Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-07-10
RECIPROCITY WITH CUBA.


(Des Moines Register and Leader,)
The policy of reciprocity with Cuba,
planned by President Mckinley and
urged by President Roosevelt. has fail
ed. for the present, of contamination.
Congress will adjourn with the house
measure pending before the senate.
and Cuba will wait on our doorstep
until more hospitable counsels prevail
There is report that President Roose-
welt will proceed to negotiate a reel.
procity treaty with the Cuban govern
ment and submit it to the senate for
approval, but such treaty would re.
quire two-thirds vote, and the same
influences that have defeated legisla-
ton would doubtless be hostile to any
treaty that would be offered. There is
a. more probable report that the Presi-
dent and the senator's cooperating
with him will take up the cause again
in December, and press 1t to issue,
hoping that in the meantime the oppo-
sition may disintegrate under the pres
sure of public sentiment-that the SEN
ators may all hear from their consti-
tuents. as Senators Willard and Diet
rich have heard from Nebraska.
There is no shadow of doubt about
the wishes of the American people in
this matter. They supported the war
for the relief of Cuba with generous
enthusiasm, and after giving blood and
treasure without stint are not prepared
for the cold declaration. that we are
not concerned about her commercial
distress. The people of the United
States would like to finish the great
task to which they have set their
hands, and give Cuba not only political
freedom, but an opportunity to develop
the natural industries in which her flu
ture is involved, and to enjoy the pros
perity that is essential to the success
of her new government and to the pro-
gress and happiness of her people
The fundamental error of those who
oppose concessions to Cuba is in as
suming that our relations to her may
now be the same as to any other for
eign country. They say that we have
already made great sacrifices for her
and that she has no claims on us for
more. But our relations with Cuba
are different in many respects from
our relations with any other country
We made those differences the basis
of war. We did not justify our inter-
vention upon the theory that we had
right to take part in any conflict that
might be going on in any part of the
world. On the contrary we claimed
that we were peculiarly interested in
Cuba, that by reason of her proximity,
to our shores, the investments of our
people in the island, and the intimate
relations, commercial and otherwise,
existing, we could not be Indifferent to
her continued prostration and distress,
and that the conditions there had be-
come intolerable.
These are the essential facts now.
Cuba lies just off our shores, as she
did then. We have more intimate re-
lations, commercially, socially and po-
litically, than we had then. We are
more directly interested in the preva-
lence OF peace and state of content
ment than We were before we assum-
ed any responsibility in and for the
island. We have already gone too far
and done too much. We have inflicted
too great loss upon another nation,
In the name of humanity, to say that
Cuba is no more to us than any other
country and that we are not concerned
in the success of her government or
BY reason of her position she be-
longs commercially with us. and 1t is
her undoubted destiny to belong with
us politically. For more than one
hundred years our statesmen of all po-
litical parties have looked forward to
the time when she would become
part of the United States. No political
party will ever dare oppose the annex
alton of Cuba if her people voluntarily
and with practical unanimity ask to
be received. AS part of this country
her prosperity would no more detract
from the prosperity of the rest of the
country than the prosperity of Califor-
MIA does now. The development Of
every section of the country rests up
on and benefits every other section of
it.
We don't want Cuba now. 1t will be
better to let her have at least a gem
Grafton of development first. The beet
sugar interest, the one interest fearful
of reciprocity, doesn't want annexa-
ton now, and yet it is pursuing pol
icy that will precipitate it. But we
need not hesitate the inevitable, it Is
an error to start out now, at the be-
ginning of our relations, upon the
theory that Cuba is no more to us than
any other foreign country. She Is
more to us and always will be, and we
should adopt no policy inconsistent
with that fact. Rather should every
relation between us be gradually adj
justed to make the final contamination
of union an easy and natural occur
renee.
The progress of a people comes by
the development Of the native re-
sources at Its command. The people
of Cuba must be allowed to grow sugar
and sell it in their natural market, if
they are to rise In the scale of civiliza-
ton and acquire the qualifications of
citizenship. A moderate concession
now will give them relief, will assure
revenues to their government, and be
for us start in the right, instead of
the wrong, direction.
Recommended to Travellers.
The Iowa Central Railways new
sleeping car service from st. Paul and
Minneapolis to Kansas City, st. Louis
and Peoria, appeals to travellers seek.