The Washington times., 1902-07-01
THE ANNEXATION OF CUBA
URGED BY SENATOR ELKINS

first step. IN my Judgment. toward the
Generalization, In this a disintegration.
of our republican Institutions
Have We not already acquired the
Philippines. Hawaii. Porto Rico. Guam,
Danish West Indies-terrItcry with for
eign inhabitants and alien to our race.
to our habits. and to our customs,
much more SO than Cuba and the people
of Cuba? Did we not absorb California,
New Mexico and Arizona with foreign
people, with Indians and Mexlcans? Yet
we have weathered the storm and made
progress In our national life.
Acquired All But Best.
"In all OF our acquisition CT ISLANDS
reaching LOO miles east and nearly
ten thousand miles west, we have failed
to get the most desirable and most i'm
portant one-the one nearest to our
doors, and the one which would be of
most benefit and service to US, to Wit.
Cuba. about the acquisition of which
there has been century OF controversy.
The trouble is, that the Senator's own
amendment makes annexation not only
possible, but certain.
Have we not done enough to make
Cuba our friend for the next thousand
years? What more can we do for her?
III she will not be our friend now,
what will make her our friend, | beg
to inquire; why talk about making sac
rifices to have Cuba our friend? Cuba
need us more than we need Cuba; Cuba
needs our friendship more than we need
1. nit fhA, ff-fh q hIr
do not think she can get on very well
without u.s. / can not understand this
fear of not doing enough to keep Cuba's
friendship. 1t reminds me of the hys-
teria which prevailed before and fol-
lowing the Spanish war. Somehow or
other we cannot speak of Cuba or deal
with Cuba without becoming extraNa-
CANT.
Just before the Spanish war the we'll
balanced, conservative. judicious. and
iudicial-minded senior Senator from
Ohio gave away in his hot zeal to prais-
ing the Cuban government and said that
sne had a government organized In ali
departments and very efficient postai
system. and exclaimed that her presi-
dent ard vice president would compare
fsyorably with ours. | quote his words:
Mr.. Roots Remarks.
Following the war our able Secretary
of War, who conquers with MS cola'
frosty intellect, who never had not
thought. never knew the pleasure OF be-
ing swayed by a passion in his life, de-
Iiberately declares in his annual report
to the President on the subject of Cuba
that the safety of Cuba is the safety OF
the United States. Here are his words:
For the peace OF Cuba is necessary
TO the peace Of the United States; TIE
health of Cuba is necessary to the health
of the United States; the independence
OF Cuba is necessary to the safety ei the
United States.
Now. who on earth believes that?
This is on a par with ell the statements
here We can not keep the peace of the
limited States If Cuba does not have
peace. We can not have health in the
United States unless Cuba has health.
The health OF Cuba IS necessary to the
health of the United States. The indie
pendence CT Cuba is necessary to the
safety of the United States. Ii Cuba
should disappear from the face OF the
earth or should go On as she Is doing
now. do you think anything OF that kind
would stop the progress OF this great
Republic? What extravagant talk! Ana
1t is everywhere; it is all through the
country; it is epidemic.
Let Tariff Alone.
There is no precedent for increasing
OF lowering duties by legislation cn the
products of one particular country. Tar
iff schedules are always framed as a
whole and left to stand until another re-
vision by Congress. The tariff should
never for any reason be changed by
legislation except as whole. You can
not take links out of chain ard still
maintain the strength of chain, or
claim vou have a chain at all.
"Recip-ocity has always been Effected
through treaties. There are now pend
ing in the Senate twelve or fourteen
treaties providing reciprocity why
should Cuba be made an exception to
this rule?
..The reciprocity asked with Cuba
now is not the reciprocity advocated by
Blaine. Harrison, Mckinley. or Roose-
Welt. Neither one of these great states
men has ever advocated reducing the
tariff by legislation On few articles
to the injury CT any AfEerieah ItuusttS
and calling it reciprocity Mckinley
would never have dore so, and nothing
he ever said warrants any such belief.
President Roosevelt has never advo-
Gated any such doctrine. In his annual
message he used this language:
Reciprocity must be treated as the
handmaiden OF protection. Our first
duty is to see that the projection grant
cd by the tariff in every case where it
is needed is maintained. and that reci-
procity be sought for. SO far as 1t can
be safely done, without injury to any
Of our home INDUSTRIES
Further On in his message he defines
what reciprocity is, and his definition
aecords with that Of Mckinley, Blaine,
and Harrison.
Insane Indians to Go to Canton, S. D.
The eight Indian inmates of the Gov