New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-09-03
THE VIEWS OF A PEACE COM-
MISSIONER.

osi.ion Of Mr. Whitelaw Reid upon the
.,.,s with which he will be called upon to
~, nc a member Of the Peace Commission IS
,1ear i'm q well-rea soned article from his
-, ,ublished in The Century Magazine ior
r..,ernber The title Of the article, The Terri
..,. with Which We Are Threatened VIII
,.,s.a the reader for Mir Red is A convinced
"ov.ttonist and makes 1; clear that he does
"" o-ard tho extension or our domain as 4
,,or,ltv We say Ia Is on annexationlst. lh0I
= ado evident by his Century" article. out ne
- car as possible from being one OF that
IS who CRY aloud for expansion with lingo
- and q vacant mind. Mr.. Rec reaches
-, oonclusions by candid reasoning, ana bases
-, upon considerations of National duty
- afford US a sounder moral Justification
W.. interest or inclination. His position Is
AIRED up in This language
- candlI conclusions seem inevitable that,
Ine natter Of policy out as a necessity OF
90 ~,sition in which we find ourselves and as
t"v ,aat,er u National duty we must hold CuOa
o ,sast for n time. and I'll permanent gov
a1rrent is well established for which we can
800 20 be responsible; we must hold Puerto
~, and we may have 10 hold the Philippines.
Va American who has an adequate sense OF
80 moral obligations have assumed will
s,.,ute Mr.. Reds conclusion that we are
'nsI.n rerlaces Spanish rule IN Cuba is better
-, snanish rule. II the Cuban people under
- rrorection and tutelage develop in time the
.,oac,,v 10 set up and maintain government
- ,nst- own for the stability and behavior Of
-, we shall be willing TO be held accountab BILE.
,ser we shall willingly withdraw from the ISL
"a under The binding obligation Of the pledge
- congress TO leave the government and con-
80, - me island TO its people" when pacifca-
.,o," mas been accomplished. But pacifcation
&C, no a fact before that pledge becomes
-,A-o,,ve Here is Mr.. Reds reasoning on this
point:
Now the secondary provisions OF any great
-,.osrrs must be construed in the light OF It's
al purpose: and where they conflict we are
led 10 presume that they would NOT nave oeeH
adopted but for ignorance OF the actuai conu lo
,ions Is il not evident that such vas the case
Ssra, We now know how far Congress was
rojsled as 10 the organization and power 0. the
alleged Cuban Government. the strength OF the
-avolt and the character OF the war the IN
roe5,s were waging We have seen how little
6srendence could be placed upon the LAVISH
promise Of support from great armies OF IN
surgents in the war we nae bn 6,rtrence be-
,uaan our ideas OF q humane ana cVilzeu
"paciAcation" and that apparently entertainer
up 10 this time by the insurgents IL Is Ger
+ainlv true that when the war began nellner
SonerAss nor the people Of the United states
cherished an intention to hold CUBA pernla.
nently or had any further thought tnan 70
nociSv ~ and turn II over 10 its own people.
D., tbev must paciry II before they turn II
over. and from present Indications 10 40 ma
,boroughlv nav be the vork OF years ~ en-
~ they are still responsible TO the worlo TOT
- s.atr;sbr,ent Of a better government than
~ ona they destroy. II the last STATE OF lHdl
island should be worse than the hrst, the iau',
ana the crime must be solely those or the CnI;eu
c,o,as we were not actually forced TO lhNoiVe
ourselves: we might have passed by on the
othe- side When. instead, We irss'eo on N
,a-,s-,nr we made ourselves responsive TOT
improving the situation; and. nc .no,,oT =,
Congress "disclaimed" or what INTENTION IL
SasSsrted we cannot leave Cuba TIL that IS
aona without National dishonor and blood
outlines.
We believe that position 20 be correct legally
and sound morally. and have repeatedly SAID
SO We must control the affairs OF the island
until pacifcation is complete and an orderly
and firm government OF its own people becomes
possible II those conditions are not realized
within a reasonable time We must pacify the
island by giving It government Of our own
Tbs investment Of American capital IN the ISL
and will be the best guarantee OF order
As 10 Porto Rico there is. OF course. no open
question The island is ours under the terms Of
the protocol. But Mr.. Reid writing before the
,-o,ocol was signed. declared that all the world
would expect
three-ouarters OF a century has been that Cuba
and Porto Rico were within our sphere OF IN
nuence To abandon that position now through
craven fear Of being great wouio De 50 as'on-
ishing as 10 be grotesque
What shall we do with the Philippines? That
,s the one really open question that will come
hs.o,e the Peace Commission. M Reid thinks
we may have TO hold the islands Certainly we
cannot rive them back to Spain That would
mt us IN an attitude of nauseating national
hypocrisy: give the lie 10 all our professions OF
humanity In our interference In Cuba, and prove
that our real motive was conquest. What hu-
nanity forbade US to tolerate in Cuba II would
not Justify US in re-establishing IN the Philip
pines We are IN full accord with Mr. Reds
reasonable and consistent attitude In respect 70
the PHILIPPINES a. defined IN this extract from
The Century article:
What, then. can we do with them Shall we
trade them for something nearer home? Doubt
less that would be permissible II we were suIe
OF thus securing them better government IMAM
that OF Spain and IL It could be zone WITHOUT
preciptating fresh international difflcuItes. But
We cannot give them TO our friend and thelr
neighbor Japan without instantly PROVOKING the
hostility Of Russia which recently lnterieFeo 10
prevent far smaller japanese aggranolzemeht-
We cannot give them 70 Russia without great
er Injustice 20 Japan; or 10 germany vi "
France. or 10 England without raising far more
trouble than We allay. England would IKE US
10 keep them; the Continental nations would
ike that better than any other control, except
ing SPANS or their own and the Philippines
would prefer II 10 anything save the absolute
Independence which they are incapable or nam
tanning Having been led into their possession
BY the course OF a war undertaken for the SAKE
OF humanity shall we draw a geographical limit
70 our humanity. and say we cannot continue 70
be governed by II In Asiatic waters because II
is TOO much trouble and is too disaSTeeaoie'
And besides there may De profit In H.
Both war and diplomacy have many surprises;
and IL is quite possible that some way OUT % our
ernbarrassing possession may yet be found The
fact is clear that many Of our people 90 nor
much want Il; but II a way OF relinqulshlng IL
IS proposed the one thing we are bound 10 III
sst on is that II shall be consistent with our at
ttude In the war. and our honorable obligations
to the islands we have conquered and 10 civih-