The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1898-04-16

! 6OvSs AAAAOHt @AovS OAAy ASSS0 ~
been elected. The Cortez does not
meet until April %.
Recent correspondence on the
part of the President has been with
the purpose of reaching an agree
ment with the Spanish Ministry.
It has seemingly been conducted
with the idea that the Queen Re
gent and the Cabinet have full
power to act. Correspondence
from Spain from start to finish
has had the purpose of ingenious
delay. In this. as in some other
matters, it appears that the Span
iards have proved the closer OBJ
servers and the better diplomats.
Spain Is q constitutional monarchy
and in her written Constitution are
to be found, of course, the powers,
the rights, and the limitations of
the sovereign and of the Cortez.
The Spanish Constitution shows
that the Queen Regent Is vested
with the sprsme command of the
army and navy; that it is her pre-
rogatiss to declare war, that she
is to conduct political and COM
meroial negotiations with foreign
powers. She can do these things
independently of the Cortez. But
the Spanish Constitution express
ly forbids the Queen, without au-
thorization from the Cortez, to
ALLEVIATE, seize or exchange any
part of the Spanish territory; to
annex any foreign to Spanish ter
ritory; to admit foreign troops to
Spanish soil.
This conclusively shows that the
Queen Regent and her Cabinet
have not the power if they had the
will to grant the independence of
Cuba. She could not make any
concessions involving loss of Span
ish territory or surrender sover-
eighty unless the Cortez ratified
this action. She could not even
give permission to the United
States troops to land upon Span
ish soil even for the benign pur-
pose of feeding the starving recon
centrados. As COMMANDMENTS
chief of the army, she could order
an armistice and withdraw the
Spanish troops, from the Island Of
Cuba if this action was not taken
in such way as to involve the
lowering of the Spanish flag or the
| freedom or Cuba. Without the
approval of the Cortez, she could
not either as Q concession to the
United States for the purpose Of
averting war or as a voluntary &C.
knowledgement of insurgents
rights, grant Cuban Independence
| And the Cortez does not meet fol
two weeks.
Spanish diplomacy is of a sup
erior brand unknown to the United
States. But unless Spanish dip.
lomacy can find some way to gel
around the Spanish Constitution
or hipnotize those in lesser auth
ority into winklng at sovereign
violations of the Constitution, il
cannot, even though it so desired
grant the demands of the United
States. From these facts it il
perfectly clear that the Spanish
Ministry is playing, not for set
Element, but for delay. If in the
|, continuation of diplomatic negoti
atoms, already too long drawn out
the President and his Cabine'
have overlooked this point it il
time that they were calling in al
adviser on Spanish law.
Until independence is granted
J there can be no armistice, there
can be no settlement With thei
independence recognized, the Gu
ban government can treat with tn
Spanish government, and an ar
! mistice can be agreed upon.
. There has been an idea in some
circles that the Constitution o.
Gen. Prim contained q clause un
der which Cuban independence
could be acknowledged by th
J head of the Spanish government
! without the authority Of the Cor
, tez. This is a mistake. Gen
: Prim was Secretary of War in tn
} Spanish republic after the expul
: sion of Queen Isabel, about 1871
The government in which he par
) ticipated and in which the Consti
; tuition ascribed to him was in fore
; only lasted about q year. Witt
} the early passing of that govern
, ment its Constitution was abrogai