The herald., 1898-03-18
ONCE SPAIN's FRIEND

1t Is perhaps not generally KNOWN
that the United States once, and for
long time championed the rights of
Spain over it's insular colonies of Cuba
and Porto Rico, against the aggressive
ness of both England and France. AS
far back as 1925 Mr.. Clay, as secretary
of state, had occasion to remind France
that 1--WE could not consent to the occu-
patton Of those islands by any other
European power than Spain, under any
contingency whatever"
Again, during the administration of
President Tyler, Daniel Webster, then
secretary of state, declared that, in the
event of an attempt upon the part of
any European power to wrest Cuba
from her, Spain might securely rely
upon the whole naval and military re-
sources of the United States to aid her
in preserving or recovering it,"
The reason for the attitude which the
United States maintained toward~Cuba,
up to comparatively recent period, is
obvious. Under the Monroe doctrine. we
had to accept the situation as IT existed
at the time of it's PRONUNCIATION, and it
became necessary to maintain the status
quo, taking ground against any further
ment on the western hemisphere, while
studiously standing aloof from alliances
with European powers. We had every
thing to lose and nothing to gain, as it
was then viewed by exchanging Spanish
for French or English domination of
alien soil at our doors. The protectorate
of Spanish sovereignty over Cuba,
which the United States then assumed,
was therefore quite natural.
The reasons for withdrawing it are
quite as logical and reasonable. The
change was not made until the conditions
took on an entirely different form
until the condition of the Cubans began
to parallel the position occupied by the
American colonists at the time they be-
gan their own struggle for independence.
Spanish oppression on the island began
to be felt by the natives much as Eng
lsh oppression had effected US, and their
long struggle for the liberty we had
achieved by open revolt had just begun.
Our sympathy very naturally went out
to the Cuban patriots, and has remained
with them ever since.
The barbarous methods adopted by the
mother country, in the ten years war,
only served to strengthen our friendship
for people whose cause was as just
hnfn hoe 1,n1
while the brutal execution of thirty-six
sailors of the American ship Virginius
by the Spaniards, an incident of that
war, embittered our people against a
power that had ceased to recognize the
rules governing civilized nations in the
conduct of wars, and had become a ma
tion of outlaws.
The moderation of the American people
in their treatment of the Cuban question
since that time, and the conplacent at
titude of our government while scenes
of unparalleled cruelty and barbarity
were being witnessed just off our shores
resulting in the almost complete ami
hilation of the Cuban population-are
likely to greatly puzzle the future his
torian when he comes to search for
reason, excuse or preteXt.
Notwithstanding the coplous extracts
which President Mckinley chose to
make, in his annual message to con-
gress from the state papers of President
Grant, touching the Cuban war for in
dependence that covered the entire
period of his incumbency of the office
he was careful not to quote the instruc-
tions given to our minister to Spain-the
politic and diplomatic Cushing-who had
succeeded General sickles, forced to re.
nsn by the failure or refusal of the