The San Francisco call., 1898-06-29

| ture of things.
 Many yellow papers are busy just now manuac- turing "a handme-down policy" sort of political panacea, warranted to fit all cases One of the most pretentlous Of these efforts and the least honest in It's motive comes of course from Hearst's journal It's leading features the annexation of Hawaii and the purchase of coalng stations in the West In dies These two features reveal conspiracy that has been promoted by some corrupt newspapers and some corrupt men. One may ask why annex Ha- wai and not Cuba? If the possession of Honolulu, 2ooo miles away from the western end of the Near agua canal important to the integrity of that great enterprise and international necessity why is not the possession of Havana, within 500 miles of its east ern end, more important? Honolulu Is not the shortest route from the western end of the canal to Asia, to Yokohama, Honglong and Manila. That route passes only miles west of San Francisco. Cuba lies directly in the shortest route for all com merce leaving or entering the canal by the eastern end Cuba commands the Wndward Passage and the channel of Yucatan and so commands completely the Caribbean Sea. Why annex distant Hawaii, more than miles off the shortest route to Pa cltc commerce, and drop Cuba, within days steam o the east end of the canal and commanding the shortest route to Atlantic commerce? Why buy West Indian coaling stations, farther away from the vital point and far less commanding, when we can take Cuba at once? The answer involves an inquiry into the selfish personal motives of Hearst and some others, revealed by crcumstantial tes- tlmony The Journal urged recognition of the Gu ban nsurgent Government All of its representa- tions about that Government and the military force behind it proved to have been les by the reports Of our army officers who have penetrated the in teror of the island in search of what had no exist ence. The first inquiry is why did Hearst lie about fha cd CrtDo, C duce Congressional recognition and create a misin- formed public opinion that would coerce the Presi- dental assent?
 To answer this inquiry it is only necessary to it. illuminate the situation with the testimony of MT Kohlsaat of the Chicago Times Herald who was of tered S2,ooo,ooo of the Cuban bonds, printed as blanket mortgage on the island, to be validated by recognition of the nsurgent Government, and placed to the amount of $4ooooo,ooo, in the hands of the Cuban Junta in New York to be put where they will do the good in securing the recognition neces sary to their validity What part of this vast sum is used in bribery of newspapers no one can know but the fact of its existence and of the offer of 900 of it to a Chicago paper are all that is needed to close the inquiry into Hearsts personal motive Having newspaper property that loses money in le gltimate business, recoupment is possible by taking bribes to urge domestic policy that will validate
 
 The President and General Lee were undoubtedly aware of the situation, for they both urged against any recognition of the insurgent Government But when the case went to Congress Hearsts papers and the other yellow papers of the country howed in chorus for recognition. For long time the issue was ln doubt It was the Senate against the House Finally recognition struck out of the declaration of war, which left in the form of a peremptory demand on Spain to dismember herself or we would treat her refusal a bel Logically such a demand should have led to our taking what Spain IS compelled to drop in the West Indies The in surgent Government and armies being, in diplo- matic and military sense, merely myths the expul- sion of Spain being the end of actual organized gov ernment on the island, could mean only our posses sion and government
 But that would invaIidate the Cuban bonds It would nullify the Junta's blanket mortgage on the island. It would destroy all value in the bonds in the possession of yellow editors except as admoni- tory "reminiscences of treason to their own country and greed of the substance of Cuba In this situa- ton that remarkable qualification found its way into the Congressional declaration, by which we pledge ourselves not to acquire or annex Cuba! Note that other inch of Spanish territory is under protec- ton of that pledge. Cuba the most valuable and necessary of all the Spanish domain, is rejected and left free to take all that is less valuable and less necessary!
 Why? Because abstention from annexing Cuba may put the Junta top after soldiers have ex- pelled the Spanish Recognition will then be necessity and the bonds and blanket mortgage will be valid and begin to draw interest," It is highly probable that revelation of the facts would show the use Of money by the Planters Trust to secure advocates of Hawaiian annexation among American newspapers. This being so no one doubts that Hearsts great national policy" is for his personal profit To earn fee and validate his Cuban bonds Hawaii must be taken and Cuba must be rejected There is the whole If his policy can be ac counted for on any other grounds, we would be glad to know what they are