New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-09-22
!. which has been holding

and We mus or Kut it must at once be rec &c
hard az a. as t. p .rto RICO AT ieast TO hold
nzed ~ ~, the natural course. ana what all the
It wouiu ,,ould expect. lloth Cuba and Porto
world W., WI Uavnii are within the acknowledged
Rice nnf our influence, and ours must neccsso-
sphere ,bc first voice in deciding their destiny.
rlk eSeo,ionol position with regard to them ia
Our Na"It has been officially declared md
hsaN. ovarv civilized nation for thrcc-Gunr-
N'aSS century. To abandon it now. that we
ns rcf,,sc greatness through a sudden craven
~ II ling great. would be so astonishing
hr " ~ \ policy steadfastly maintained ny
r;'eis.ho,c line Of our responsible statesmen
q. TtSo3 as to be grotcsque.
SIosn quincy Adams Writing IN APrn Of that
year, nonfcd out that the dominion Of Spain
sam American continents. North and SJuth.
ul' irrcvocaby gone nut warned him that
vas I'D Porto Rico still remained nominally
Cuua iSnt upon her. and that she might at
delt..' "a transfer them. That could not be
temp, as they were natural APPENDICES TO
perm 2. North American Continent Subsequent
the,r:nts turned more upon what Mr.. Adams
sta' ",he trnnsccndcnt Importance 81 Cuba to
caleTr, states: but from that day - this
inc has not been limo in our State papers to
show ~. future OF Porto Rico. as we'll as o.
con na was ever waived AS to Cuba. Mr. Adams
CupsictsS that within half 4 century its annexa-
EI'n wauld be Indispensable There are laws
u'n no,i,ical as well as Of physical gravitatiun"
OF In and Cuba. forc!bly disjoined frcn
pc oa-n unnatural connection with 81 ain, and
Us "ob,n OF self-sup7ort can gravitate only
NEAR the North American Union. which. by
t VIZ" law Of nature. cannot cast her off frtrH
y" i,s,r, t. Cu.a is incapable Of self-sul
". and could not therefore be left. in tn"
yt.srful language Of Congress, to her own Ie''-
"a, = ~ much less CaulG little Porto Rico stand
Srb.r- remains the alternative Of giving Porto
,j.. iack L. Spain al the end IF the war .'u.
~. ar. warranted now in making war because
-. horrors >; Spanish rule in Cuba were inteles-
~. how could We justify ourselves in hqndns
sort p,rto I;ics to the same rule, after having
,nc. enanCipGteG her from il? The subject
".1 not he Tursucd. To return P,rto Rico 10
6, ain after she is once in our possession, Is "a
.nrnrh beyond the power Of the President md OF
Congress as II was TO preserve the peace with
S,oir after the trcocherous destruction 81 the
si,,r. In the hCrlnr IF Havana From tina,
,ncmcnt tn American people resolved tina: the
Gag unl,r which this Inst outrage was possible
sSeuli ,isappcor forever from the Western
Hemisphere, ana they VIII sanction nc peace
Tbs 1u stOn OF the Philippines is different
and m.'ro lincult. They are not within whN
81. Ai9l m.tists If the world would recognize
az the legitimate sphere Of American influence,
Our r,lation 70 them is purely the accident o.
r.c nj war We are not in honor bound TO hold
,h,u. II We can honorobly dispose OF them. But
W. know that their grievances differ only In
tind nos in scgr~e. from thos, Of Cuba; ana
havns ,nce freed them from the Spanish Yoke.
ne cannot hOnOrably rcQuirv them 70 go back
under II again. That would he to put us In IN
give the lie TO all our professions of humanity
in our interference in Cube. and TO prove that
our real motive was conquest what humanity
flrbrd. US 10 tolerate in the W~et Indies. IL
would not Justify us In rc-estabshing in the
Philippines.
trade than for something nearer home? Doubt
lees that would bs Permissible. II We wero ,ur'
o, thus securing th.m better government than
that o. Spain. and X IL could bs done with.u.
pr.ciyitating fresh international difficulties But
We cennot give them 10 our friend ana th;f
neixhb0r Japan without instantly provoking thS
hostility u Russia. which recently int,rf>rcd 10
Prevent far smaller japanese ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We CGnnot give them to Russia without great
er injustice 10 Japan: or to Germany. OF 10
Franc. or to ENGLAND, without raising far more
trcu.l. than 0!lay. England would liks us
to kssp them: ths Continental nations would
Ike thst better than any other control excepting
Srain'5 or their own: and the Philippines would
3ref,r IL TO anything save the absolute indie
ptndenC5 which they are incapable o. maintain
ing Having bc:n led into their possession by
the cours: Of n war undertaken for the sake or
humanity shall we draw a geographical limit
% our humanity and say VIC cannot continue 10
be governed by it in Asiatic waters because II
s TOO much trouble and is too disagreeaole-sno
besides there may be no profit in IT.
The chief aversion to the vast acccssions Of
fer1rary with ohich We cro thr,1ttnef springs
from the fear that ultimately they must be ad-
mitted into the Union as states NO pubic
duty is m.,rc urgent at this moment than 70 re-
sist from the very outset TIL concession or such
n possibility In no circumstances likely TO ex-
list within a century should they be- admitted q:
State Of the Union The loose, disuniteo ane
unrelated federation o. Independent states 10
which this would inevitably lead, stretching
rim the Indian Archipelago 10 the Caribbean
seq, embracing all clmes. all rehSlons. al
races-black. yellow. white. and their mixturcs-
all conditions from pagan ignorance ana the
verge # cannibalism to the best product OF CEN
turks o. civilization. education and sof-soV-
eminent. all with equal rights in our senate
and representation according 10 populaNon IN
our House. with equal voice in shaping our
National dcstinics-that would. ct least In TINS
stage Of the world. be humanitarianism run
mad a dc.cncratiOn and degradation OF the
homogeneous continental republic or our prlde
too prepostcrous for the contemplation OF seri-
Gus and intelligent men. Quite rs well No ht
Great Britain now invite the So armlng manons
OF India TO send ratahs and members OF Parlia-
ment, in proportion 10 population. u swamp
the Lords and Commons and ruiz the EnSNsh
people /: IL had been supposed tha' even ia,
wall with it's overwhelming prcpondcranc. 81
Kanakas and Asatics. would become n state
she could not have been annexed II the terri
tories we arc conqucrinG must become states,
We might better rcnounCe III; m at once ana
plac. them under the protectoratc OF som' hu-
name and friendly European Power with !css
nonsense In its blood.
This is not 10 deny them the freest and most
liberal Institutions they arc capable or sustain
Ing The p.ople Of Stka and the Aleutian ISL
ands enjoy the blessings ~ ordered Noerty anu
free institutions, but nobody dreams or adni,
ting them 10 statehood. Ncw-Mexico has be
,onced 10 us for half a century, not only with
out onpr.ssion but with all the local sclf-Gov-
ernmen, for which sh, was prepared: yet
though an integral part Of our continent, sur
rounded by States, and with an adequate Iopu
lation. she Is still not admitted to statehood
Why should not the people on the island o.
Porto Rico or even Of Cuba, prosper ana %
happy for the next century under the rue WhlcI
their kinsmcn Of New-McXic" haVo pTosper.o
under for the last half century ,,..
With the slight notifications, the tcrrtoria
form ,. government. which Ne have trlco 50
successfully from the beginning ~ nc Union
But such a system. we are told, IL contrary u
our Constitution and H. th- spirit .; ''ur ihStr
tu,ions Why? We have had just tina. system
e7er since the Constitute IN was iTaihec' ). .
true thot lorgc mart Of the territory thus CAV
trned has now been admttcj mt" the Un'o'
In the form OF new States. Rut II IS not tiu'