The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-08-22

Insurgents Spanked by Single
Of Popular Sc0rn.

The leading article in McClure's Mag
azine for September is under this mead
ing: Cuban Reciprocity-A Moral Is
sue-By William Allen White.
The name of the gifted Empor1a edl-
tor would in itself be sufficient to give
interest to the article. but in connection
with the greatest issue now before the
American people. the discussion is OF
double interest. It flls the first six
pages of reading matter OF the maya
zine and is Illustrated with full-page
pictures of President Roosevelt. Secre-
tary Root and General Wood.
Mr.. White gives the entire history of
the movement for reciprocal relations
with Cuba. He writes in his most in
teresting VEIN He tells in general OF the
contest between the president and the
insurgents in the recent session OF
congress, but he deals particularly with
the fact that Cuban reciprocity is
moral issue-that the United States
owes it to Cuba to establish reciprocal
trade relations in return for Cuba's ac-
cepting the Platt amendment to her con-
stitution. After discussing the Platt
amendment which he decrlbeS as the
value received" part of the agreemen.
between the United States and Cuba.
Mr.. White puts the situation In the
following characteristic way:
80 much for the value received oart
of the obligation Now for the promise
L
no authority to sign the note for the
American people. that he would have
exceeded his constitutional powers IN
promising the Cubans that congress
would pass reciprocity treaty. II ne
had promised that. no one can deny.
But if. on the other hand. President
Mckinley negotiated for material bene-
fits which all American people are en-
joying today, the American people Will
be sneaks of the worst kind If they ac-
and nllinnl0 about
the authority of their agent to make al
agreement That Mckinley promised to
use his Influence to get 70 per cert
reduction in the sugar duties for the
Cubans is not a matter of honest dis
pute. That Mckinley went to Buffalo
to begin his doctrine of Cuban reciproc-
ity is evident He was beginning to
use his inf1uence'-to carry out his part
of the agreement. McKinleys unfinish-
ed work fell to President Roosevelt
In giving the history OF the fight in
the last congress to carry out President
Roosevelt's ideas Mr.. White does not
mention Senator Burton's name. but his
description of the Kansas senator's ac-
tons subsequent to the adjournment of
congress is very pointed. Mr.. White
SAYS:
ut was assumed that the Den ocrats
would oppose the administration on so
important a question as Cuban rec1-
procity, and the assumption proved cor
rect when it was tried in the house or
representatives. There a sharp, vicious
struggle occurred, and the president
won by a decent ajority A new ma
tional leader was developed in the
house in the person of Long of Kansas.
who, with the presidents confidence and
approval, led the fight for reciprocity in
the house. But when the fight got to the
senate, it changed from scrimmage to
a siege. There were nineteen Repub-
lican insurgents in the senate. Of these
| it is fair to say that seven represented
49,
Nebraska, California, South Dakota and
Michigan. With the senators from these
states the president maintained the most
cordial personal and political relations.
The two senators from Nevada were Re-
publican recruits of such recent CONVEX
sion that their insurgency did not mean
| much more than the unconscious rever-
! sion to type, and Senator Wellington's
position was ten peramental rather than
! the sign of a personal grudge. But with
| the other insurgents there was some
| thing more than a strong suspicion that
| they were fighting for something other
| than their affairs and their fires. Each
! of them had had trouble with the presi-
! dent over patronage. Each of them had
| been compelled to name new man IL,
| some minor contest for a federal office,
and each of them had said things pune
| tuated with exclamation points, not for
| publication, but as an evidence of good
| faith The insurgents-good, bad and
| ndifferent-organized, and agreed on =
| ciorOcate. It was Known as the rebate
| plan. 1t provided for a bounty to be
| paid to the Cuban government by the
government of the United States of q
| certain sun Of cash for every hundred
pounds of Cuban produce-sugar and
| tobacco-admitted into American ports
| at the present tariff rates of los per
| cent. In the rebate plan advocated by
| that this bounty should ever get into
| the hands of the planters who grew the
| sugar and tobacco. The bounty was to
| go to the people of Cuba through theif
| treasury. OF course such a Slan met
/ with opposition from the president He
/ sent a special message to congress dis
! approving of tie insurgents rebate
plan frankly and in plain words. This
was what they desired-to get the presi-
| dent committed. They did not under
| stand that he also desired to go on rec
ord against the insurgent plan. They
/ reasoned that if they got the president
/ publicly committed against their plan
| the defeat of his plan, which he clearly
/ indicated in his message to be the house
! bill, would be humiliating: and with
his defeat they believed the president
| would be discredited and distrusted by
| the country. 1t certainly looked like a
| logical sequence of events. But one
| link in the syllogism the insurgents had
| overlcoked-t--e fact that Cuban reel
procity is moral issue, and that when
the American people are once convinced
| that question contains a moral issue
they will support such an issue with ali
| their hearts. Roosevelt's Message was
an appeal to the people, not to the in
| Surgents.
1.-The insurgents didn't realize this un-
til they had enjoyed their victory ane
| congress had adjourned without pass
ing a reciprocity law. Then they heard
from the people, and found their de.
| feated president victorious and theil
| victory turned to odium- The losing
fight for Cuban reciprocity strength
ened President Roosevelt with the peo-
pie of America as nothing has done
since he pledged himself to follow Nc
Kinley's policy at the Milburn house al
Buffalo
{ Congress adjourned without reel.
4 procity law on the statute books. The
| insurgents went home. saw the people
began explaining, and a funny thing
ha nIannad az fxl04ifxinrr rayrfa]