The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1898-04-05
The RIGHT or INTERVENTION.

II j. clear that the Overwhelming sen
,;n,eut az the country fayeorS- lnterveil-
ton that will Lead to the independence
Of Cuba. The ~yInpathicS Of the peo-
ple naturally - out = an oppressed
nation fighting for nothing but the ina
Iian,hI. right of self-government. The
fact hat during the past thirty years
The Cubans have given thirteen anu a
half years to fighting for independence
commands the admiration Of the d~eScen-
donts Of the men who fought for Wash
ipgton 10 ~estabIiSl this Republic.
Added IL these natural reasons why peo-
Die OF the United States pray Tor the
success Of the insurgents are the horrible
butchcry and barbarUus starvation III
tictod bv the Spaniards. The narrowing.
accounts Of the suffering ana death OF
The men herded III the cities has touched
The heart of every humane man and
woman in the country. The murder OF
tbe sailors and officers of the Maine,
tie undoubted work Of Spanlards IN au-
thority. kindlcd an Indignation from
Maine to California which demands that
Spain will quit this continent and that
Cuba shall be free.
Not Il few of our best men. feeling
fully the force Of these impeding mo
tiycS. have felt that under international
law and precedent this country could
not afford to make these things 4 cause
of war with Spain. They have asked
for Il basis of Il war for Cuban indepen-
dencc that would stand III the forum Of
the world.
The answer to this is found in the
allest argument that has yet been made
against intervention. Hon. Edward j.
Phelps. ex-Ministcr to England, now 4
lecturer in Yale. in L letter addressed
TO Levi Il. Morton. in answer to the
question whether there should be inter-
vention for humanity's sake, says:
1T is true that international law
recognizes as the sole ami rare exception
TO The rule above stated IN respect to
intervention. that Il nation may mtcr-
fere where to prevent unJusufablc
slaughter and outrage in another coun-
lIA 1t itCbIIitS ttbN'Iiltl. NA'S0b iS'tt
this exception. which has very rarely
been acted on. applies only i'll extreme
and very clear cases. and has no appil-
cation whatever to this case
Mr.. Phelps proceeds to argue thai no
condition Of affairs EXISTS III Cuba jus
tifying the application of the law OF IN
%tervention on grounds of humanity. His
,Ii,,;,u, on tbat 1,nipt * mot wort un1Irh
because he has not had the oppor-
tunity Of knowing the condition in
Cuba. 1t IS his legal opinion that "a
nation may intervene to prevent nnjuns-
titiable slaughter and outrage i'll an
other country when 'it becomes ali
S~olutcIy necessary" and then only III
extreme and very clear cases hat Will
have weight everywhere. Senator Proc
tor aud the other able public men. news
paper correspondents. and conSuls Whr
have been on the spot have told of the
situation in Cuba. Their statements
have convinced the people that the con-
ditions existing i'll Cuba are such as.
according to Nh. Phelps, make 1T jus
tifiable and absolutely necessary for us
to intervene "to prevent unjustitiablc
slaughter and outrage
It is upon the view Of the right as
presented by Nj. Phelps that Congress
and the people favor intervention that
viii make Cuba free. His legal opin-
ion ought to satisfy all VITO believe
Senator proctor'S description Of the hor-
rors in Cuba that there is warrant il
law for rs to "intervenc to prevent un-
just:tiablc slaughter and outrage"