The Advocate and news., 1898-04-20
Independence or Interyentlon 2

President because he faVors Intervention
in Spanish Cuban affairs rather than the
acknowledgment of Cuban independence
or the according of belligerent rights to
the Cubans. And after the President had
delivered his message to Congress and
expressed his views at length, concluding
by asking authority to proceed along the
lines he laid down, Congress began to
quarrel over the same question among
themselves, and Senators behave as boy
ishly as the turbulent members OF the
House.
It would seem that with two years to
discuss the different lines of policy to
be pursued under varying circumstances
and conditions, the leading men in both
houses of Congress ought by this time to
have discovered some common ground on
which they could stand together and set
tie the Cuban question. If they cannot
find any such common ground, 1t would
be becoming and in every way, except
one wise exercise Of discretion to let
the President and his advisers have their
way and give them hearty support.
The exception is party prejudice. II
Senators and Representatives cannot
forego an opportunity to make party cap
ital out of so purely NATIONAL matter as
this, they will have to be excused, OF
course, yet the patience of the people who
have to pay the expense Is being sorely
tried and their respect for the good sense
of their national representatives will be
greatly diminished.
After all, the difference between the
contending factions in Congress is a mat
ter of detail. AS a question Of law, and
considered in its international aspect, the
President easily has the best of the argu-
ment There is no precedent in our
own history for acknowledging the In
dependence Of a people that had not
erected civil government and had
shown at least some measure Of ability
to maintain it. Several instances were
cited in these columns some weeks ago
showing what our practice has been.
Texas, right beside us, just across the
Nueces and Rio Grande, with one Of our
own men at its head, Is a clear case illus
trative of our national policy in this
respect. The President, in his message
last week, called attention to it. In 1886
Texas rebelled against the government
of Mexico and set up government Of its
own. War followed, and at the battle Of
San Jacinto, April /, 1886, the Mexican
army under Santa Ana was defeated, its
commander was captured and before his
release he acknowledged the indepen-
denCe of Texas.
The inhabitants of Texas were almost
unanimously in favor Of annexation to
h. %
emigrants from this country. They at
once applied for admission. Jackson
was President In message to Congress,
December 21, 1886, in relation to ac-
knowledging the independence of Texas,
after reviewing our practice In such cases,
he said:
1T is true that with regard to Texas
the civil authority of Mexico has been ex-
PEELED, it's invading army defeated, the
chief of the republic himself captured,
and all present power to control the
newly organized government of Texas
annihilated within it's confines; but, on
the other hand, there is, in appearance
at least, an immense disparity Of physical
force on the side of Texas The Mexican
republic, under another executive, is raj
lying its forces under new leader and
menacipg fresh invasion to recover it's
lost dominion. Upon the issue of this
threatened invasion the independence of
Texas may be considered as suspended;
and were there nothing peculiar In the
relative situation Of the United States
and Texas, our acknowledgment of its
independence at such a crisis could
scarcely be regarded as consistent with
that prudent reserve with which we have
hitherto held ourselves bound to treat all
similar questions"
The rule Of international law unques-
tionably is, that before a new govern
ment is recognized by other nations, it
must be in fact government and backed
by power which may reasonably be
expected will be able to maintain and