The Gavelyte, December 1908

CEDARVILLE COLLEGE. 177 Current Events. BY PROF. F. A. JURKA'l'. Within tne las t few weeks Cuba, emulating the example of the United States, has had a presidential election , resulting in the election of (;eneral Gomez. The events lea.din~ up to it are interesting and exciting. Under the Platt amendment. which is part uf the Cuban constitution, the United Stat~~ government stands sponsor for Cuba before the world. This is for the more 1.;unvenie11t auministration ,if the Monroe doctrine, and compels the United 'tates t•.i keep a vigilant eye upon the Cuban finances, to see that the Cubans do not obligate themselves , into bankruptcy to foreign nations or the citizens thereof, an<l thus compel said nations to send war– ships to the Cuban'coast. In considnration of assuming these responsibilities, the United States claims the right of interfering in Cuban internal affairs. In othPr words, the assumed re~ponsibility of protecting the infant republic against foreign aggression includes the right to punish said infant when occasion requiret-. About two years ago an insurrection forced President Palma to resign, and since then Cuba has been under American control with Governor Magoon as provisional executive. The election was a triumph for the Liberal party, and approves th e revolution. President Palma did not live to see the result. Portentious things are happening in Germany. Unlike France and En– gland, where the cabinet government is responsible to the people as represent– ed in the lower house of the ·national legislature, in Germany the cabinet is directly respon ·ible to the Emperor. There is a continual conflict between ab– solutism as represented by the Emperor and his ministers, and the people as represe nted by the Reichstag. The Emperor has the bad habit of getting intQ everything, anJ usually his foot gets in first. An article discussing German affairs was in::-erted in thH London Telegraph with the Emperor's sanction , and -at once raised a storm of indignation throughout the German Empire. 1'he upshot was that the Emperor was advised henceforth to keep his mouth closed and speak only through the medium of his ministers. The incident may give impt'tu. to the movement that desires to change the responsibility of the caLinet from the Emperor to the Reichstag. TliP d"ath nf the EmJH'l'Or nnd I >ow~ger MrnprPsR of Chinn 11111,rlrn au