The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1898-04-15
The War r1eSSage.

The War TleSSage.
The Presidents Cuban message was
given to Congress on Monday agreeable
to program, and was very disappointing
to that body the papers announced.
The President goes over the starving
process practiced by the Spaniards on the
non-combatant Cubans, which the news
papers for months had made every person
familiar with. He treats these horrors in
dull, perfunctory manner, and states
his policy Of feeding the reconcentrados
by private charity.
When Mr.. Mckinley has finished stat
ing the common place preliminaries and
reaches that part of the message in which
measures to be pursued are suggested
every line breathes hesitation, vacillation
and lack of direct purpose. Not word Of
.censnre of the Spanish cruelties, not a
word on the side of humanity, only a
mild reiteration of what the newspapers
have told thousand times, but how the
Cuban question should be treated is a
labored argument of chow not to do it.
Mr.. McKinley's intervention in the
interest of peace by stopping the war, if
it has any definite meaning is i'll the in
terest of Spain and against the Cubans.
He insists that they have no stable gov
eminent to acknowledge and that Cuba
must have stable government, and for
this purpose, apparently, the United States
should intervene and stop war. The log
ical conclusion of the Presidents conten-
ton seems to be that the main purpose of
such Intervention is to stop the Cubans
from fighting the Spanish. To secure
''peace with honor" to all parties, Spain
especially, seems to be the burthen of the
Presidents desires.
The message informs Congress of the
efforts he is making with the Red Cross
Association, other private charities assist
ing, to feed the starving reconcentrados,
and adds an "adendo" 10 the message
informing Congress that the Spanish
government has just cabled another
scheme, which is a suspension of hostil-
tiles in Cuba, and the President appears
to hope for great things for this new
Spanish deception. He fails however to
add to this "adendo'' that all the consuls
and the Red Gross relief people with
Clara Barton had to flee for their lives,
and that ships were hastily chartered to
bring them away, and that Consul Gen
eral Lee was then on his way to Wash
iugton.
A single word is said about the Maine
outrage with suggestion thatit be dis
posed of by arbitration.
The browning feature of the message is,
after suggesting that the war must stop
and peace be restored to Cuba by com
pelling Gomez to lay down his arms, his
request that Congress place the army and
navy at his disposal to compel the Cubans
to stop fighting, the Spaniards having
already quit.
The whole country, as well as every
court in Europe, has been on the tip-toe
of expectation waiting for this message,
and when all the conditions are consid-
cred that conspired to make presiden-
tial message at this time necessary, it is
nothing less than national disgrace
The goldbug press had for days pre-
vious to its appearance been preparing
the public for grand exhibition of Amer
lean craftsmanship and patriotism in this
sorry message. Charles Emory Smith, of
the Philadelphia Press, had spent week
or ten days in Washington writing per-
sonal letters to his paper, which is the
first Mckinley paper in the country,
assuring the public daily that the Pres
ident was standing "6rm." that the mes.
sage was vigorous" paper, that its
'tone" was so warlike and the arraign-
ment of Spain so severe, that Lee begged
the President to withhold it till Monday
while he was getting all the Americans
out of Cuba lest they be murdered, the
Spaniards would be so exasperated at the
Presidents indictment of their cruelties,
ETC., ETC., when 10, the mouse this noun
tain in labor has put forth There is
nothing in the message that will not
delight the Spanish, particularly that
part which asks Congress to place the
army and navy at the disposal of the
discretion of the President after limiting
he would use them to fight Gomez, and
by that means re-establish stable
Spanish government in Cuba. The mes
sage means this or it means nothing.