The herald., 1898-04-19


Of the American people does not admi
of doubt. That they are approved b,
a large majority Of the members Of tn
house is alike unquestioned. The proc
is to be found in the fact that the Demo
Gratis, Silver Republicans and Populist
of that body are a unit in their favor
and that sixty Republicans, not NOR
than ten days ago, met in conference
and expressed themselves in favor of tn
immediate recognition Of the Cuban re
public. The opposition of these sixty
Republicans to the presidents policy o
armed intervention alone was at tina
time so strong that it was agreed the,
would refuse to go into party caucus
and thus bind themselves to a program
which they could not approve. 1t is true
that they failed to agree upon definite
plan of action, but it was announced a:
their purpose, and not since denied, tt
join with the opposition, and thus ait
in defeating the obnoxious plan of the
executive if, in the meantime, this coult
not be achieved in any other way.
The important fact should not be lost
sight of that the bill appropriating fifty
millions Of dollars for the national de-
fense, and placing 1t in the hands of the
president without any restrictions what
ever, was supported by every member
Of both houses Of congress, partisanshir
and partisan interest being wholly sub
ordinated to patriotism and the national
interest.
The first break from this attitude OF
strict non-partisanship was when Reed
and the Republican leaders in the house
successfully cracked the party whip
over the heads of the Republican mem
bers of the house, and drove the last one
of them into the support of the reso-
lutions which had, before their presenta-
tion to the house, been approved by the
president and adopted as the policy upon
which the administration would stand.
Every last one of those sixty Repub-
licans who, scarcely week before, had
declared they would break from their
party at the last moment rather than
permit the plan to be adopted as the
action of the house, recorded their votes
for the hated measure upon the final
roundup.
And even at this juncture, in the face
Of the apostasy Of the Republican ir-
reconcila ables, all but nineteen of the op-
position yielded to the majority SUD-
ordinating every other consideration to
the apparent duty of the hour, to the end
that there might not be moments fur-
ther delay in a declaration of the AmNl-
can purpose of putting an immaculate
stop to the war in Cuba.
Such an exhibition of patriotism has
seldom if ever been witnessed IN de-
Lucrative body. So patriotic, lndeeo'
were the Democrats, Silver Republicans
and Populists of the house that theE
ba zarded the approval of their constitu-
ents, and in a way stultified themselves
by yielding support to measure tnat
was contrary to their judgment, and that
revolted their consciences, to the end
that blood-letting be speedily stopped
and the barbarous methods of starving
the Cubans into submission be quickly
checked.
But now. with this matchless record
before their eyes, the Republican lead
ers and newspapers have the effrontry
to accuse Democrats of dragging poll
tics into the discussion of ways and
means for defending the national honor
and to accuse William J. Bryan of TAX
ing advantage of the dilemma to FUR
ther the interests of his party and ad-
vance his own political ambition.
Color is sought to be given to this sug-
gestion by the fact that the great Demo-
cratic leader spent two days at the
CAPITAL last week, and that he actually
discussed the situation with members of
a privilege not denied to any
citizen of the republic, and one that
should surely not be denied man who
for four years was member of that
body. and who subsequently received
more than six hundred and fifty thous-
and votes for the chief magistracy of the
nation.
In view of the fact that the
White House has, for months, been
haunted by Republicans in civil life,
from Ex-Vice President Morton down
to John ]. McCook, and that their
influence with the executive in shap-
ing his policy IS nowhere denied,
the charge that Democrats are wanting
in patriotism, and that they are in
triguing for political Advantage at this
critical hour in the nations history, is
almost too absurd for consideration.
Fortunately, like most Republican roor-
backs, it is so ridiculously and palpably
untrue as to be contra dictory upon its
face.
Democrats, both in and out of con-
gress, have made a record upon the
Cuban question of which they need never
be ashamed, a record that will meet with
the approval of the people, should it
ever be submitted to their suffrage.
>
DESPERATE ALTERNATIVES