The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1901-06-26
he WILL APPEAL TO CONGRESS.
President Mckinley Will Throw
Burden of Cuban Situation on
Congress.

Washington. June 19.-It is good
deal of question whether the Presi-
dent and Cabinet are glad or sorry
that the Cubans have yielded to over
whelming force and ratified the Platt
amendment. On the one hand. the
complications that would have followed
a further delay or fat rejection have
blown over, but on the other, all
chance for forcibly grabbing the island
on a plea that the Cubans have reject
ed independence, seems also to have
passed by.
With the Platt amendment accepted
in the form it passed Congress the
President has authority to withdraw
the American troops and turn the ISL
and over to the Cubans.
But careful reading of the Platt
amendment discloses that though he
may do this, it is not obligatory upon
him to do so, and it is now said that,
following his well-known custom, he
may wait until the next session Of
Congress and report to that body that
the Cubans have complied with the
conditions stipulated and ask further
instructions.
It is the opinion Of those who have
been in conference with the President
and Secretary Root that he will follow
this course and that Congress will be
afforded another opportunity to go
over the Cuban question.
AS matter of fact, however, the
Cubans have outgeneraled the Admin
istration throughout, showing up
plainly its efforts to humbug the
delegates by jollyings" for which it
was not willing to stand when its
words were reduced to plain print.
Very possibly the Cabinet and Presi-
dent may all be sick of the matter and
glad to have it over with. In this
case, the President will soon withdraw
the troops.
Certain German papers have recent
ly urged that the United States should
submit the validity of the Monroe
doctrine to the arbitration Of the
Court at the Hague. In so doing
they ignored the fact that The Hague
court not only has no power to even
consider the Monroe doctrine but
that the doctrine itself was recogniz-
ed by implication by the Congress,
which at the instance of the United
States, before this government would
become one of the signatory powers
in making the treaty, modified the
article relating to Intervention by the
powers to prevent war, so as to relieve
the United States of the duty of inter
vening abroad and to deny to the pow
ers the right to intervene on this con-
tinent. This could only be in recog-
milton of the Monroe doctrine.
Further, the terms under which the
court Of the Hague was established
preclude the submission of any such
broad and general question to its judg
ment, it being distinctly provided that
specific points of dispute shall alone
be submitted to arbitration under
the treaty of The Hague.
Moreover. it may be stated with au-
thority that the United States govern
ment Will not abandon the principle
nor consent to its being submitted to
arbitration. The doctrine was declared
essential to the preservation of repub-
lican form of government against the
encroachment of monarchial ideas,
and, though it has not been formally
accepted by the several foreign pow
ers, it has commanded their respect.
1t is an important fact, not perhaps
generally appreciated, that no attempt
to enforce the Monroe doctrine has
ever failed.