The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-04-12
THE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.

No message of the President in recent
years will be read with SO much interest
and by so many people as that which Mr..
Mckinley sent to Congress yesterday. A
large part of it is devoted to statement of
the crime of which Spain is guilty in the
devastation of Cuba and the methods by
which it has been accomplished. The mere
recital is all the argument which is neces
sary to justify any policy of interference to
put an end to Spanish misrule in Cuba. To
put an end to existing conditions and to
warfare which cannot end otherwise than in
the exhaustion of one of the contending
parties has been the purpose of the Presi-
dent. All his efforts have failed. 1t now
remains to consider the best means of re-
storing peace and stable government to
Cuba without further negotiations with
Spain.
The President does not find a remedy in
the recognition of the insurgents as bellig-
erents or as a government. He sustains his
position by the argument which Andrew
Jackson made against recognition of the in
dependence of Texas. Yet the Texans had
not only an actual government but at the
time that message was sent to Congress
they had driven the Mexicans from the ter
ritory they claimed. Recognition would not
bring the war in Cuba to an immediate con-
clusion. On the contrary, it would compel
this government to act as neutral while
the struggle to exterminate goes on. Rec
ognition affording no ground to expect an
early end to hostilities, the President adj
vocates intervention, and gives ample rea-
sons to sustain such a policy. The sinking
of the Maine is used as an incident to show
the incapacity of Spain to govern Cuba. The
President recommends that authority be
given him to use the army and navy of the
United States at his discretion to establish
stable government on the island of Cuba.
He, however, leaves the matter with Con-
gress.
The Presidents argument against the
policy of recognition is SO convincing that
it seems that Congress must agree with him
that it is not an adequate remedy. The in
dication now is that Congress will not
readily agree to the Presidents recommen-
dation to confer upon him the power to in
active element in Congress which believes
that the time for armed Intervention has
come. They seem not to share the opinion
of those who believe that the Spanish Min
istry is preparing to leave Cuba. Now that
the responsibility is in the hands of Con-
gress, the majority may be more moderate
than it's action has hitherto indicated. That
should quit Cuba there can be no doubt.
Never was sentiment more general. But
while Congress is influenced, as it should be,
by this earnest desire of the American peo-
pie, it must not allow itself to make the
mistake that because there is a clamor for
war that any considerable portion of the
people desire war for the sake of war. Con-
gress should be so patriotic as to labor
earnestly to ascertain the course that should
be pursued, and wise as to discover that
which will bring about the desired result
with the least delay and the least cost. If
it can be done without shedding blood all
the better.
Meantime. there should be but one mind
regarding the course of Spain. The sailing
of a Spanish war ship westward from the
Cape Verde islands should be accepted as a
declaration of war. Any plan of interview
ton should at once prevent the landing Of
more Spanish troops in Cuba, because such
an act would declare purpose to resist in
tervention;
Furthermore, men in Congress should un-
derstand that the people of this country are
not in a temper to see this grave crisis used
for demagogic purposes. The matter is no
longer with the President, but with Con-
gress. Consequently, any debate devoted to
assailing the President or his policy is out
of order. 1t is a matter of grave moment,
and every patriot ir Congress will be wise
enough to see that he who serves his coun-
try best in this matter serves his party best.