Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1902-03-18
THE CORVALLIS GAZETTE.
TUESDAY, MARCH IS, 1902.
WHY NOVEL?

SCuldl1SC JShhiho VA w A~
declared that SCUBA is now and
has been since the Paris treaty
under The sovereignty of the /
United States. She may be per-
mitted to erect government but
not one of sovereignty" This
is spoken of as ''novel theory"
Surely the first proposition is /
not the statement of theory, I
but of a fact. By the Paris
treaty Spain relinquished her
sovereign rights over Cuba to the
United States. Since the ratifi-
cation of that treaty we have pos
s>ssed all the rights of sovereign
ty over both Cuba and Porto Ri
co that Spain formerly possessed
an absolute and perfect sover-
eighty. This transfer of sover-
eighty over people or territory
is nothing new in the history Of
nations.
Mr.. Jenkins second PROPOSE
ton, "Cuba may be permitted to
erect government but not one
of sovereignty" is not a theory,
but a false statement of fact as to
what disposition the United States
may make of its sovereignty over
the island. We may relinquish
it to the Cubans. This is just
what we are going to do. We
propose shortly to turn the gov
ernment of the islands over to the
Cubans and to acknowledge their
political independence. The mo-
ment we do this we relinquish
our sovereignty for Cuba connot
be independent while we exercise
sovereign power and authority
over her. 1t is of little moment
that she has framed her organic
law so that she accepts our tutel-
age to the exclusion of other ma
tions It is of no consequence
that she enters into the closest
treaty relations with us, as SOW
ereign, independent nation she
may change her organic instru-
ment and we would be unable to
prevent it. Just here lies the
possibility that at some time IN
the future we shall be compelled
to take forcible possession of Gu
ba from the Cubans, allied, it
may be, with some other nation.
This, though seeming to be alto
gether improbable, will always
be a possibility with Cuba a SOW
ereign, independent n at i 0 n
among the nations of the world.
Were Cuba retained by us as
Our territory, or were she to be-
come a state in the American
union she would ''be permitted
to erect a government but not
one of sovereignty" We can
not retain our sovereignty over
her because we have promised to
give her political independence.
If she comes into the Union it
must be of her own volition. We
now begin to see the mischief
wrought, and the possibility of
greater to be incurred, when we
chose to follow over-slopping
sentiment rather than practical
good sense in our intervention be-
tween Spain and Cuba.
Some men profess to believe
that like Texas, Cuba will, after
a brief national independence,
apply for admission to the Union.
We do not think livery probable.
Texas was Americanized. 1t
was Americans who achieved her
independence. Naturally Tex
ans looked to statehood in the
Uuion as their highest political
purpose. AS a matter of fact
Texas was Americanized and her
independence wrested from Mex.
leo that she might be brought
into the Union in the interest of
the slave holding states.
No such incentives to Ameri-
canizc Cuba exist. She will be
Americanized; but it will be
through the avenues of trade and
commerce. There can be little
doubt if we gave Cuba no special
commercial advantages with us
the Cubans would take the only
course then remaining to them of
securing such advantages; that is
they would become a state of the
Union. But here again senti-
ment influences us to give them
well-grounded hope that they
may secure all the commercial
advantages accruing from that
relation and yet maintain an in
dependent and sovereign status
among the nations.
Our course is fatuitous. We
are delaying the. assumption on
part of Cuba Of the only relation
to us that can most rapidly and
surely promote all her best inter
ecke aud would nc c,rra1, ba TO