Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1899-04-28
WHERE HE STANDS
Ex-CONGRESSMAN LEWIS ON
EXPANSION.
!, an Expansionist to the Degree that the West
ern Hemisphere Shall he Under Domination
Of the United States.

Of the United States.
"The announcement occasionally
made that was for Cuban independ-
ence when I visited Cuba, but re-
turned Il converted annexionist, is not
true statement. of the situation"
said Congressman James Hamilton
Lewis to the Review, when asked for a
statement concerning the various re-
ports on his position as All expansion.
list. Il have ever been and am now
for Cuban independence. / think the
Cubans could be as Independent under
our form of governments under their
own; / am for their independence of
Spanish government, or any other i'm
perial or monarchial government, but
/ have always felt that Cuba would be
portion of the United States either
by annexation or by purchase. This
is not alone because of commercial
benefit; it is questionable if there be
commercial benefit to the United
States equaling the amount OF burden
to be assumed by this government.
The principal object of Cuban annex
alton is that Porto Rico on the south
OF Cuba being now an American prov
ince it would be almost impossible
that between two States of the United
States; Florida and Porto Rico,-there
could be an intermediate government
under foreign power. Second, Cuba
has always been needed as a strate-
getic point of defense to the Atlantic
coast. In the possession of a foreign
power, should such not be friendly, or
even Indifferent, Cuba could be made
a base of supplies and comfort to Eu-
ropean fleets while OH their way to at
tack the Atlantic coast just as it was
to the English when in 1913 on their
way to this country, the time the
English bombarded the capital at
Washington. The acquisition of Cuba
for this latter purpose OF defense was
the policy of the party of Mr.. Jefer-
son.. In a letter Jefferson wrote to
DR.. Harrison, his friend, with the re-
quest to transfer the information to
Mr.. Madison, we find him saying 'the
possession OF Cuba is necessary, and
should be had at the earliest practi-
cable time, to insure the complete
protection of the Floridas and to
guard against unfriendly invasions
upon the Atlantic coast
"In 1858 Judah P. Benjamin, of
Louisiana, made speech in the SEN
ate based upon the report as to Cuba
made by his colleague, Senator Slidell,
advocating the acquisition of Cuba by
purchase or by force, strongly, upon
the necessity of it as a defensive basis,
and upon that other ground-of
which / am an advocate-that the
Monroe Doctrine means the Western
Hemisphere for the United States.
Further than that neither OF these
statesmen ever went, and upon no diff
ferent grounds were their positions
ever based.
"The conditions which confronted
those gentlemen were the same which
subsequently,, in 1868, brought from
Mr.. Lincoln in his letter to Mr.. Fish
the suggestion of the necessity of tax
ing possession of Cuba, and later by
General Grant when he refused San
Domingo, because with San Domingo
without Cuba the very object of the
purchase of San Domingo would have
been of no benefit.
These are practically the positions
to-day; men who are Democrats stand
upon them because they were regular
Democratic doctrine, and that is my
justification for my position"