The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1900-09-29
Saturday. September 90. 1900
OUR ERROR IN CUBA.
Neaos and Courier.

Senator Beveridge's speech at the
Republican mass meeting in Chicago,
Wednesday night, is of the same
quality as the one he delivered in the
senate on the sama general subject
few months ago 100000 copies of
which were printed for distribution
and then burned by order of the Re.
publican campaign committeeman
this is enough, perhaps, to say of it as
a whole. The eminent gentleman con.
trived, however, to put some interest
into one part of it.
"If the opposition" he said, "de
clare that we ought to set up separate
government over the Philippines, be-
cause we are setting up separate
government over Cuba, l answer that
such an error in Cuba does not justify
the same error in the Philippines. l
say that for the good of Cuba more
even than for the good of the United
States separate government over
Cnbs, uncontrolled By the American
Republic, never should have been per-
mitteG."
And again: 1.-THE resolution hastily
passed by all parties in Congress, at
an excited hour" declaring that the
people of CUBA are, and of right ought
to be, free aud independent, was an
error, which years of time, propinquity
of location, common commerce, ma
terial interests and similar dangers
surely will correct" "The President
considers that resolution promise.
And so the unnatural experiment is TO
be tried. What war and nature-aye,
what God hath Joined together is to be
put asunder." 81 say that it will be
an evil day for Cuba when the Stars
and Stripes come down from Moro
Castle"
The distinguished orator was care.
tul 10 say that in expressing these
views he spoke for himself alone, but
it is to be remembered that he is net q
private citizen, and did not speak as
one He spoke as United States
Senator, representing the party in con-
troll of the government, to q mass
meeting Of the party in the second
largest city in the country. Had he
spoken as Q private citizen his speech
would not have been worth noticing;
it certainly would not have been tele-
Ersphed all over the country; and it
is equally certain that il would not
have been delivered in the same place
and presence. It is Of interest, or the
part we have quoted is of Interest,
only bscaase of the position of the
speaker, which affords the assurance
that he did NOT speak for himself
alone, but was rehecring the senti-
ments of other lesderS of his psrtY In
what he said.
Caa,ua 'rffs-sAA Cuba has been a
block ID the way Of the
J q tesders ever 4sFanseA their Philip
pine policy was adopted. III OF them
have carefully avoided discussing fsan
public. None of them has tried in
any place, to explsia why the Philip
pines, and Porto Rico, should be sub
iugated and annexed as an incident OF
8 war for the liberation Of another
colony of the same power; why Cuba
should be independent "of rigCt,"
and its sister islands should not be so.
Senator Beveridge alone meets the
difficulty frankly and squarely. The
noble declaration of American prin-
ciples by the american Congress, re.
iterating the words of the founders of
the Republic, and applying them to
other struggling American for our
own time. was 'passc at an excited
hour,n and VISA ".n error" which is
20 be corrected" hc"e4t er on some
convenient pretent or oth'r-''propin-
guilty of location, common commerce,
material interests" or anything Of that
kind. We ought mol to set NJ sepa-
rate government in the Philippines
because we ough! not to have set up,
or PROMISED to set dp, separate
government in Cuba. We can correct
our error as to Cuba in time. We
must avoid committing it in the case
Of the Philippines. Whist "war and
nature hath joined together" under
Republican administration, though sep
arated by the sea, or the g he, is not to
be put asunder bv the OPP ION, b.
cause the hand of Providenc lis III it
ALL" and because. fually and suffi.
ciently, call men who understand
production and exchange understand
the commercial advantages resulting
from our ownership of them, the
richest possessions that ever belonged
to any nation"
We may excuse the rest Of the speech
for the sake of this part Of it. 1t is
the most honest deliver Gnce on the
question to which it relates that the
country has had so far from any Re-
publican authority.