The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-03-23
Not CoYeteousnsss.

To some sneering remarks in thick
headed Canadian journal attributing to
the United States a selfish motive in
its anxiety to see Cuba liberated the
New York Sun makes spirited reply, in
substance as follows:
The foundation of the warm sympathy
of the citizens of this republic for the
Cuban patriots Is in sentiment which is
purely disinterested. Americas $ heart has
always been with anv nation struggling
to be free. 1t is the American habit and
the American policy to side with the op-
pressed against the oppressor and with
the candidates for fun political liberty
against the monarchy lighting 10 retain
its hold. This habitual attitude and this
unvarHing policy are spontaneous, cnsel-
fish and uninfluenced by any purpose or
desire Of territorial ACKNOWLEDGMENT. The
sentiment has found expression q hundred
times in the uterances of our greatest
statesmen and in the messages of our
presidents whenever people anywhere
on this continent or on another has Snc-
ceeded in establishing republican insti-
tutiOnS. Wings and old Republicans,
later Republicans and Democrats have
hastened alike to welcome the new conner
70 freedom, or TO speed the nation slrug-
Cling out of the forms and traditions of
monarchy. In the case of Cuba the SYM
been intensified both by the close neigh
borhood of that island and by the horrors
of Spanish cruelty attending the effort
to crush out the revolutionary movement.
1t is strange that it does not occur to
the Canadian who imagines the United
| States is hungering for more territory
| that a much nearer and more attract
| i've field than Cuba for the exercise Of
| the land-grabbing appetite presents it,
| self in the region known as Manitoba
| and the Canadian Northwest Terri
| tories. If We We're aching to pounce
| upon some other nations domain and,
in the good, old-fashioned Anglo Saxon
| fashion, wrest it by force for our own,
| here is a territory much preferable to
| devastated and disease-infected Cuba.
| We should not have to cross any water
| nor encounter in our march of aggres-
sion an alien race or tongue. All we
| would need to do would be to move our
northern boundary toward the North
Pole few degrees and with troops and
breastworks defend the new deal
against all comers. Were we to do this
We could cite British precedents in
abundance in extenuation.
But seriously there is no justification
whatever for the supposition that we
as nation covet Cuba. Had we covet-
ed it we could have seized it long ago
and with much greater reason than the
majority of the land-gra bbing powers
of Europe can advance for their vari-
Gus seizures of territory in different
parts of the world. The Virginius case
gave an unexampled opportunity. Here
| was treatment of American citizens SC
fiendish that even the British naval
commander who, from his warship of
| Santiago de Cuba, was watching the
bloody spectacle, could not longer toll
crate it and threatened to shell the
city If Spain did not stop. The recent
killing of two German missionaries by
a fanatical mob sufficed to doom the
great empire of China to seizure and
spolation by the leading European
powers; yet here were fifty American
citizens, arrested without warrant OF
law and shot like dogs by order of a
prominent Spanish official, and all we
took from Spain in reparation was ar
apology and $4,000 indemnity.
No, il is not lust for Cuba which i'm.
pels American sympathy for her and
which will soon cause her fetters to bC
could defy any nation in Europe tC
show credentials qualifying it to ad.
minister criticism to us.