The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-03-10
INTERVENTION.

There is unquestionably a strong feeling
among the American people in favor of in
tervention by the United States to put an
end to the war in Cuba. This feeling has
existed for some time, and recent events
have greatly strengthened it. 1t is not that
the people want to annex or acquire Cuba,
for that feeling is by no means general.
They want the war and it's atrocities to
cease. Some would have Intervention go to
the extent of demanding the independence
of Cuba, while others would only demand
a cessation Of the war on some basis OF
home rule. 1t is possible that others who
talk of intervention only mean an offer of
mediation, which is a very different thing
from Intervention.
The subject is not free from difficulties,
and should be carefully considered before
adopting any particular line of action. 1t
may be stated as general principle and
rule that one government has no right to
interfere in the internal affairs of another,
and it must be remembered that the pres
ent war is one Of a sovereign government
against a rebellious colony. This general
rule, however, is subject to exceptions, and
it would be proper to inquire whether the
present is an exceptional case. 1t certainly
is in the tyranny of Spanish rule in Cuba
and the cruel and barbarous methods of
warfare adopted, as the corralling and herd
ing of noncombatantS together to Starve
and die. These features are very exasper-
ating, and while they do not alter the es-
sential fact that it is a domestic war for
the suppression of a rebellion, they go far
towards making the case an exceptional
one and furnishing just cause for interven-
tion The interruption to commerce and
damage to American trade is another legiti-
mate matter fer consideration though not
a controlling one. Our own rebellion FUR
nishes some analogies. From the beginning
of the war we took the ground that the
rebellion was purely domestic affair and
that there was no ground for the interven-
ton or mediation of any other government
The United States stood ready at all times
to repel any attempts at armed interven-
tion and it rejected offers of mediation.
From whatever quarter or in whatever
form such propositions came other govern
ments were warned to keep hands off. A
friendly offer OF mediation by France was
courteously but firmly declined In a
lengthy dispatch declining the offer Secre-
tary Seward said: mot one voice has been
raised anywhere Tin this country out of the
immediate field of the insurrection in favor
of foreign intervention, of mediation, OF ar
bitration or of compromise, with the re-
linouishment of one acre Of national do
main, or the surrender of even one consti-
tutional franchise" In our case the general
principle of nonintervention in domestic
war was enforced and maintained yet there
are instances enough of intervention on rec
ord to show that the rule is subject to ex-
ceptfons. In the present case the question
is whether the barbarous methods of war
fare used by Spain make such an excep-
tional case as to justify departure from
an international rule insisted upon in our
own case. In what is here said the Journal
does not wish to be understood as oppos-
ing intervention in any form or degree, but
as simply calling after Ion to the fact that
the question is not 1reo from difficulties,
and as it involves tle possibility of war we
should be careful not to make any false
step. In short, in this as in other phases of
the Cuban question, we must be sure we
are right before we act