Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-03-24

parties TO the war. namely: Spain on
one hand and Cuban insurgents on the
other, the effect will be far reaching
Whether 1t will aid the insurgents as
much MS expected by It's many friends
Is doubtful. 1t would certainly subject
the United States to some lnconVeni-
ence Heretofore We have required that
the Cuban sympathl2ers should not ut
out expeditions against Spain, which is
friendly power. We have only rec
osnt2ed one authority in the island.
ana spain. having on her part refused
70 admit that there was war in Cuba.
c"uld not exact from US what she might
exact from neutrals.
AFTER the recognition Of a state of
heiligNrency We become ueutrals and
are forbidden to give aid or comfort to
either OF the powers, our ships will be
liable To search md our commerce to
much h1rdssing and annoying lnterfer-
ence. Possibly the new position OF Gu
pu may enable it to raise funds Wheth-
en- this VIII he so or not Is a matter
OF conjecture. II viii certainly Increase
the moral force Of the Insurgents and
give them status which they do not
now possess
This win not Of itself Justify Spain
IN taking onense. We simply rccog-
hizc fact. We are the sole Judges Of
the existence of that fact Three
years is long time for an insurrec-
ton to last unless 1t is one Of great
power and one very difficult to sub
que. President Cleveland stated two
Years ago that the state of affairs
then existing in Cuba must be stopped
within reasonable time. President
Mckinley has stated the same thing,
me question of reasonable time is
one for us to determine and for 10 one
else.
Tho President. in acknowledging n
condition of belliEerency, will be act
Ing strictly within his right, and I
have no doubt will be supported by
the country. our citizens GENERALLY
nave entire faith in his intelligence
his sense and his patriotism. What
ever he decides will, | believe, find
general acceptance
What effect, If any. would recog-
milton by the United States have upon
SPANS right to treat as pirates the
offcers and crew of any insurgent
vessel they captured ON the high seas {?
This Is n question which would de-
pend very much upon the view that
spain would take. We cannot change
the situation as between Spain ana
Cuba by mere declaration OF our
opinion as to the existence Of a GER
tain fact. We declare that n fact ex-
lists. Spain denies 1t. As there is
no court and jury to decide. each ma
tion must act upon what 1t deems
i'Ni'' t'A'N' N-Nf'bi'hN hhuNl NH' vi
cumstnnces.
spain Is not bound to treat her
rebellious subjects as belllgerents be-
cause We declare that they are en-
titled TO that designation. At the
same time she must he consistent. or
ought to be, and IT,, in her dealings
with us she acts on the assumption
that there Is a state of war and shu
involves the benefit of that theory as
against the neutral, It is difficult to
see how she can, In the same breath.
declare privateers to he pirates and u
treat them as such.
I'VE must remember that she was
not one OF the pow.rs that Joined liz
the declaration of 1856 against pri-
Watering and therefore could not
avail herself of the treaty of Paris to
declare privateers of any nation to be
pirates. At the same time we must
not forget that war is great foe to
considerations based on reason, JUS
tice and the equity of men and things
The object of war Is merely to estab-
lish the right of the stronger or the
strongest to have his own way. II
he fails, he is proved TO he in the
wrong; II he succeeds then he has
demonstrated the correctness of his
position