The Conservative.
delegates elected by the Cuban people to
frame a constitution and determine the re
lations that should exist between tlfe gov
ernment of Cuba and the United States.
The calling of this constitutional con
vention to frame a constitution for a
civil government to succeed the military
one is evidence of the "pacification" of
Cuba and indicates that the time had
arrived for carrying out the pledge "to
leave the government and control of the
island to its people. "
The senate committee on foreign re
lations , without waiting for an official
report of the work of the convention ,
adopted an amendment to the army bill
empowering the president to make cer
tain demands upon the people of Cuba
and making their enjoyment of self-
government conditional upon the accept
ance of these demands.
Independence is commonly understood
to mean exemption from reliance upon
or control by
Limit Independence , others. Cuba then
to be independent
must be exempt alike from control by
Spain , the United States or any other
country. Congress , however , demands
that Cuba shall agree not to make a
certain kind of a treaty. This is an
assumption of the right to supervise the
treaty-making power of Cuba and thus
limit the exercise of a sovereign power.
It amounts to saying that Cuba shall not
make any treaty not agreeable to the
United States.
If Cuba is independent , it is , in re
lation to the United States , a foreign
country , and the supreme court of the
United States has so declared. The
senate demands that Cuba shall not
"permit any foreign power to obtain *
* * lodgment in or control over any
portion of said island. " Immediately
following we demand that Cuba agree
to violate this pledge. The government
of Cuba must "sell or lease" to the United
States lands necessary for cooling or
naval stations. " Cuba is placed in the
uncomfortable position of being required
to agree to do and at the same time not
to do a thing.
We also demand the right to intervene
in the internal affairs of the island ,
whenever , in our opinion , it may be
necessary to preserve Cuban indepen
dence and the maintenance of a govern
ment adequate for the protection of life
and property , thereby for all time sub
jecting Cuba to the "control and juris
diction of the United States. "
These demands not only infringe upon
Cuban independence but they willin-
involve us in endless trouble and dis-
sention. By the treaty of peace our
obligations in Cuba are limited to the
time of our occupancy. The senate
resolutions would require us to bo re
sponsible in perpetuity to the nations of
the world for the protection of life and
property in Cuba and without any
means of enforcing our will except by
var.
var.Are
Are the senate resolutions mere mcnn-
ngless memorials to be obeyed or not as
the Cubans wish ?
Coercion. Or is the president
to enforce obedi
ence ? Is he to say to Cuba : accept the
conditions we lay down or we will re
main in the islands forever and use the
army and navy of the country to main-
; ain our position ? Can we with honor
to ourselves and justice to the Cubans
do this ? How may we reconcile such an
abbreviated form of independence with
; he absolute and unconditional pledge
we gave them ? Cuba is no more bound
; o receive instruction from the United
States in the establishment of an inde
pendent government than from the
British parliament or the Spanish
cortes. It is an unmanly defence to
assert that we may make demands upon
Cuba in return for what we have done.
We took up Cuba's cause for humanity's
sake and it is ill-becoming a self-respect
ing nation to demand pay for an act of
liumanity. We can better obtain and
merit Cuban gratitude by keeping oxir
promises.
The situation in Cuba is an extremely
delicate one. To intervene in the man
ner indicated by
Must Keep Faith , the senate is to
invite war. The
Cubans are already chafing under
the continuation of American occu
pation and , as Senator Morgan said
in the senate , the attempt to coerce them
will mean war. If wo leave them alone
there is the possibility of civil war.
The South American republics are in a
state of almost continual revolution.
Instead of a minority patiently and
quietly acquiescing in the will of the
majority they get up a revolution and
attempt to overthrow the government.
This , it is alleged , will toke place in
Cuba if our government surrenders con
trol. This might have been urged three
years ago as a weighty reason against
Cuban independence , but it is too late
now. Whether right or wrong wo then
declared the people of Cuba to be capable
of self government. And if wo would
be true to our promises wo must now
give Cuba absolute independence am
trust the result to Providence. Better a
civil war among the Cubans than a war
between Cuba and the United States
brought about by our perfidy. If oivi
war results or a condition of an
archy befalls the island , then wo
may , on the same ground we made war
upon Spain , intervene again in Cuba and
establish order , and perhaps by tha
time the people of Cuba will be con
vinced that their best hopes of liberty
and freedom lie in annexation to the
American republic. And if wo are true
to our pledges they will be convinced o
our honesty of purpose and will be con
tent to remain under our jurisdiction.
Sf "
The Morton -
MORE NONRESIGregson Packing
DENT PLUTOCRACY. Company of Ne
braska City has
commenced buying hogs and will start
; heir packing house in a few days. This
louse has been standing idle for a long
imo. Joy Morton has furnished the
money and energy to revive it. Fre
mont Tribune.
The esteemed advocate of the best
ntellectual and material development
of the thrifty city which is always full
of May days and good citizens , treads
on dangerous ground. Only last Autumn
he declamatory aggregation of J. Ham
uewis , Blarney Smyth , Oldham and the
Peerless turned on their phonographic
denunciations of non-resident capital
right here in Nebraska City. Those
sweet saints warned us all that owner
ship should be vested only in residents
and that management also could safely
be entrusted solely to fellow citizens.
"Oh , my friends , if we lose this time
when we are fighting for that delicious
song : 'My Country , 'Tis of Thee' and
struggling with bewildered zeal , to con
serve the Fourth of July , where , oh
where , shall the common and commoner
people find peace , rest and felicity. "
Think of it ! Two thousand hogs
wrested , at five dollars a hundred
pounds , from their rightful owners in a
single day at Nebraska City by a capital
istic combination of non-residents 1 How
can the peerless protector permit this
wickedness ?
We call attention
PROTECTION to the article by
OUTGROWN. General Stevens
published in an
other column , showing how this coun
try has outgrown "protection , " and
how the advantage it gives certain man
ufacturers is made use of by them to
exact high prices at homo , from our
own people , while giving .low prices to
foreigners. Unquestionably all "pro
tection" which is thus abused should be
summarily abolished , and it will be
abolished as soon as the people generally
learn the facts.
FORESTRY LEGISLATION.
The state senate has passed Senator
Arends' bill designed to encourage for
estry in Nebraska by providing that the
increased value of property by reason of
growing such trees shall not be a subject
for taxation , which virtually means
that the trees so grown will not be
taxed , although they will undoubtedly
be of value. The bill provides that the
portion of a fanner's land devoted to
tree planting shall bo limited in order
to benefit by the new law , and there are
other restrictions and provisions. This
is a small step in the right direction.
Nebraska is one of the states most need
ing legislation for the promotion of
forestry and friends of the movement
will bo pleased to see its popularity grow
until the state is converted into a picture
land of groves and forests. Norfolk &y i'
News. * $ * # "
