Salt Lake Tribune | 1902-09-07 | Page 9 | How and Why Presidents McKinley and Roosevelt Advocated Reciprocal Relations with Island

jiS j S I S S S ri S > l i > J nin How and Why Presidents McKinley and Roosevelt Advocated Reciprocal Recip-rocal Relations With Island m From McClurep Magazine for September Copyrighted Permission to copy specifically speci-fically granted Tho Salt Lnlo Tribune Reproduction from these column3 not permitted by law Moral Issues I are uncommon In the politics of a democracy for generally npeaklng the voter Is controlled In the exercise of his franchise by considerations consider-ations oC Immediate selfInterest The nernge voter docs not vote for that hhlch may benefit remote groups of human beings for whom he has only a theoretical Interest the average man desires to do the right thing the moral thing In politics 03 well as In the other relations of life but In politics frequently fre-quently If I nol usually the black of the wrong thing and the white of the right thing arc merged Into the dull gray of the easy and expedient thing to do so that unless a man has a moral Intelligence Intelli-gence far above the common run aCm aC-m n he Is likely to heed eloquent gentlemen gen-tlemen who tell him where his Interests lie 1 and he votes as he is told MORAL ISSUE IN CAMPAIGN Only when a moral I Issue may be reduced re-duced to n MS question of easily dls cirnlblc right or wrong when It maybe may-be put an simply and ns dramatically UK the contention between Punch and Judy vi 11 the people of a democracy nocepl a moral Issue In a campaign But when a moral issue IS l clearly marked I the American people vote overwhelmingly overwhelm-ingly for it Color an Issue with a sen tlmcijl mid too often the people will accept ac-cept It whether It l right or wrong Witness the fifteenth conntltutionnl amendment t and more recently the rise of Populism In the West I For forty years the Republican ptrty has boon tho party of sentiment senti-ment Iho party of moral issues Tbo campaigns of 56 nndGO were purely pentimcntal campaigns Thp sentimental senti-mental impetus which the Civil war I gave to tho Jltrublicaiis lasted them for a gcncralion niter Us closs ThC last national Issue of the Republican Repub-lican party which might bo called rlrlctly moral IssiK1 I was the one which pad when Iho I Lodge force bill died Protection was largely 1 n economic in l FUP sclfinterst governed tilt voters Sn did It In the Unanre campaign of 9G though the Democrats tried to raise amoral a-moral Issue for the cause of the downtrodden down-trodden and the oppressed In 1J100 the Democrats tried lo raise a moral Issue on our duty lo I the Filipinos bul I the cause that on II t Iho I pollt was Get all you can and kprp all you rcL Hardly by any stretch of piirllvun imagination I could the result In 1SCO be called a moral mor-al victory ISSUE IS PRESENTED But tadHy tho American people are r facing tho fint f really moral issue that has confronted them in a dozen years It is the issue which defines our obligation to tho Republic of Cuba and which is popularly discussed dis-cussed under the caption of Cuban Reciprocity The question is entirely entire-ly one of national duty and tho benefits ben-efits or drawbacks which may follow the performance of that duty nro mere incidents These Incidents whether they make un or break us should have no more weight nith this Nation In fulfilling Ito It-o to the letter and with th1 proper spirit than should considerations considera-tions of personal comfort affect a man who owes a note at the bank The manor man-or the nation that weighs convenience against honor In the balance Is losing moral fiber tho only thing that makes for power and glory and usefulness among men and among the nations of mankind RELATIONS IN BRIEF I Briefly put the relations between Cuba find the United States today are these Cuba adopted the Platt amendment to her Constitution after the explicit promise of President McKinley that ho would use his Influence to secure the reestablishment re-establishment of the reciprocal trade arrangements between the Island and the United States which Cuba had enjoyed en-joyed under the provisions of the Mc Jvlnley tariff law during the Harrison administration Then Cuban sugar waRn waR-n rnltl r1 to the United States free oC duty and Cuban planters thrived The Platt amendments to the Cuban Constitution Con-stitution may be justly called the value val-ue received clause In our promissory note to Cuba These amendments provide pro-vide among other things that Cuba may borrow no money except on thc approval ap-proval of the United Slates that Cuba will permit the United States to establish estab-lish coaling stations on the Cuban coast and Intervene in Cuban foreign and domestic do-mestic affairs whenever the interests of peace and good government demand It that the Cuban cities shall maintain sanitary arrangements so prescribed that It may not he necessary to quarantine quar-antine against Cuba during the height of the trading season U S CHIEF BENEFICIARY In each of these provisions the United States Is the chief beneficiary Whether Wheth-er or not we like Cuba or the Cubans the Lord has planted the Island so close to the American shore that It may no longer be Ignored If the Cuban Republic Repub-lic should get In debt to a foreign nation na-tion lo some one who might become an enemy or a great commercial rival ol America and If that nation should take possession of Cuba In payment for debts the effect of such an occupancy cither In war or in peace would be unfortunate i un-fortunate and perhaps disastrous to 1he United States A provision of the I Platt amendment prevents that The clauses of tho Platt amendment which give America the right of Intervention In Cuban affairs In cases of revolution II and insurrection protect absolutely millions of dollars of American capita In Cuba and make tho island a safo Held for American Investment I The actual cash value to the Americans Ameri-cans of this concession from Cuba amounts to millions of dollars annually This goes to American capitalists traders trad-ers laborers and small Investors But a clean Cuba as guaranteed by one of tho provisions of the Platt amendment tnoami Infinitely more even than the right of Intervention It has been demonstrated dem-onstrated during the American military mili-tary occupancy of Cuba that with proper prop-er sanitation Cuba may be us healthful n place as Texas Yellow fever Is unnecessary un-necessary but when It Is bred In Cuba It not merely devastates Tuba but It also stops trade all over 1 the South at a season of the year when evpry days hindered business costs millions of dollars dol-lars to American Industries in every part of the United States WOULD PAY COST OF WAR If the benefits of thin sanitary pio isbn of the Plait amendment could be gathered from American commerce and poured Into the national ticnsiiry on one ycal It would pay the cost of the war with Spain So much for the value received part of the obligation I Now for the promise lo pay That President Mc KI nicy had no authority to DIn the note for the American people that he would have exceeded his constitutional constitution-al powers In promising the Cubans that Congress would pass a reciprocity treaty If he had pioinlsel that no one can deny Cut If on the oilier hand President McKinley negotiated for material ma-terial benollts which ull American pco plo 1 art enjoying l dllr the American people l will be sneaks of the worst kind If they accept those benefits and quibble quib-ble about the authority of their agent < lo mako an agreement That UcKinlcy promised to uso his Influence to get a 25 per cent reduction reduc-tion in tho sugar duties < < for the Cubans Cu-bans is not a matter of honest dispute dis-pute That McKinlcy went to Buffalo Buf-falo to boffin the plop ganda of his doctrine of Cuban reciprocity ic evident evi-dent Ho was beginning to uutle his influence to carry out his part of the agreement IMcKinJeys unfin shcd work fell to President Hoosc volt HISTORY OF ENDEAVOR At this point It seems proper to pause In the discussion of the ethics of the cane for I Cuhnn rcrinroclly and consider con-sider the history of the nndcavor to establish actual I reciprocal I trade rela lons with Cuba by President Roose Ht and Congress at Its recent session ses-sion The contest was one of the most notable that Ponjrres3 has witnessed In a decade Involving as It did not merely Cuban reciprocity which was the game on the board 1 hut also a larger and more vital question namely shall what Is I known a s decency pre all In the yohcics of the United States To understand how the two questions became entangled it Is ne crssnry to know something of President Presi-dent Rooscvpli and something of the situation politically which faced bin1 hen hp took the oath of office at Buffalo Buf-falo As for the new President he was a strange and unknown animal to the average politician at Washington There politics Is iu business and generally gen-erally men who rue In or near the WhILe UOUJBO have their ambitions centered on Home prize in the political game To win the gameand to feed heir ambitions is meat and drink to hem They have no other recourse In life l when ambition falls or spends itself It-self I ROOSEVELTS POSITION But the man Roosevelt was of a different dif-ferent soit HR had other Interests than political Interests other diversions diver-sions other ambitions It was not everything to the man Roosevelt to be President It was not highly Important Im-portant In his scheme of things to have a nomination for the Presidency In 1001 It was not even a matter of prima consideration to this man to win In a fight To him It was vastly I more practical and hence moro Important portant r > to be on the right side of a Icslng l fight lhan to In by qucsllona tle compromises a fight which he believed be-lieved to be right The game Is nothing noth-ing to Roosevelt and I the politicians had a hard time getting this fact through their heads As the fall grew old and the winter of 1901 opened l the statesmen at Washington Wash-ington In the House and in the Senate Sen-ate found that they were facing a new order of things In the disposition of the Federal patronage it was this President Roosevelt guaranteed to every Congressman and Senator the right to disburse the usual patronage to which custom and tradition entitled them but the President reserved the right of veto If the character of the candidate was not up to the Presidents requirement RIGHT TO PROTEST Until Roosevelt came to the White House it had been customary for the Indorsing Senator or Representative to be the Judge of the candidates character charac-ter The Presidential mind rarely troubled trou-bled Itself with the personality of candidates can-didates for minor offices under the Government President Roosevelt gave the right of protest to the private clll zen of the community from which the candidate hailed and the result was grief for many statesmen Candidates were turned down right and left Hundreds of gentlemen whoso records rec-ords were hardly white and not even a fairlypresentable lavender were reused re-used commissions by the President oven after Senators and Representa ties had offered to take the responsibility responsi-bility for the appointments of these men And the Senators and Representatives Repre-sentatives aforesaid vexed wroth They felt of thn President looking for his soft spot they saw he would compromise compro-mise on any commercial Issue like the location of the canal or the treatment of trusts or the army and navy appropriation appro-priation bill but that on what he eon adered a moral issue PivhidenL ROOHC vclt would light They desired a fight they believed that a drubbing before the country would break the Presidents l Presi-dents Inlluence with the people So the I offended HtateKinen who were men of minor Importance and without national nation-al fame began looking for a moral 1s BY WILLIAM ALLEN WHITE AUTHOR OP ROOSEVELT CLEVELAND PLATT ETa + + + 1 + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + t + + + + + + + + + + + + + 4 + + + r + + r + + + + + + + 4 v + + + 4k i 1 < l ftt > > itrS Vj f < j + 5wfe E 4 4J 1 r + + rct L t v 3fV Jg + + t t > L aft + + a-ft Uv i + t + + + 4 + J + J r 1 C r + t + + + + + iri + + I J + + p + + I IE 1 + + I 3 r + < + + r I + i + 1gt 1 + + y + + 4I 1 s 4 S1dk + + t + 4 rt 7ifd + + + + 4 + + + + I + + + + + + + + + + + J + iv + S 3 S I + + 4 m4 + + L S I + + t + + + + I + + T + + + 41 r + t + 4 + + a + + I if c 4 + 1a 1 S f Iik + I 4 + J 0 is + + + + + + + ftts + + + + + > + + + ts A 4r > + + + + > + + > + + + + + + + J ti 1 T i ofr T T T T T T T sue and alumbled on Cuban reciprocity reciproci-ty And then the trouble began DEMOCRATS AGAINST QUESTION It was assume l that the Democrats would oppose the Administration on ao Important a question as Cuban reciprocity reci-procity and the assumption proved correct when It was tried In the House of Representatives There a sharp vicious struggle occurred and the President won by a decent majority A new national leader was developed In the House In the person of Long of Kansas who with the Presidents confidence I con-fidence and approval I led the fight for reciprocity In the House But when the fight got to tho Senate it changed from I a scrimmage to a siege Thero were nineteen Republican Insurgents In the Senate Of these It is fair lo say I that seven represented real beetsugar States These States arc Nebraska California South Dakota and Michigan Michi-gan With the Senators from these Stales the President maintained the most cordial personal and political relations re-lations The two Senators from Nevada were Republican recruits of such recent conversion that their Insurgency did not mean much more limn the unconscious uncon-scious reversion lo type and Senator Wellingtons post tion was temperamental tempera-mental rather than the sign of a personal per-sonal grudge But with the other Insurgents In-surgents there was more than a strong suspicion that they wore fighting for somelhlng other than their altars and I their fires Each of them had had trouble with the President over patronage pa-tronage Each of them had been compelled com-pelled to name a new man in some minor contest for a Federal office and each of them had said things punctuated punc-tuated with exclamation points not for publication but ns an evidence of good faith The Insurgents good bad and Indifferent In-different organized and agreed on u plan or scheme for reciprocity which didnt reciprocate It was known as the rebate plan Jt provided for a bounty to be paid to the Cuban Government Gov-ernment by the Government of the United States of a certain sum ot cash for every hundred pounds of Cuban produce sugar and tobacco admitted I Into American ports at the present tariff tar-iff rates of 103 per cent In the rebate I re-bate plan advocated by the Insurgents I I there was no provision that this bounty should ever get Into the hands of the planters who grew the sugar and tobacco to-bacco The bounty vas to go to the pconle J of Cuba through their treasury Of cour > e such a plan met with opposition opposi-tion from tho President He sent a special message to Congress disapproving disap-proving of the Insurgents rebate plan frankly and In plain words Thin was what they d lredto get the President Presi-dent committed They did not understand under-stand that he also desired to go on record rec-ord against the insurgent plan HOW THEY REASONED They reasoned that If they got the T9 t + f + + + + + v + + + + + H PresIdent publicly cornmlllcd to their plan the defeat of his plan which he clearly indicated in his messaco to be tho House = bill would be humiliating and with his defeat they believed the President would he discredited and distrusted by the country It certainly certain-ly I looked like a logical sequence of ovenls But one link In the syllogism the insurgents had overlooked Ihy fact that Cuban reciprocity Is a moral Issue and that when the American people are once convinced thai a question ques-tion contains a moral Issue they will support such an Issue with all their hearts Jloosevells mcpsase was an appeal to the people not to the insurgents insur-gents The Insurgents didnt realize this until they had enjoyed their victory vic-tory and Congress had adjourned without with-out passing a reciprocity Utw Then they heard from the people and found their defeated President victorious and their victory turned lo odium The losing fight for Cuban reciprocity reci-procity strengthened President Roosevelt with tho people of America Ameri-ca ns nothing has done alnco ho pledged himself to follow McKinlcys policy at the 3Iilburn house at Buffalo Buf-falo f fMADE MADE A DISCOVERY Congress adjourned without a reciprocity reci-procity law on the statute books The Insurgents went home saw the people began explaining and a funny thing happened Instead of glorifying in their victory over the President nearly near-ly every man Jack of the nineteen insurgent In-surgent Senators found occasion for telling his constituents that he was In pcrfert accord with the President that the President was the greatest statesman states-man scholar and patriot since Lin colns time and that while certain other oth-er Republican leaders were against Roosevelt he the orator of the occasion occa-sion had supported cver measure which by any hint or Indefinite Intimation Inti-mation had seemed like a Roosevelt measure No American President has more thoroughly or completely spanked a cabal of Congress by l tho shingle of popular scorn than President Roosevelt Roose-velt spanked tho beetsugar insur goats Cuban rcciprocit3r tho Roosevelt kind not tho insurgent rebate kind is ns certain to be an American law rs CongressIs to meet next December Decem-ber And the fight for decency In American politics the fight for clean men in Federal officois also won Right never triumphs in ono cause that it does not help decency in many other causes RELATION TO CUBA The relation of the United Stales to Cuba since war was declared against Spain has been cry much like the relation re-lation between the Good Samaritan and the man who fell among thieves on + + + + 4 + + + + + + + 4 + + = the Jericho road And yet before war was declared and during tho progrcis of tho Cuban rebellion against Spain there was another relation between Cuba and America which tho American Ameri-can people did not generally realize and few understood It was tho responsibility re-sponsibility of this Nation for tho conditions con-ditions In Cuba To comprehend Cuba today and our duty there It Is nocea snry to consider the situation In Cuba and Americas responsibility for It during dur-ing the four years preceding the Spanish Span-ish war STAPLES OF ISLAND It will bo remembered that under the provisions of the McKinley law passed in JS90 Cuban products were admitted to the United States free There are but two exportable staples In Cuba sugar and tobacco Under the provisions provi-sions of the McKinley law Cuban sugar planters thrived The sugar output ot the Island 1 touched Its maximum And because sugar Is the great staple of the Island there was prosperity everywhere every-where Labor found work at living wages Capital Invested generously Population Increased All Industries grew strong The people were con ten led Then came the WilsonGorman law under the Cleveland administration which put a prohibitive tariff on Cuban Cu-ban sugar The American market for Cuban sugar being closed the sugar industry In the Island languished Within a year it was ruined Labor was Idle for the Industries of the island i land l-and were dependent upon cugargiow Ing and all trade was paralyzed In Cuba DIFFERS FROM RICANS Now the Latin race differs a little from the American amalgam When the American forms a mob after the first impulse of rage leaves him he passes resolutions and appoints a committee com-mittee to do something The Latin mob organizes an Insurrection Coxes army In the United States was marching march-Ing when the < Idle laborers of Cuba opened the rebellion Coxeys men did little damage to property but every time the Cuban rebels found a sugar pKnmlion or a sugar mill they wrecked it It was the outward and visible 1 sign of their anger at Spain But the actual oppression of Spain was a small matter compared with the economic troubles that came when Cuban sugar was hut out of the American market by American laws l America was as much responsible for the Cuban rebellion as Syaln was Indeed In-deed when the Maine blew up Spain wu trying to settle the Cuban rebellion rebel-lion in the only way It might have boon scllled A Spanish agent was trying to negotiate a reciprocity treaty which would restore Cuban sugar su-gar to tho American market If the Maine had not beon blown up In the Havana harbor McKinley would 113 e