The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-09-25
SENATOR LODGES BOOK.

THE War with Spain" is the title of
the book of which Senator Henry Ca
bot Lodge is the author, and which has
just been published. 1t is at present
the most authentic history of the war,
because Senator Lodge was a mem Der
of the Senate Committee on Foreign
Relations and therefore commanded
the most reliable information on the
subject OF Congressional action.
His relation of the events connected
with proposition adopted by the Sen
ate of recognizing the Cuban Republic,
is unusually interesting, because it is
now SO clearly evident that if Con-
gress had recognized the Cuban Repub-
lie, the affairs of the Island would be,
today, in a hopeless muddle, and it's
provinces would be overrun with local
insurrectionists.
The action of Congress furnished
once more one of those surprises in
the evolution of the Federal govern
ment, which exhibit the miscalculation
of the founders of the Constitution in
the operation of it's checks and
balances
The Senate, especially designed to
be conservative, and more exper-
fenced body than the House, has, under
the hands of the politicians, and a
negligent constituency, become largely
body Of rich business men, and, for
some years, displayed no better states
nanchip than tho Hnnca
The events connected with the action
of Congress upon our relations with
Spain indicate it clearly. The Presi-
dent, having fully Informed himself
about the character of the Cubans, saw
only peril and confusion in any re-
cOgnition of the Cuban Republic, and
strenuously opposed the drift of Sen
ators towards making such recogni-
ton. But the Senate, the Republi-
cans being led by Senator Foraker, by
a vote of 81 to p, adopted a resolution
of recognition, and sent it to the House |
for concurrence. The House refused
to concur with it, and after several
long conferences, the Senate yielded |
and the Cuban Republic was not re- |
cognized, and the Presidents policy |
was sustained.
This action of the House authorizes
the conclusion that it contained better |
statesmen than the Senate, or, at least, |
that it's aggregate wisdom was higher. |
But, after all, the hand of Speaker |
Reed was apparent in casting the ac-
ton of the House. While he disliked |
the President, he saw that he was right |
in urging that the Cuban government |
should not be recognized, and with his
usual ''despotism" exercised through
Representative Dingley, he defeated
the action of The Republican Senate
The Mugwump instincts of Speaker
Reed led him to refuse to follow the
Republican leaders in the Senate, and
at a critical time, do his own thinking
and acting.
Nearly one year and half has pass
ed since the Senate tried to force on
the President a recognition of the Gu
ban Republic. With the light of the
experience gained during that period,
it can now be seen how near the coun-
lIy OcCdmc lutolSSu III SCucule WulCu l
would have driven out the Spaniards
from Cuba, and then turned the Island
over to series of ephemeral republics,
followed by revolutions, and anarchy.
Had the Senate scheme prevailed, the
United States could have, in the end,
established law and order in Cuba,
only by the liberal use and expendi-
ture of blood and iron.
Senator Lodge does not discuss the
effect of the delay of the Senate in act
ing upon the treaty of Paris. That
delay, it is now claimed, is the cause
Of the war in the Philippines. But not
until the war is over, and the opinions
of the Filipinos under Aguinaldo can
be obtained as to the effect of that de-
lay, can the historian make safe
judgment in the matter