Arizona republican., 1902-08-05

curbed; third, with a friendly consid- eration which shall insure her pros perity, stability and gratitude. He adds:
 Until congress met in December last, the people of the United States enter tained no doubt as to which of the three policies should be pursued. We were in honor bound not to neglect Cuba. We had never thought Of her as a commercial rival to be feared. but rather as a constituent part of our commercial system. Every obligation of duty and of self-interest demanded
 our friendly consideration. It may well be doubted whether one per cent of our people, before the assembling of the last congress, would have tolerated the idea that Cuba should be treated in
 any other way than as neighbor and
 close friend.''
 The senator explains how, during the
 winter and early summer, there devel-
 oped sentiment founded on misap- prehension and prejudice. and indus triously fostered by selfish interests. All at once, and without reason, the cry was raised that any reduction of the duty on sugar coming from Cuba would injure. strike down, and destroy the beet and cane sugar industry of the United States. Members and senators from states in which these industries were established became first timid, then needlessly frightened. lest thei. assent to legislation favoring reciprocal trade relations with Cuba would lose them their seats. Most of these sena- tors and representatives were republi- cans. They were few in number com pared to the whole body of republicans. but they were numerous enough. by joining with the democrats who were ready for any action which should di- vide republican forces. to prevent wise and necessary legislation; and so the contest began
 The senator explains that the sugar trust is probably the most unpopular monopoly in the country, and he shows how the prejudice of the public was
 cunningiy worked upon in the assertion that reciprocity legislation would play into the hands of the trust-an asser-
 tion regarded by the senator as utterly | fallacious. and he makes this pungent comment:
 Tt is a curious fact that while there is a popular belief that combinations and trusts control legislation in con- gress, it is nevertheless true that the | most effective means of preventing leg islation is to assert that trust or combination desires it. Even staid legislators lose their heads when the | vorinG a measure"
 The senator closes by referring to a fact to which The Republican hereto
 fore has alluded, namely, that the few senators and representatives who stood
 out against the president were wholly
 mistaken in their estimate of public
 sentiment, as witness the many fail
 ures of "beet sugar" representatives to
 receive renomfnation:
 Friends of Cuba in the United
 States have appealed from the mis- l taken sentiment of a few of it's legis-
 lators to the American people. That
 the appeal will not be in vain there are
 many hopeful signs. There is such a thing as public conscience in this coun- | try, and when once aroused it is alI-
 powerful. The republican conventions
 of those states from which objections
 to this legislation were most strongly
 urged, have shown. by resolutions adopted by them, that even in those l states the heart of the people is right | Wherever our true-hearted and cour-
 ageous president speaks for justice to
 Cuba and the performance of national
 obligation, the people respond as to To | will only need a reassembling of con- gress to demonstrate that our policy
 with regard to Cuba is not to be finally
 ohstructed by groundless fear CT sense less prejudice that our plighted faith
 is to be observed; that the United
 States is still to be the generous friend.
 the strong protector and unselfish
 guardian of the Cuban people: that the
 republic of Cuba is to be permanently
 maintained: that the pledge of the | United States is not to be violated either in letter or in spirit; that no
 movement for the annexation of Cuba 1 is to be started or supported here: but i that. as time goes on. Cuba. free and l independent. guided and aided by us in i the realization of her dream of liberty. will continue and remain an object 1 lesson to all nations of the high pur- | pose and noble action of the United 1 States
 The Freedom of Speech.