Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-04-11
The United States and Cuba.

The Cuban question is nothing new
in our history. 1t troubled American
statesmen three quarters of century
ago and would not down at their bid
ding The destiny of the island has
besn gravely discussed by our cabinets
ana Congresses in many a1ministra-
tiore. and the files of the state depart
.!cr, have tens Of documents bearing
on our relations With the island.
The diplomatic correspor) ience of -
years ago reveals our government in
the now almost inconceivable position
Spanish rule in the island. Washing
ton inner circles had heard that the
chronic discCntent of the Cuban people
vas helG secre tly pointed by England
in tie direction of independence. and
our ministers were quietly instructed to
put Spain on her guard. At that time
SPAN was losing one cis-Atlantic pos
ses-i. n after another. ara our govern
H2e:c was afraid that Cuba would fail
from the Spanish tree suddenly and in
10 TIE eve. y-reaiy ha. Of Englard We
cared little f0r Spain. but we did not
want to see European power If the
first class in possession of the bar that
locks the Cuff Of Mexico Possibly
President AIt..roc had a kind of re
served t.cushj about England and
Cul-a whaa he nut forth his famous
doctrine.
The temp r e Americans With regard
20 TIE Cuban question has changed
sympathy stree .Ionroc's time. Their
has h2cn a LIB raL or as they preferred
to call thcmselves. Reform party in
Cuba fcf' moro than - years, which
subs equeL;ly split into two factions,
GRE of (which h represented by the in
surgents. ana the other by the autono-
mists. In it's early days the Reform
party. after vain efforts to bring about
a constitutional regime in Cuba, came
to the conclusion that the only course
open TO it was to strike for indepen-
dence while Spain was still making her
last struggle to keep a footing in South
America. The Cuban patriots sounded
American sentiment and received en-
couragement everywhere until it de-
veloped that they We're opposed to
slavery and intended TO make its
abolition one of the planks of their
platform. Then our slave states turned
against them and succeeded in govern
tent that no sympathy was extended to
the Cuban agitators, whose plot proved
abortive 1t was not until more than
Is years later. when the South sensed
the growing power of the free states of
the North and West and longed for
more slave territory" that the South
became sympathetic with the Cubans.
and in its desire to carry the auction
block of freedom into Cuba and
Yucatan" promoted the offer Of Polk to
buy the island for 800, 600 900, and
aided the filibustering schemes of
Lopez.
The North then very properly threw
its influence against Cuban annexation.
which was agitated by the Democratic
party up to the outbreak of our Civil
War. 1t is, therefore, more historical
the Republicans, who. though they
sympathiZed with the Cuban revolt Of
l868-7S never committed themselves in
the course Of the 10 years war either to
recognition or annexation. Even the
Virginius affair in 1878 when Spain and
the United States We're on the verge Of
war. and when our fleet was held in
leash at Key West, very much as it is
today, did not shake President Grant :
determination not TO recognize the Gu
ban republic until it demonstrated that
it possessed in active operation at least
some of the attributes of sovereignty.
The Cuban question has for three
quarters of a century possessed for our
public men the properties of attraction
and repulsion. They have been unable
to resist it's attraction, and each time
they have drawn near it they have re-
coiled from the application of what the
world has regarded as the logic of the
situation. But there can be no more
delay or postponement. The crisis is
here and we must act. 1t is no longer
a party or sectional issue. The matter
of slavery is no longer involved. There
is no desire for annexation on the part
of this country. Spanish oppression
there has become insuffera BILE and this
country, which controls the destinies Of
the New World, must act on behalf OF
humanity.
When they have a constitutional con-
vention down in Louisiana they cut up