Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1899-08-18
FRIDAY EVENING, AUG. is, 1899

rule. BEFORE tHe StN44'~N
the most solemn manner the United
States avouched the purity oftheir mo
tives. They put the war on the high
Ground of humanity and pledged them
selves in case of success to withdraw
their forces and allow the people OF
Cuba self government. How has this
nledge been redeemed? Is there any in
tention on the part Of the administra-
tion to redeem ii? On July Sd, 1898,
Cervera's feet was destroyed and on
July II, 1898, Santiago was surrender
ed. 1t was arranged that the Spanish
garrison OF Santiago should De sent
home by the United States. On July
DC. 1898. Spain asked for peace and on
August y the peace protocol was sign
ed at Washington. By it Spain abso-
Iutelv yielded her sovereignty in Cuba
and it was agreed that all the Spanish
land and naval forces should withdraw
and the former be sent back to Spain
by the Uuited States. This work began
promptly and by December, 1898, was
completed. The Americans were in
full possession OF Cuba and have re-
NAMED so to this day. So full and perfect
Is their sway aud control that compare
lively small c. S. force now remains in
Cuba. True, there are lot of Generals,
some of them drawing enormous saa-
ries at the expense of the Cuban tax
payers, Impoverished, as they are, but
there is very small army, and for six
months and more, ia fact, since the
winter, it has been easy for the U ;.
government to enter upon the work OF
redeeming its diahonored paper promise
of giving the Cubans self government.
That was what the war was avoWedly
started for. The resolutions of Congress;
said that Cuba was of right aud ought
TO be independent" There can be
no bubble made about the difference
between the protocol and treaty. A
protocol is as binding as 8 treaty, but
even il it were not, the final, defoitive
treaty of peace was signed at Paris on
the 10Th of December last and the rati-
fcations exchanged April IL, 1899, at
the city of Washington. The last is
only mere form, but, concede for argu'
ment's sake that the United States
could not, prior to that time, take any
steps whatever to prepare the Cuban
people for assuming the functions OF
free government promised to them, we
ask why has nothing been done since
that time We mean since April II,
1899. Has SDuio stood in the way, or
England or Germany-our last great
bugbear? Why is it that census could
not have been taken-say in March or
April last, and proclamation issued
defining election districts aud qualiii-
cations of electors to choose delegates
to constituent assembly or conven
ton with full powers to frame con-
stitution and provisional native gov
eminent? This whole business could
have been dispatched months end
months ago, aud the Cubans remsnded
to their own sweet will. What is tie
reason for all this delay? Can it be
that, after all this waste Of blood ard
treasure, after large addition to our
debt and taxes, these Cubans whom
we undertook to set free are not fit to
be entrusted with the control OF their
OVID destinies? Is the delay based
on the reports of American reg
lar army officers strutting about
in grand style and drawing big
salaries from the pockets of the Amer-
can and Cuban taxpayers? Certainly,
this delay knocks out the pretenses on
which we went to war, that the Cubans
were fit to govern themselves. APP
parently there is no sign of any pur
pose or idea on the part of the admins
tration to carry out the pledge we made
to withdrawn. This case bears strik-
ing resemblance to the conduct of
Great Britain when she invaded Egypt
q few years ago to enforce the alleged
rights of her citizens who were credi
ors of Egypt. Alexandra was bonn
barded and Cairo and the whole OF
Egypt occupied by her army. There
were promises of withdrawal and de.
mands for it by other countries, but
evasions and postponements came one
after another, and yet England remains
there today. Egypt is practically
British Coiony-as much so as Indie,
stolen in much the same way by the
strong hand. The British-American
alliance has great charm for Mr.. Nc.
Kinley. In our finance system and in
our foreign policy he considers that we
must do as England does and bow to
her suggestions, study her interests and
catch the step from her. She die.
tstes our policy today in the Philip
pines. And when besides taking with
the strong hand what does not belong
to US, the elements of bad faith and