The Portland daily press., 1898-01-21
House of a measure calculated to protect
and strengthen the existing standard.
TIE HOUSE AND CUBA.


This attempts of the Democrats to siam
pede the Republicans into the consideration
of measures looking to the recognition OF
Cuban belligerency have failed, thanks TO
the confidence which tho Republicans re-
pose in the Speaker and their clear conoep-
tion of the danger of a break in their ranks
at the present time. PROFESSIONALLY many
of the Republicans who voted to sustain
the Speaker s decision sympathi7e with the
ostensible purpose of the motions which
he ruled out, and would gladly vote to ao-
knowledge the belligerency of the Cubans
or take any other action if it would tend
to help the rebels in their struggle for indie
pendence. Therefore their unanimity
and firmness in support of the rulings of
the Speaker is all the mora remarkable.
| The purpose of the Democrats in their
movement in this matter has been. we i'm
agine. not so much to aid Cuba as to
break the Republican majority up into
fragments and put the administration
in a hole" Indeed since the Cuban ques
tiou arose there has been a regrettable
tendenoy to use it for political capital
rather than to treat it as it ought to be
treated as question entirely outside of
partisan politics, to be settled in accord
ance with we'll recognized
principles of international law
and broad public policy. The Re-
pupIicans have not been faultless in this
respect in the past. During Mr.. Cleve-
lands administration some of them were
anxious to do the same thing that the
Democrats arc trying to do-that is en-
barrass the administration.
There can be ne doubt that the attitude
of the Republican leaders in the House on
this question is right today, whatever
may have been the case with some of
them in the past. In the present stage
OF the Cuban controversy the RESPONSE
bility should be left with the executive
because it properly belongs there. This
alone was sufficient justification for the
action of the Republicans In voting down
the Democrats. But had the question of
} granting belligerent rights to the Cubans
come before the House to be settled on its
merits the votes of the Republicans
ought to have been in the negative, be.
cause that is the side of law ana sound
public policy We loosely speak of gran :
ing belligerent rights to the rebels The
phrase misleads. Properly speaking bel
liqerent rights cannot be conferred.
They are to be acquired by the people in
rebellion. and what things are necessary
for that requirement have been settled by
long practice among civilized nations.
When those things exist they have &C
quired the right to be recognized. because
they have laid the foundation of such rec
: ognition. But it is doubtful If the Cubar
have complied with single one OF the
generally recognized requirements to en-
little them to belligerent rights. Certain
|ly they have not complied with enough o.
: them to make case for our recognitioT
on its merits, and by recognizing then
belIigerency we should only stulti
fy ourselves by recognizing what does no
exist.
: If international law and tie practice O
enlightened nations are against the rec
: ognition of Cuban belligerency, as the,
undoubtedly are, SO is sound public poll
cy There is only one way in which on
q recognition could do the Cuban rebels an,
: good, and that is by drawing us into 9
q war with Spain. Without our embroil
ment recognition would do the rebel
j more harm than good, since it woulf
effectually cut off the supplies that the!
now receive from the United States
After recognition we should be bound b,
the neutrality laws to stop the purchas
in this country of anything contraban'
:. of war by the rebels, and the Spaniard
would have the right to search our mer
chant vessels for such articles. Now !
> we want to help the rebels by going t
:. war with Spain, the way to do 1t Is to
: it openly, and not by indirection. Al
signs point to the early coming OF
time when it will become the duty q
the United States to notify Spain tina
: the war must cease, and that if she doe
! not stopsit we. shall. But.until that tim
;, does come it 10 clearly our duty to main
:. tain strict neutrality. When we
= to war let US do SO In on open and mani
= fashion that will command the respect G
+ha would