The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-06-02
Professor NooIsey
on The War Issue
Rochester Post-EXpress.

Rochester ost-Express
I lI1 BELIEVE" said Professor
Woolsey, of Yale university. in a
paper before the Congregational
club Of New Haven, on the war
with Spain, that this interven-
ton Is as justifiable as any that has ever
been in the past, and is undertaken from
as correct motives. And though the pol
icy of war with Spain is open to criticism
| am inclined to think that it must have
come to that in the end" In justification
Of these statements, he reviewed the po-
sition of the authorities on Intervention,
ctod number of cases where hterven-
ton had occurred, and traced the events
that led up to the war.
O.
Since the intervention Of one nation in
the affairs of another is an exceptional
thing, Professor WOolsey saws that il has
to be Justified, and the grounds of juSti-
fCation are usually self-defensc and hu-
manity. But no writer on international
law protends to be able to lay down ded-
nitely the rules that shall govern this OK
CeptiOnal course; and the reason Is that
the leases of intervention are so unlike
one another and because national policy
enters so largely into them" Take. for
example Russia's Intervention in behalf
of Bulgaria. The ostensibC ground was
religious sympathy and humanity, but
the real ground was the prosecution of
the onward movement of the Muscovlte
toward Constantinople. Take again the
intervention of the powers in behalf of
Greece. In this case more than in the
other the justification was humanity.
Here adds Professor WOolscy. "iS
mcUhat close parallel to our own action
in Cuba. In both cases there was OPP
preston. msmanagcment. revolt, cruelty,
resort to a war of determination. Ibra-
ham Pasha was the protype of Weyler
Greece found sympathy and aid in lib
eral England as Cuba has done here. And
each case will be found, / think in har-
mOnY with the broad underlying ten
dCnCy of the century. For, in spite of
their hampcring jedlOuseS, the powers
have pushed, are pushing, the Ottoman
sovcreiCnty out of Europe. The carving
of an Independent Greece out of barba--
Gus Turkey unintcnded though it may
nave been at the outset of the interNen-
ton, was an early step In that direction
So likewise, though we may not see it
yet the expulsion of the Spaniard from
unhappy Cuba, whatever government sue
cecds, will be Il mark of progress. of civ
ili2ation, because it viii open the island
to civilizing Influences under the auspices
of its own sons"
After defending tho intervention upon
the ground n entiCned in President Nc
kinley'S message, namely, that a state of
affairs existed in Cuba that was injurious
to our commercial interests and kept our
own people in a state of turmoil, entail
ing large expense for the prevention of
filibustering. Professor Woolsey pro-
CeedS to show how the Intervention was
inevitable. In the first place. he does not
believe that Spain could have been in
duCed by negotiation to recognize the in
dependence of Cuba So ignorant are the
Spaniards of tho United States and OF it's
resources, so unboundcd Is their national
pride and confidence in themselves, that
they would have "urSeated both the min
istry and the dynasty" that granted it.
In the second place, the explosion of the
Maine made peace no longer practi-
cable"
Dwelling upon this point, Professor
Woolsey says: 81 wonder what other
people would have waited so patiently
an official and technical report OF such
tremendous import. Suppose, after the
German kaiser had stirred England to its
center by putting his finger in the Trans
vaal mess, an English ship had been
sunk in kiel or Bremen harbor By an eN-
plosiOn apparently from an outside
source. Is 1t probable that the delicate
responsibility for the loss, with a finan-
cial indemnity tackled on, would have
been calmly argued. or arbitrated, and
the national passion Choked down
trow not. Yet, legally speaking, such was
our proper course. For neither could the
Spanish government be held to have
guaranteed the Maincs safety ON the one
hand, nor to be free from all responsible
ity except for the authorized acts Of her
officers on the other. So that the nice ad-
iustment of liability for an event which
,ffrl,t l,a
lcinE the haEbor of Havana, or the delib-
crate act Of the authorities or an accI-
dent, was really possible through the
judgment Of disinterested parties. To
pursue the righteous object the pacifica-
tiOn Of cuba, as an unCOnneCted matter,
and by further diplomacy to arbitrate
| the liability for the loss OF the Maine
| that would have been the ideal and log
! iCal course"
But it is the opinion Of Professor Wool
| sey that there are moments in the life
| Of ratiOnS as well as of individuals when
| logic does not point the road The
nation stirred beyond endurance. throw
| ing logic and economy to the winds, in
! terprets its duty to suit Its passions, and
rushos into war. 1t may not be in accord
| ance with the law of love, but since the
! dawn of history II has been the charac-
! teristc of our fallen human nature. And
| statesmen have to take account of II as
| well as of budgets and balances" So II
| happened that the president though still
| inclined to peace, ceased to struggle
| against the rising tide Of popular indig-
| nation, "IIe had sought n lawful OBJ
| icCt I'm n proper way" continues Profess
sor Woolsey, until circumstances were
! too strong. We should honor him for
| what he did rather than blame him for
| what he could not do"