The Columbian

The only way for the administration to get around the solemn pledge of the United States to leave Cuba free, is to incite some disorder, as an excuse for prolonging the military occupation of the island. This is the way it was managed in the Philippines.

It is quite true that we had made no formal pledges to the Filipinos, for the reason that very few people in the United States knew anything about them and they were too far away for us to interfere in their behalf, though their attitude toward Spain was similar to that of the Cubans. But any government with old-fashioned ideas, when the Spanish power at Manila had been destroyed, would have put itself into friendly and helpful relations with the inhabitants, for the purpose of assisting them to establish a government of their own. Instead, the administration refused to acknowledge that the inhabitants had any rights and immediately got into a quarrel with them that has led to a continued war and the claim of absolute sovereignty.

This is precisely what some Republican agitators wish to bring about in Cuba now. This government has expressly disclaimed any intention "to exercise sovereignty, jurisdiction or control over said island, except for the pacification thereof." It cannot be pretended that the island is not pacified. Perfect order prevails and a convention of lawfully elected delegates is engaged in the establishment of a permanent government. Congress has already recorded the "determination, when that is accomplished, to leave the government and control of the island to its people."

We must, therefore, prepare to evacuate the island, unless we can pick a quarrel with the Cubans.

Various pretexts for a quarrel are suggested. The most prominent one is that the Cubans are 'ungrateful.' That is, they have taken this country at its word and have gone ahead to establish a government of their own, as a free and independent nation. They have not provided in their constitution for a military protectorate by the United States or a suzerainty over their international relations. After their long struggle for Cuba Libre, they have not offered to become a mere dependency of the United States. For this reason it is urged at Washington that their constitution ought not to be acknowledged and that the military occupation should be continued in spite of them.

The Cubans, as we know, are a proud and high-spirited people. If they find that the government of the United States is playing them false, it will not be hard to provoke them into an attitude of antagonism that will enable the President to say that the island is not yet pacified and the troops cannot be withdrawn. We do not believe the President is party to this conspiracy, but it is for him to defeat it, for its consummation would be a consuming disgrace. The American people submitted to great loss and suffering to make Cuba free; they will not submit now to have it deprived of its freedom.—Times.