The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-05-20
Unmasking or Drifting?

! A Washington correspondent advises
his paper that there is surprising in
| crease Of sentiment among representa-
tives favoring the annexation of Cuba.
| They say that we have gone to war,
| incurred an immense expense; that the
| rivalry between the Spanish and Cuban
residents of Cuba is so fierce that there
could be no peaceful conditions if Cuba
were free, and that neither class has
any capacity for self-government any
way. Having interviewed to eXpel Spain
we must take the whole responsibility
and assume the government of the ISL
and. 1t will not do to treat them as
we did the Southern negro, free him
and then leave him to take care of him
self. And so On. Abroad, in Germany
| and France, there has been no question
whatever about the Interior motive, and
German criticism especially has gone
| on the assumption of our hypocrisy.
| The Spaniards, of course, have charged
| annexation to be our ultimate purpose.
] Against this we have the statement
of the president in his message of De-
cember, 1897. repeated in that of April
IL 1898: Il speak not of forcible an
nexation. for that cannot be thought
of. That by our code of morality,
would be criminal aggression" Against
! 1t we have the formal disclaimer Of
congress. approved by the president, "of
any disposition or intention to exercise
sovereignty, jurisdiction or control over
said island. except for the pacification
thereof, and assert its determination,
when that Is accomplished to leave
the government and control of the ISL
and to its people," Then we have those
writer's like Carl Schurz, who have as
sumed these declarations to be sincere
and have expatiated on the remark
able and exceptional spectacle of a
people going into an expensive war on
purely humanitarian or sentimental
grounds, utterly devoid of selfish pur-
pose, and who have erected upon that
basis of fact verbal statue Of Liberty
erlightening. the world on national
ethics.
One of the reasons for opposition to
the war was the apprehension that,
when We had once cut loose from our
moorfngs, NO man could predict into
what new and strange policies we
would drift. while the inherent land
set the trend of sentiment towards
annexation. 1t should not be forgotten
that the Democratic party favored the
purchase, OF, failing that, the forcible
annexation OF Cuba in 1856, nor that
the Republicans of that day opposed
1t only because they saw in it a move
to expand slave territory. We have
witnessed the persistent strength OF
the scheme for the practically forcible
annexation of Hawaii, and it has al
ready been limited that the anfi-an-
nexation clause of the war resolutions
did not mention Porto Rico or the
Philippines. S7Ff SO 3 80 -
We would not question the sincerity
of the president in his disclaimer. or
that atsthe time, OF the majority of con-
gress, but we are not surprised at the
statement Of the sudden and marked
growth in, congress of the annexation
feeling, for it is what we anticipated
as one of the results Of Intervention.
however, disguised Once started, the
sentiment will spread like prairie
fire. Those who intended ANNEXATION
are throwing off their masks. and the
current will sweep along with them
those who were sincere in their opp,-
s1tion. Nothing but a strong popular
protest will prevent the ultimate an
nexation of all the Spanish possessions
In the West Indies, of which this war
Is sure to deprive her.