Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1898-04-29
FRIDAY, APRIL 30, 1898.
CUBA AND THE CUBAN WAR.

in war with Spain. The feeling is gen
eral, we believe, that such war should
have been avoided, and yet it is a natural
sequence to the blowing up of the Maine.
The report of that crime sounded the
doom of Spanish rule in the western
hemisphere. Thus in its own way, and
In peculiar way, and perhaps in an APP
parently most undesirable and unneces-
sary way, is the natural logic of events,
or that which we sometimes speak of as
manifest destiny, finding its channel.
Accepting the results, and even in a
broad sense the propriety Of them, ac-
ceptlng certainly the necessity of shap
ing our own conduct to harmonic with
the logic of facts rather than theories, it
may be we'll in reference to the future
to refer to the political causes which
have brought about present results. The
results come to us with a republican adj
ministration, and this administration is
fairly responsible for them. And yet, as
is well known, the administration did not
desire war; and least Of all did that par
ticular interest, which, not from choice
but from necessity, was especially active
in electing the adminstration-the city
money interest, or gold standard
party, which since our civil war
has been most active to shape all
policies in the interests, not only of the
dollar, bat of the particular dollar or
dollars in which they themselves are In
terested. Why then should such an
administration begin a war that of nee
essity will sacrifice the lives and health
and limbs of many of our gallant soldiers :;
a war that will necessitate enormous eX-
penses whilst it lasts, and entail others
on future generations? The true answer
to this is that the war is direct result of
the persistent refusal of the last admins
tration and the present one. whilst under
the domination of this mOneyed interest,
to respond to the natural feelings and
sympathies of the American people, by
recognizing al first the belligerency, or
later the. independence, of the Cubans.
Had either of these been done, natural
and nearly universal public feeling, both
of congress and the people, would have
been satisfied, and the Cubans would have
soon gained their freedom, doing their
own fighting. most persistent attempt
to dam up this feeling has led to the
freshet of war. The least good sense
might have foreseen that such a policy
must tend in disaster to its promoters.
Unfortunately it has ended in most ex.
pensive if not serious complications for
the nation.
1t will be remembered that congress, re-
spending to the sympathles of the people,
repeatedly passed resolutions in the direc-
ton of recognizing the Cubans, but both
administrations refused to heed. The
leaders of the money interest held down
and sthed both congress and the people
until theyscould do it no longer, or until
at last Mr.. Mckinley refused longer to
heed their orders, and in stumbling from
one policy to another fell between the
planks into the hole Of war.
Neither the recognition of belligerent
rights or of the independence of the
Cubans would have been followed or
could have been followed, of itself, by
war between US and Spain. In such
conditions we would not declare war.
and it is inconceivable that Spain would
declare war against us because she was
unable to subdue the rebellion in Cuba.
And yet such action on the part of our
government would have satisfied the
natural sympathies in the great majority
of our people with the Cubans, struggling
precisely as we struggled ourselves, to
release themselves from foreign power.
Such action of recognition would have
prevented the very serious break in the
republican party in congress, which
finally forced the administration to its
present policy.
The moral of all this is that the dis
tinctively'money interest is a supremacy
selfish one, not in Harmony with the
great body of the nation, and cannot be
trusted, and therefore cannot be allowed
to dictate the policy of any party which
wishes to retain the confidence of the
people.
Because of the apathy of the people,
the result of their ignorance, this inter
est had succeeded in fastening itself upon
both great parties until it controlled the
machinery of each. Under such circum-
stances and because of them the popu-
list party, composed mostly of farmers,
had its birth.