The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1902-07-01
NO EXCUSE TO OFFER.
NJ Y. Tribune.

Let there be no misunderstanding
concerning cuba. II the United States
i is going TO sacrifice its honor upon the
laltar OF soviid greed let II at least do
50 with eyes wide open and with a
full realization Of the present purport
land the future menace OF its act.
There should be hereafter no whimpec-
ing that We didn't know it was
loaded" The signs of the times are
so plain that the veriest stark, star
ing fool of q wayfarer can have no
excuse for not reading and understand
ing them. This, then, is the condition
which eonfronts us.
The United States stands morally
pledged by presidential declaration and
by congressional enactment, to grant
liberal commercial concessions TO Gu
ba. Such concessions are absolutely
necessary to the Industrial prosperity
land to the political tranquility of Gu
la. The granting Of them, desired by
the president, by the majority OF con-
gress and by the overwhelming ma
jogity of the American people. is for
hidden by a stubborn and factious
minority in congress, acting presum-
ably at the behest Of and certainly
in the interest of, the allied sugar
trust and beet sugar ring. These self
ish allies oppose the granting Of such
concessions not because 1t would in
jure their business and Lessen their
immediate prohts--for they admit ana
boast that, II would not do so. No:
their opposition is inspired by a greedy
desire for enormous future gains. to
be had through veritable rape of the
island of Cuba. They propose, these
sugar monopolies do. to withhold con-
cessions from Cuba until the island is
Iruined-until plantations and refiner-
les are abandoned and their owners
bankrupt. Then they will purchase
all such properties at the merest frac-
I ton Of their real value. Finally, they
will in one way or another drag Cuba
into this Union as a state: for they
expect that the ruined Cubans will
be either glad to accept annexation
as their only hope for Industrial sal
walton or will revolt again, as they
did against Spanish commercial op.
preston, and thus compel the United
States to go in forcibly and take con-
troll Of the island
That is the scheme OF the allied
sugar trusts, first to ruin Cuba and
then to steal the island. It seems to
matter nothing to them that thus our
nations honor would be irretrievably
besmirched. that q people confidlng in
and dependant upon US would be be-
trayed and ruined, that we ahouId be
put in peril Of another tedious and
costly war, and that another pocket
borough state, with alien institutions
and difficult social and racial prob
lens, would be pitchforked Irto the
Union to help govern the n7tlon. All
they seem to care for is the opportun-
ity Of looting cuba and % ger ng ros-
session of her sugar plantations and
factories for song. il is nov ..ast
the eleventh hour. But even yet there
is time TO balk the consummatiOn Of
such iniquity. If it is not baked there
will one day be stern reckoning with
those responsible, and with those re-
sponsible for the failure to balk the
scheme as we'll as with those respon-
sible for its conception and execution;
and that day Of reckoning may not be
far off