Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-04-07

MCKINNEY and the Spanish Gov
eminent, and That the Object OF
1t Is to Prevent the Cubans From
Securing Th cir Independence.
Alleges That the Cuban Rebels
Would Repel the Landing of
United States Troops in Cuba,
Unless the Independence of the
Gu % N Republic Is Acknowl-
edged 8 efOre Intervention Be-
gins.
New York, April 6.-The Cuban jun
ia, through its counsel, Horatio S. Ru-
bens, made an important statement to-
day. 1t declared in the most unequivo-
cal language that the Cuban provis
ional government would reject any in
teryention by the United States unless
it should be preceded by recognition
of independence of the Cuban republic;
but that ii the United States persisted
in intervening without recognizing
Cuban independence, the Cuban gov
eminent and military forces would re
fuse to cooperate; and that if United
States troops should be sent to Cuba
upon the basis of intervention without
recognition, the Cuban army would in
the last resort turn its arms against
the United States.
The statement made by Mr.. RubenS
was preceded by the following:
The declaration | am about to make
is official, for | am the legal represen-
tative OF the junta, and | know their
unalterable conviction and position.
1t is in line with the utterances of the
delegate of the Cuban provisional gov
eminent to the United States, Thomas
Estrada Palma, when the suggestion
was made that this government should
counsel the Cubans, and if necessary,
cOerce them to an acceptance of auton-
Omy.'
After quoting from the address to
the people of the United States, issued
by Mr.. Palma on March II,
MR.. RUBENS SAYS:
I'm the face of the present proposal
of Intervention without previous rec
ignition, it Is necessary for us to go a
step further and say that we must and
will regard such intervention as moth
ing less than a declaration of war by
the United States against the Cuban
revolutionists.
l. IF intervention shall take place on
that basis, and the United States shall
land an armed force on Cuban SOIL we
will treat that force as an enemy to
be opposed, and, if possible, expelled
so long as the recognition of free
Cuban republic is withheld. | do not
mean to say that the Cuban army will
assemble on the coast to resist the
landing of Federal troops, but that it
| Will remain in the interior, refusing
to cooperate, declining to acknowl-
edge any American authority, ignoring
and rejecting the intervention to every
possible extent. Should the United
States troops succeed in expelling the
Spanish; should the United States then
declare a protectorate over the island
however provisional or tentative
and seek to extend it's authority over
the government of Cuba and the army
of liberation, we would resist with
force of arms as bitterly and tenacious
ly as we have fought the armies of
Spain.
Il have from a Spanish authority
high in financial circles heard that
the whole course now proposed by the
President is in pursuance Of an under
standing between
WASHINGTON AND MADRID,
the object of which is to secure peace
in Cuba, through Cuban acceptance of
iC Wit q c
ding of a drop of American blood or
the expenditure of a dollar of Amer
lean money. See how perfectly the
proposals, with this light upon them,
are adapted to work out to that end;
the intrinsic evidence alone is almost
sufficient to prove the accuracy Of my
information, which runs thus
1T has been agreed between Spain
and the United States that this gov
eminent, while declaring for interven-
ton, shall refuse to recognize the in
dependence of Cuba. 1t is mutually
hoped by the two governments that the
Cubans will then become convinced
that the object for which they have
been fighting all these years-lnde-
pendence-cannot be obtained and that
they will accept perfOrce, first, an arm
istice. and eventually autonomy un-
der the Spanish flag. A part of the
programme is that Congress shall en-
power the President to intervene, but
shall not direct him to do so. The
object of this will be TO gain ample
time in which to persuade the Cubans
to make terms directly with Spain.
assert again that this information is
Trustworthy, and it explains what has
seemed inexplicable-th optimistic
tone still observable among prominent
officials both at Washington and Mad
rid. despite the strong sentiment for
forcible intervention prevailing both
throughout the nation and in Con-
eress incidentally, also. it accounts
for the
TONE OF THE STOCK MARKET.
"The Cubans are already fairly in
formed of this entente between the
Spanish and American governments.
yelled as it is by every semblance of
an open rupture, and | speak with
full authority in saying that the Gu
bans in the field can be relied upon
to resist all overtures Of peace unac-
companied by complete independence.
The Cubans will not trust the United
States first to obtain possession and
then to grant Cuban independence.
The very fact that recognition is ex
pressly withheld now implies the pos
sibility that it may be permanently
withheld In fact We more than half
know what to expect in the event