Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-03-19
MIR. SPEECH.

what was the ODJetit WIN vas ~ 80
nincance. and what is likely TO be the
result of Senator Proctor's speech In the
Senate Thursday on the situation In
cuba THESE questions must suggest
themselves TO all who may peruse the
speech thoughtfully. Moreover. thought
full perusal must suggest seeking to read
the by the light OF the Presi-
dents Cuban policy, as enunciated In his
message TO the regular session or the
present Congress, commencing December
9Th, last.
In that message President Mckinley,
In referring to the sagasta programme
of reforms in Cuba, said:
ut is honestly due TO Spain, and 10
our friendly relations with Spain, that
she should be given a reasonable chance
TO realize her autonomy expectations,
and TO prove the asserted efficacy OF the
new order Of things, to which she stands
irrcvocably committed"
But, in closing his reference to the
Cuban question. he added:
'If It shall hereafter appear 10 be n
duty imposed by our obligations to our
selves, TO civilization, and to humanity,
TO intervene with force, It shall be with
out fault on our part, and only because
the necessity for such action will be so
clear as TO command the support and APP
prevail of the civilized world"
Mr.. Proctor, in the beginning OF his
speech, or rather his calm and precise
description of the condition of affairs in
Cuba, stated unequivocally, and we do
not question his sincerity, that his visit
to the island was entirely an unofficial
one. III only mention l made of it to
the President" he said. was to say to
him that I contemplated such a trip. and
to ask him If there was any objection to
it, to which he replied that he could see
nome"
But It Is known that since his return
Mr.. Proctor has been in consultation with
the President, and he also said that it
had been suggested to him proctor that
he make a statement Of what he saw in
Cuba. Suggested by whom? That Mr..
Proctor was not the Presidents agent in
cuba does not prevent him from acting
as the Presidents agent in Congress.
Washington specials tell us that the
speech is regarded there as an argument
for intervention. Never was a speech
freer from direct argument in the sense
that argument IS reasoning aimed at a
declared, or even a limited, conclusion.
But. as argument is involved i'm a pre-
sentation Of bare facts, Mr.. Proctor's
statement is calculated TO produce n
deeper impression on the public mind, and
may have a more far-reaching effect
than if it were a logical network to
prove that it was our duty to lose no
further time in settling the Cuban issue.
Further han that, throwing back TO
President McKinley's m~essage-and this
we regard as imparting more significance
to his speech than anything else-he
raises indirectly, but none the less forci-
bly,. for consideration the propositions
whether Spain has not been given "a
reasonable chance" to realize her au-
tonomy expectations, and whether the
necessity for Intervention Imposed by
our obligations to ourselves, to civiliza-
tion, and to humanity" is not at last
upon us. In short, the speech would seem
to be intended to foreshadow and Justify
a change in the administrations Cuban
policy-such n change as was outlined
as possible In Mr.. McKinley's closing al
fusion 10 Cuba in his message, az above
quoted. This may be a mistaken view,
but if it is, it is hard TO understand why
Mr.. Proctor should have made his speech
in the manner and form and at the time
and in the place he did.
on the other hand, the latest news in
regard to our negotiations with Spain
give a more pacific cast to the situation
than it has had for some time. Both our
government and the Spanish Government,
it is stated, have practically made i'm
concessions in regard to naval
movements, and there are other develop
ments that would seem TO make for
peace. 1t, therefore, may be that the
speech IS simply an anchor thrown to
the windward in anticipation Of the
failure of present negotiations. We
earnestly hope that it will develop that
this was not necessary.