backward on the path of civilization,
and placed upon herself fetters-fetters
forged in injustice and wrong-which
the older nations have been striving
to cast off.
This is doleful picture, to be sure.
But how odd 1t is that 1t should be
drawn by a statesman who is defending
a system that has been upon the de-
cline for 200 years, and in the present
century has increased the momentum
Of its retrogression to gallop. How
singular 1t Is that such q forecast
should be made for the United States
by q statesman who represents a ma
ton that has done precisely what he
warns US against; nation that by
overtaxation, bitter persecution, intol-
erance and unrelenting mercilessness
in the Philippines has made her name
a by-word; a nation which in Cuba
by her extortion and grind, her de-
privation Of the people OF common
justice, her class distinctions before the
law, her bitter persecution Of those who
dared to suggest notifications, her re-
lentless pursuit of reformers, and her
pitiless wringing of excess Of revenue
from a weakened and suffering people.
has been involved for now twenty
years and more in an insurrectionary
war
How far has Spain extended the en-
pire of science? Into what new fields
has she led the world in invention, dis
covery and mechanical art? What
beneficial and uplifting contribution
has that unhappy land made to man
kind? Is it possible TO nominate a
single item in these directions? What
has she done, with the single exception
of abolishing slavery in the West In
dies, to advance the cause of human
ity, unfurl the standard of tolerance,
free speech, free thought and the free
press?
Let finger be placed, If any one can,
upon line in her history for the past
100 years that tells of Spain having
voluntarily stood aside to let the car
of progress roll through her land. Let
there be indicated a solitary instance
of emancipation of thought, uplifting
of humanity, forwarding of science, art.
toleration, humane work, justice, COM
passion or beneficence of any order, in
which Spain has had such part as to
claim for her crown distinguished hon
or and credit.
1t i'll becomes the statesman of a ma
tion that has descended from the proud
position of chief of the earth TO a
level when the meanest will not do her
passing honor to lecture the American
people concerning their traditions or
the destiny of their land. The simple,
single truth is that in the present war
the United States gives to the world
for the second time in her history in
this century the evidence that she is