Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1901-02-27
CUBA AND REPUBLICANS.
Promises of Fair Treatment VIII Re
Faithfully Kept by the Ad-
min Is ration.

The democratic story that the repub-
icans are likely to have a serious dis
agreement over the Cuban question
has not the slightest foundation in
fact. There are some differences of
view among the republicans as to the
wisdom of that Teller rider on the war
resolutions which pledged the United
States to give the Cubans a chance to
frame a government Of their own after
the United States armies should DRIVE
the Spaniards out. Many republicans
say that that expression was unwise.
If the situati were here again that
particular deliverance would probably
not be repeated. Some democrats as
well as some republicans regret that
utterance. Ex-Secretary Olney, it will
be remembered, recently declared in a
magazine article that the promise was
foolish, and he inti1nated that it ought
not to be kept He said, as many other
Americans of all parties have often
said in the past, that Cuba geographic
ally was a natural appendage of the
United States territory, and he was
in favor of holding on to it.
But the president of the United
States and the republican party in gen.
eral are not going to be swayed by
these considerations. So long as the
promise has been made it will be OBJ
served faithfully. The Cubans will be
allowed chance to frame the sort of
a government which they want. They
are now engaged in doing that, by the
authority of the president. Whenever
the constitution which they are con-
structing is completed it will be sub
pass upon it. If it proves acceptable
to the representative of the American
people it will go into operation.
1t must be borne in mind that the
Cuban constitution trainers will be re-
quired to determine what, in their
opinion, should be the relations be-
tween Cuba and the United States.
This is one part of their task, as was
set forth by Gen. Wood, the military
governor of the island, at the opening
of the constitutional convention. The
connection between the United States
and Cuba will have to be different from
that existing between the island and
the rest of the nations. We are stand
ing sponsor for the good behavior of
the island toward the outside world.
It would be easy for president of Gu
ba or majority of Cuban congress
to get into complications with Eng
| land, France or Germany, or any other
nation, which would be serious for the
island and it's people if no protecting
hand should be raised in their defense.
The United States, in it's own inter-
est, will have to stand in the attitude
of a guardian for Cuba against the
rest of the world. We cannot at this
! late day disregard the traditions of a
hundred years and allow Cuba to be-
come the prey of any European power
with whom she should be at variance.
These considerations, which are Of
vital Importance to the United States,
| demand that we shall have the right
| to demand notifications of Cuba's
constitution, if these be needed, and
shall have some sort of a supervision
over the islands foreign relations. On
these points there will be absolute har-
mony between the president and his
party in congress. It is safe to predict
that majority of the democrats will
stand with the republicans on this
ground.-St. Louis GlobeDemocrat.