The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-05-23


a republic be recognized. A majority in
Congress inclined to that line of action, and
because the Mckinley administration would
not yield to the clamor it was charged with
cowardee. The development Of the con-
fiict the destruction Of the Maine-the final
act which led 10 war-the defeat of the
party which demanded the recognition Of
the independence of Cuba when it had
scarcely a phantom of a government,
speedily followed. For such a policy the
Democratic party and a faction Of the Re
publicans. yielding TO a noisy clamor.
yielded. But for the leadership of Mr..
Reed in the House the policy of recognition
would nave carried, as it did in the Sen
ate
The Presidents policy adopted by Con-
gress. was set forth in the resolution passed
by the House in March. 1898. which gave
the President power to take measures ito
secure a full and final termination of hos
tilities between the government of Spain
and the people of Cuba. and to secure to
the island the establishment of a stable
government capable of maintaining order
and the security of the citizens of Cuba as
well as our own, and 10 use the military
and naval forces of the United States as
may be necessary for these purposes" 1t
was under this policy that the war with
Spain was begun. fought. ended and Cuba
administered until it was turned over to in
dependence on Tuesday
These facts are recalled now to show
that the policy of President Mckinley, sup
wise one while that of simply recognizing
the independence of the Republic of Cuba
any time during 1897 or 1898 would have
been a very unwise one. AS a matter of
fact there was no civil government of the
Republic Of Cuba to recognize. There were
a few small bands of men fighting the
Spaniards. but that was all. To have recog-
nized that which was not would in time
have drawn us into war with Spain as the
allies of Cuba. We could not have as
sumed the responsibility for the war which
we would have been compelled to fight,
and when we had driven Spain out of Cuba
the Cuban republic, which we would have
recognized if the Senate resolution had
been passed by the House, without an or
ganized government. would have set up to
direct the affairs of Cuba. The Republican
policy was based upon the discovered unfit
ness of the Cubans to establish Independent
government at once without our assist
ance. Having made that discovery and
seeing the evils which would come from
recognizing an independent government
that had no existence, the Republican
President and Congress resisted the clamor
of the hour and adopted that statesmanlike
policy the execution of which has made
Cuba what it is to-day. 1t must now be
seen that the Cuban people were unfit for
independent government when the war
broke out and when it closed. 1t has taken
a little over three years to give the people
of the island an Illustration of what good
government should be. 1t is hoped they
have so well learned the lesson that they
can make it permanent.
One may ask now if the mere recogni-
ton of the independence of the Republic
of Cuba in March. 1898. would not have been
the very worst thing that could have hap
pened to the people of that island. Is it
not probable that If the United States had
/ left the island to the Cubans at the close
of the war in the fall of 1895 it would have
been the arena for lawlessness and revolu-
/ lions like those of some of the South Amer
/ lean republics? If the Democratic party in
! Congress could have had its way we should
have recognized the independence of the
| Republic of Cuba and then have left the
people to drift into anarchy. 1t is a good
time to contrast the probable results of the
two policies in regard to Cuba