Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1898-03-30
WAR WITH SPAIN.

If the United States goes to war with
Spain, it is not likely that the pretext
will be one that can be justified as mat
ter of international right; but only on
the ground of moral right.
The war, if it comes, will be one in
which this country will have to occupy
the position of having taken advantage of
it's superior strength to despoil weaker
neighbor. At least this is the technical
aspect of the case; but as to whether
there would be justification is a matter
for rather more argument.
IF we are right honest in the discussion
of the matter, we will be forced to admit
that present complications between the
United States and Spain are not the de-
velopment of either the past few weeks
or the past three years. They appear to
he rather the elimination of feeling and
sentiments that have been alive and
growing ever since this country won its
own independence.
School children can tell of the barbar-
Gus cruelty of Cortez to the Aztecs and
of Pizarro to the Incas. All men un-
derstand the naughty treachery, cruelty
and selfishness of the Spanish character,
and all the world knows that as COM
pared with that of other civilized people,
Spanish colonial government today is
about the same as it was in the days of
Cortez and Pizarro.
This is one thing that carries the SYM
pathies of the great American people to
the struggling Cubans, and another, it
may as we'll be admitted, is the common
repugnance to the idea of allowing any
foreign government, especially govern
ment like Spain, to continue in the pos
session of great territory like Cuba so
close to the United States.
If we are to be honest and fair, we can't
claim that we are interfering in this mat
ter on account of present suffering in
Cuba, for as a matter Of fact we are indi-
rectly responsible for this present suffer-
ing. In the first place, if the insurgent
leaders had not had reason to believe that
they would receive help from the United
States, it is not likely that they would
have ever commenced the insurrection.
IF they had not received such help, the
nsurrection would not have lasted six
months.
But still worse than this, the help has
been of such nature as to only aggravate
rather than help matters. If Cuban bel
ligerency had been recognized early dur
ing the insurrection, there is reason to
believe that long before this time the in
surgents would have won their indepen-
dence and the terrible condition Of affairs
that is now prevalent OH the island would
have never come to pass. Further, it is
likely that we would not now be con-
fronted with such a strong probability of
war.
What is best to do under the circum-
stances we confess that we are unable to
satisfactorily decide. But according to
our notion, it is fact that whatever may
have been the original motives and atti-
tude of the American government, it has
made some serious mistakes involving
heavy responsibilities. AS already re-
marked, as matter of international
right, it seems that this country has no
business interfering in Cuba; but since
it has interferred with such disastrous re-
the only proper thing now is for it to go
ahead and make Cuba free.