New-York tribune., 1903-02-10
CURA. AND OTHERS.

.- da,-s 400 q foolish and careless rnnor
,s so+ a1oat that secret agents Of the German
Government had been surreptitiously making
Soundnrs In the harbor of Havana and photo-
,ranbinr the Notifications Of that city 1hefe
was of course 10 truth in IT. and prooapN
nobody but highly imaginative or oVerherFou'
neonIe gave moments serious attention 10
II There was however. general leehns'
WILDLY expressed that If the rumor had peen
1rue the reported acts would have consuIuteu
= grievance and a menace when Ihe Chlteu
States could scarcely avoid noticing III Pido
tical manner This country is. as II mas peen
for fourscore years, particularly jealous u
ruba. and is not inclined 10 tolerate any at
+o,,n+s of any foreign powers TO get possession
- +t,+ island or even TO exert in it an influence
stronger than and antagonistic to our own
That is quite right. But how about our own
relations with Cuba? We cannot play the part
of the dog in the manger- We nave a rISn' "
saw that our relations with Cuba shall be more
intimate than those of any other nauon. but
with what grace could we say that we "ouiu
rot cultivate intimate relations with Cuba and
would not permit any other nation to 90 so!
Such an attitude would be unreasonable, un-
inst and intolerable. Yet as a matter OF 1ac''
rrecisely such an attitude is what this country
is being dragged toward by those who are
delaying and striving to defeat the conclusion
of commercial treaty with Cuba.
Cuha is not another Athanasius, to stano
against all the world. She wants. she needs,
to make intimate commercial and financial re-
Iations with some other older, larger and rlcher
country Her first choice naturally is the
United States. She is impelled to that cholce
by geographical proximity, by industrial anu
commercial affinity, by memory OF the part
played by this country in securing her freedom
and her rehabilitation, by many potent motlFeS'
sentimental and practical But she cannot wait
outside closelocked door forever. her
knocking is not answered, she must move ana
try some other door. Suppose she should 90
so, Suppose she should negotiate with Ger
many or England such treaty as that which
she offers us, The whole English vocabulary
would be insufficient to express the wrath or
some of the very men who are now opposing
ratification Of the pending treaty
If is time for the United States to realize the
facts in the ease TO see bow ungraclous a
mart is that of the dog in the manger, and
TO understand what it is actually losing and
what more ii is gravely imperilling by this
shilly-shally policy Oh a great question of ma
tional interest and national honor. If this
country really wants to repel Cuba ana 10
drive her TO the embraces of some other ma
ton let 1t frankly say so, and not complain
or bluster if it is taken at its word. But if
il wants TO vindicate its own honor and
promote its own interests by fulfilling Its
pledges TO Cuba and establishing with that
island the relationship which it has insisted
upon for so many years, it ought without
further delay to put its professions into prac-
tice The administration has wisely and well
marked out the way. It only remains for the
Senate to fellow therein, with ratification of
the pending treaty.