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About Yale Alumni Magazine | View Entire Issue (Dec. 15, 1898)
Seda 6 hACUIMNI. U6WWEEEKLY iesihilidaintce tt L ence was one of the smallest that has listened to an intercollegiate debate in New Haven, there being less than 500 present. Rev. Joseph H. Twichell, ’59, as presiding officer of the evening, as- cended the platform at just eight o’clock and announced the nature of the contest that was about to take place. He wel- comed the representatives of the honored Princeton institution and told some amusing stories. He took pleas- ure, he said, in feeling sure that even if a Yale man did fumble, no Achilles of a Poe could snatch away a victory in this kind of a contest. He then form- ally announced the subject: “Resolved: That the United States should annex Cuba,” and introduced Conover Eng- lish, ’99, of Princeton as the first speaker, who would uphold the affirma- tive as Princeton’s choice. PRINCETON’S MAIN GROUND. In opening the debate Conover Eng- lish, ’99, of New Jersey, showed at once that the chief ground he and his asso- ciates meant to stand upon was the moral responsibility of the United States. “A grave national responsi- bility confronts us,” said he, “and all ordinary arguments used against annex- ation must be cast aside, for they cannot be made to fit this case. The very initiation of our policy towards Cuba gave a guarantee of the result for which the war was carried on, that is, good government to the island. To-day the United States holds the destinies of Cuba in her hand and the interests of humanity demands that annexation. be resorted to, for in no other way can disorder and disaster be avoided. Hav- ing driven the government of Spain forth, we are bound by every moral obli- gation to give Cuba the best govern- ment possible under the circumstances, and which the settlers and property owners Yightly demand from us. The altruistic interference in Cuba’s affairs has put upon us responsibilities which, we cannot shirk, and which can only be discharged through the. medium of an- nexation.” Mr. English made a favor- able impression by his self-possession and good delivery, and there was loud hand-clapping when he took his seat. YALE MET ADVERSARY SQUARELY. Ashley Day Leavitt, 1900, of Massa- chusetts, opened Yale’s side of the debate. He put his finger at once on the vital point, namely, the lack of evidence that the Cubans could not govern’ themselves, a point which Princeton answered only by assumption. “We can only repudi- ate our pledge to give independence to Cuba,” he argued, “on the assumption that existing conditions make it impos- sible for the Cubans to govern them- selves. Such an assumption as seen in the case of America and other nations is by no means certain to be correct. English statesmen believed that the colonies could not build a lasting gov- ernment and expected to see after the establishment of the Republic, all kinds of internal strife. If we form our esti- mate of Cuba’s ability at self-govern- ment, however, let us take a similar trop- ical Spanish-American nation—Chile. OFFICERS OF GLEE Chile after a long struggle succeeded in freeing herself from the Spanish tyranny and established a republic. It was not successful at first. There were many outbreaks and revolutions, but to-day she stands well among the nations and her securities are rated high in the stock exchange.” He instanced the failure of Great Bri- tain, the greatest of colony builders, to deal successfully with the problems of government in the West Indies and asked if the United States could hope to succeed where she failed. Great Britain had tried and tried hard to legislate and rule well but legislation while not cor- rupt would be perhaps unwise and would stir up native opposition to foreign control, until at last to: keep peace the West Indian colonies were made crown colonies. So it would be with Cuba. Foreign control would not be tolerated. The English and Latin races never would nor never could - assimilate and codperate, and the safer course would be to let Cuba work out her own salvation. PERMANENT CONTROL. Joseph Addison Jones, 1900, of New Jersey, Princeton’s second _ speaker, following the lines of his associate, dwelt on the position of responsibility in which this country found itself when the existing government had been dis- lodged, a responsibility for some kind of government to permanently maintain stable conditions in the island. He urged that temporary control would not discharge the, obligation of this country because when it was withdrawn Cuba would sway between anarchy and despotism, and at a great loss of life the troops of the United States would be obliged to go again into the island and this time subdue the Cubans. “It will only be a question of time,” he said, “when Cuba must be annexed, not only to keep her from disruption but for the safely of this whole country.” ‘He be- lieved immediate annexation was the best thing to promote the highest wel- fare of all concerned. | MISMANAGED ALASKA. The inability of the United States to cope with much smaller things at home such as the negro question and the spoils - system, was argued by Cornelius Porter Kitchel, L.S., of Ohio, Yale’s second speaker, as an additional reason for not annexing the island. He thought it would be harmful to Cuba because we could not govern it well and dangerous to the United States because as a state, and a state it must eventually become, Cuba would be entrusted with the task of helping to govern us, for which position she was not nor never could be fitted. Against the argument that some sort of territorial government be devised to fit the existing state of things in event of annexation, the speakers said that the only two known forms of such terri- torial government, a self-governing territory and a subject territory, would surely lead to statehood sooner or later, “a condition already discussed.” ‘“‘With the miserable spectacle of our misman- aged subject territory of Alaska before our eyes,” concluded the speaker, “how AND BANJO CLUBS. § Weer Marrirt, Manager. F. W. SHEEHAN, Leader Glee Club. C. C. Conway, Leader Banjo Club, ~ can we consider the annexation of Cuba?” ECONOMY OF IT CONSIDERED. Turning from the point of moral responsibility, Nathaniel Smith Reeves, ’99, of New York, the last speaker for the affirmative, touched on the economic side of the question. What better thing could be desired, he asked, than to bring the greatest sugar-consuming country in the world into the same union with the greatest sugar-producing country. That would be accomplished when the United States annexed Cuba. Under the protection of the goods laws the United States could introduce and aided by American capital, which must surely flow into the island, and develop it, it was no exaggeration to say that the entire wants of the United States in sugar could be supplied. Twenty million acres of the most fertile portion of the island was untouched and would remain so if not developed by Americans, and no one would risk their money unless a stability of government was assured. “And strategically,” said he, ‘“‘the island is of great importance whether for offense or defense. It commands the Gulf of Mexico, which means control over the Mississippi commerce, great now and growing greater. The nation which holds Cuba also holds the key to the isthmean canal, a point of no mean importance.” Of the pledge of Congress to give Cuba independence, he thought it must be broken as other pledges had been broken before in the face of some like grave situation. Con- gress did not know the true state of affairs in the island nor was it possible to know them. Mr. Reeves was elo- quent and at times full of force. His speech was so rapid, however, that some of his best effects in the climaxes were lost. DANGEROUS VIOLATION OF PRECEDENTS. Philip Cory Walcott, 1900, of New Jersey, who closed the opening argu- ments for the negative, pointed out a dangerous error in the violation of all precedents and the violation of that promise of the roth of last April “to give the control and government of the island to its people.’ The promise could not, must not be violated. “If it were violated our prestige of good faith before the nations would be de- stroyed,” said he, “and the benefit which might come from annexation in an economic way would not justify that.” Manifest destiny was a thing that had led nations and individuals astray and to a working of great wrong in the past, and the United States should look to it that she benefited by the lessons. YALE WAS STRONGER IN REBUTTAL. Thus far the contest had a Princeton color. A greater experience in inter- collegiate debating had given an assur- ance and confidence to her speakers, and they did their parts with ease if not with elegance.- Their gestures had been more natural and effective than those of their Yale opponents. Mr. English added nothing to the weight of the arguments for annexation in his open- ing rebuttal, the speeches of which, as Mr. Twichell announced, must last only 5 minutes. He held to the moral ground he had first taken and said that Congress must break the pledge because events which intervened between its making and the present time made it impossible to put it in force. Combating the strategic position of Cuba advanced by Mr. Reeves, Mr. Leavitt, in his five minutes address, said it was not now necessary to have Cuba a possession of the United States be- cause she already had a better one in the island of Porto Rico, where forces could be concentrated to better advan- tage. As to the key to the Gulf of Mexico, Mr. Leavitt said there was “already a choice assortment of keys to that gulf in the hands of other nations.” This looked like a telling point for the negative and a little hum of approval ran around the room when the speaker took his seat. It did not look so well, however, when Mr. Jones, who followed. quoted from Captarn Mahan’s writings, “an authority whose © word might have as much weight as that of his worthy colleague,” the statement that almost without excep- tion no other island in the world offered such natural advantages in a strategic way as the island of Cuba. He felt sure that legislation against the ignorant vote of Cuba could be had WILL THIS HINT . =. — HELP YOU ? Why not fill up the blanks on a part of your Christmas list with such things as a choice muffler, a cane of latest form, a mighty hand- some tie, some nice thing in leather, a rug, or any such thing which a man always likes? AS for the other side of the family, why not a lady’s silk umbrella, or a pair of reindeer gloves, fur- lined ? CHASE & Co., New Haven House BIk. Henry Heath Hats. FRANK A. CORBIN, TAILOR TO THE STUDENTS OF YALE AND TO THE GCGRADUATES in all parts of the country Address : 1000 Chapel Street, New Haven, Conn. You Know What you are getting when VOU buy - 2 Knox Hat. Ss ; which would free it from danger when admission to statehood became a fact. He would annex Cuba _ without Cuba’s consent if need be and instanced the case of Hawaii in support of his views. Mr. Walcott would not admit Hawaii as a parallel case for before its annexa- tion this country had waited a long time to make itSelf sure that the best results would come. He thought that to hold Cuba, an army must be raised and equipped for service there, and feared a heavy loss of life. Such losses for gains to a few capitalists were not to be thought of. Economical and political control of the island, Mr. Reeves urged with great fervor in his final words for Princeton. No Latin race on this continent had been able to sustain a stable govern- ment and it was not to be expected that the ignorant and wairing Cubans would be able to accomplish it.. When disor- der and internal strife began, then the United States must step in and do all over again at the sacrifice of human life what had been done last Summer, and in the end it must be annexation to save the Cubans from themselves. MR. KITCHEL’S GOOD SUMMING-UP. In closing the side of the negative and also the debate, Mr. Kitchel showed a good grasp of the whole situ- ation. He had seen where the weak point of his adversary lay and turned his guns upon it. Princeton,” said he, “rest their argu- “Our colleagues from [Continued on rosth page. |
