part05+-第44章

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fair　measures　regarding　these。　The　Foreign　Office　was　reasonable；



and　gradually　the　most　vexatious　of　these　prohibitions　were



removed。







But　the　war　with　Spain　drew　on；　and　animosities；　so　far　as　the



press　on　both　sides　of　the　water　was　concerned；　grew　worse。



Various　newspapers　in　Germany　charged　our　government　with　a



wonderful　assortment　of　high　crimes　and　misdemeanors；　but；



happily；　in　their　eagerness　to　cover　us　with　obloquy；　they



frequently　refuted　each　other。　Thus　they　one　day　charged　us　with



having　prepared　long　beforehand　to　crush　Spain　and　to　rob　her　of



her　West　Indian　possessions；　and　the　next　day　they　charged　us



with　plunging　into　war　suddenly；　recklessly；　utterly　careless　of



the　consequences。　One　moment　they　insisted　that　American　sailors



belonged　to　a　deteriorated　race　of　mongrels；　and　could　never



stand　against　pure…blooded　Spanish　sailors；　and　the　next　moment；



that　we　were　crushing　the　noble　navy　of　Spain　by　brute　force。



Various　presses　indulged　in　malignant　prophecies：　the　Americans



would　find　Spain　a　very　hard　nut　to　crack；　Spanish　soldiers　would



drive　the　American　mongrels　into　the　sea；　when　Cervera　got　out



with　his　fleet；　the　American　fleet　would　slink　away；　Spanish



ships；　being　built　under　the　safeguard　of　Spanish　honor；　must　win



the　victory；　American　ships；　built　under　a　regime　of　corruption；



would　be　found　furnished　with　sham　plating；　sham　guns；　and　sham



supplies　of　every　sort。　It　all　reminded　me　of　sundry　prophecies



we　used　to　hear　before　our　Civil　War　to　the　effect　that；　when　the



Northern　and　Southern　armies　came　into　the　presence　of　each



other；　the　Yankee　soldiers　would　trade　off　their　muskets　to　the



foe。







Against　President　McKinley　every　sort　of　iniquity　was　charged。



One　day　he　was　an　idiot；　another　day；　the　most　cunning　of



intriguers；　at　one　moment；　an　overbearing　tyrant　anxious　to　rush



into　war；　at　another；　a　coward　fearing　war。　It　must　be　confessed



that　this　was　mainly　drawn　from　the　American　partizan　press；　but



it　was；　none　the　less；　hard　to　bear。







In　the　meantime　President　McKinley；　his　cabinet；　and　the　American



diplomatic　corps　in　Europe　did　everything　in　their　power　to



prevent　the　war。　Just　as　long　as　possible　the　President　clearly



considered　that　his　main　claim　on　posterity　would　be　for



maintaining　peace　against　pressure　and　clamor。　Under　orders　from



the　State　Department　I　met　at　Paris　my　old　friend　General



Woodford；　who　was　on　his　way　to　Spain　as　minister　of　the　United



States；　and　General　Porter；　the　American　ambassador　to　France；



our　instructions　being　to　confer　regarding　the　best　means　of



maintaining　peace；　and　we　all　agreed　that　everything　possible　be



done　to　allay　the　excitement　in　Spain；　that　no　claims　of　a



special　sort；　whether　pecuniary　or　otherwise；　should　be　urged



until　after　the　tension　ceased；　that　every　concession　possible



should　be　made　to　Spanish　pride；　and　that；　just　as　far　as



possible；　everything　should　be　avoided　which　could　complicate　the



general　issue　with　personal　considerations。　All　of　us　knew　that



the　greatest　wish　of　the　administration　was　to　prevent　the　war；



or；　if　that　proved　impossible；　to　delay　it。







For　years；　in　common　with　the　great　majority　of　American



citizens；　I　had　believed　that　the　Spanish　West　Indies　must　break



loose　from　Spain　some　day；　but　had　hoped　that　the　question　might



be　adjourned　until　the　middle　or　end　of　the　twentieth　century。



For　I　knew　well　that　the　separation　of　Cuba　from　Spain　would　be



followed；　after　no　great　length　of　time；　by　efforts　for　her



annexation　to　the　United　States；　and　that　if　such　annexation　of



Cuba　should　ever　occur；　she　must　come　in　as　a　State；　that　there



is　no　use　in　considering　any　other　form　of　government　for　an



outlying　dominion　so　large　and　so　near；　that　there　is　no　other



way　of　annexing　a　dependency　so　fully　developed；　and　that；　even



if　there　were；　the　rivalry　of　political　parties　contending　for



electoral　votes　would　be　sure　to　insist　on　giving　her　statehood。



I　dreaded　the　addition　to　our　country　of　a　million　and　a　half　of



citizens　whose　ability　to　govern　themselves　was　exceedingly



doubtful；　to　say　nothing　of　helping　to　govern　our　Union　on　the



mainland。　The　thought　of　senators　and　representatives　to　be



chosen　by　such　a　constituency　to　reside　at　Washington　and　to



legislate　for　the　whole　country；　filled　me　with　dismay。



Especially　was　the　admission　of　Cuba　to　statehood　a　fearful



prospect　just　at　that　time；　when　we　had　so　many　difficult



questions　to　meet　in　the　exercise　of　the　suffrage。　I　never　could



understand　then；　and　cannot　understand　now；　what　Senator　Morgan



of　Alabama；　who　once　had　the　reputation　of　being　the　strongest



representative　from　the　South；　could　be　thinking　of　when　he　was



declaiming　in　the　Senate；　first　in　behalf　of　the　〃oppressed



Cubans；〃　and　next　in　favor　of　measures　which　tended　to　add　them



to　the　United　States；　and　so　to　create　a　vast　commonwealth



largely　made　up　of　negroes　and　mulattos　accustomed　to　equality



with　the　whites；　almost　within　musket…shot　of　the　negroes　and



mulattos　of　the　South；　from　whom　the　constituents　of　Mr。　Morgan



were　at　that　very　moment　withholding　the　right　of　suffrage。　I



could　not　see　then；　and　I　cannot　see　now；　how　he　could　possibly



be　blind　to　the　fact　that　if　Cuba　ever　becomes　a　State　of　our



Union；　she　will　soon　begin　to　look　with　sympathy　on　those　whom



she　will　consider　her　〃oppressed　colored　brethren〃　in　the　South；



and　that　she　will；　just　as　inevitably；　make　common　cause　with



them　at　Washington；　and　perhaps　in　some　other　places；　and



possibly　not　always　by　means　so　peaceful　as　orating　under　the



roof　of　the　Capitol。







Moreover；　the　nation　had　just　escaped　a　terrible　catastrophe　at



the　last　general　election；　the　ignorant；　careless；　and　perverse



vote　having　gone　almost　solidly　for　a　financial　policy　which



would　have　wrecked　us　temporarily　and　disgraced　us　eternally。



Time　will；　no　doubt；　develop　a　more　conservative　sentiment　in　the



States　where　this　vote　for　evil　was　cast；　as　civilization　deepens



and　advances；　better　ideas　will　doubtless　grow　stronger；　but　it



is　sure　that　the　addition　of　Cuba　to　the　United　States；　if　it



ever　comes；　means　the　adding　of　a　vast　illiterate　mass　of　voters



to　those　who　at　that　election　showed　themselves　so　dangerous。







On　all　these　accounts　I　had　felt　very　anxious　to　put　off　the



whole　Cuban　question　until　our　Republic　should　become　so　much



larger　and　so　much　more　mature　that　the　addition　of　a　few



millions　of　Spanish…Americans　would　be　of　but　small　account　in



the　total　vote　of　the　country。







Then；　too；　I　had　little　sympathy　with　aspirations　for　what



Spanish　revolutionists　call　freedom；　and　no　admiration　at　all　for



Central　American　republics。　I　had　officially　examined　one　of　them



thoroughly；　had　known　much　of　others；　and　had　no　belief　in　the



capacity　of　people　for　citizenship　who　prefer　to　carry　on



government　by　pronunciamtentos；　who　never　acknowledge　the　rights



of　majorities；　who　are　ready　to　start　civil　war　on　the　slightest



pretext；　and　who；　when　in　power；　exercise　a　despotism　more



persistent　and　cruel　than　any　since　Nero　and　Caligula。　No　Russian



autocrat；　claiming　to　govern　by　divine　right；　has　ever　dared　to



commit　the　high…handed　cruelties　which　are　common　in　sundry　West



Indian　and　equatorial　republics。　I　felt　that　the　great　thing　was



to　gain　time　before　doing　anything　which　might　result　in　the



admission　of　the　millions　trained　under　such　influences　into　all



the　rights；　privileges；　and