The times., 1898-04-13
OPINIONS OF THE PRESS.
NciNinIcy's Message to Congress
Severely Criticised.


New York. April i2.-The press Of the
country is practically unanimous in crit-
cising the message Of the President on
the Spanish situation sent to Congress
yesterday. The New York Journal says,
editoriaIiy under the heading. America
and Cuba betrayed
The President has profoundly disap-
pointed the American people. Instead OF
a call to arms his message is summons
10 retreat Ii is weak, fiabby and nerve
less. But its weakness is its least OBJ
noxious feature. For that the people
have been prepared by a long course of
helpless vacillation. The really shocking
thiuS in the message Is its scarcely yelled
intimation that our intervention in Cuba,
when il comes, may be in behalf of the
Spaniards. for the suppression of Cuban
liberty. That is SO incredible that ii finds
the most uncharitable of Mckinleys ILL
Wishers unprepared.
The policy the President faEors is that
Of Intervening as an impartial neutral,
by imposing rational compromise be
tween the contestants a compromise
manifestly implies concessions on both
sides. II the Cubans concede anything
they must accept some measure of Span
ish sovereignty. But it has been known
for weeks that Spain would concede any
terms that left her flag still flying in
refused to consider any proposition of the
kind. Therefore, the Spanish acceptance
of the proposed compromise is a foregone
conclusion, and the Cuban rejection of il
equally certain That leaves the Cubans
the only obstacles to the Presidential
'pacihcation. and arrays the United
States and Spain as allies in the noble
work of crushing the patriots who have
won their independence by three years OF
snartyrdom.
1T is evident from the President ac-
count of his dealings with Spain that he
has muddied the entire negotiation and
left Us in a false position, from which
Congress viii find great difficulty in eXtri-
eating US with credit. 1t appears that
throughout the long, weary weeks when
The impatient American people supposed
that Mr. Mckinley was pressing Spain
10 withdraw from Cuba, he never men,
toned the subject of independence at all.
The result is that if Congress should de-
clare war tomorrow we should be put in
the position of fighting Spain to secure
something she had never been asked to
grant.
"On the question of the Maine the Pres
ldent is as disappointing as that OF
Cuba. He accepts the report of the Court
of Inquiry; he admits that our battleshiT
was destroyed and our sailors We're mur-
dered by a Spanish mine, and then, af.
nit the matter TO an international tri
bunal he calmly remarks: ITO this
have made no reply"
Was it because he had no reply Il
make2 Did the tragedy in the harbor o.
Havana stir one thrill of generous indig
nation in the sluggish fluid that creep.
through the Presidential veins?
Mr.. McKinley's predecessor in the Whit,
House was almost everything that
President ought not TO be. Yet, stoliC
and brutal as Grover Cleveland was
above the sordid influences of his sur
roundings and strike a note of genuin,
national feeling"
The World says:
1.-The Presidents message is strong in IL
rhetoric, but lamentably weak in its con
ciusions.
I'VE do not question the purity of hi
intentions, but il is hard to solve tn
mystery of his action.
Mr.. Mckinley heroically SAYS: 'Th
war in Cuba must stop" Spanish diplC
macy. twiddling its fingers on its nos
can reply, THE war in Cuba is alread
stopped; we have proclaimed a cessatio
of hostiliues. OF course if the wickc
Gomez shall attack the soldiers of a n;
tion that has ceased hostilities" he ar
not Spain will be to blame,
With singular obtusenessorpervers
the President fails to thrust to the frol
of the controversy the two things IN;
stir the hearts Of the people and justif
intervention by our Government The!
are:
The treacherous destruction of Il
Maine. and
Freedom Of Cuba
''The people Of the United States syn