New-York tribune., 1869-05-25
n0NrERNING MASSACRE.

CONCERNING MASSACRE
Early in February the Cuban leader Cespedes
addressed the Government of the United States
manifesting, among other things, that in the
hope Of speedy recognition he had not adopted
the policy of reprisals against the constant
atrocities of his foe The Cuban Junta to-day
answer the charge that the late decree Of muir
der by ValmaSeda was anticipated by one from
Cespedes equally merciless. They show indl-
rectly that Cespedes had paused, as he himself
said, before determining upon any measure
of general retaliation. His proclamation
to this effect Of which wo published
translation, bears date of the 18TH
February, and is the one upon which the
Spanish agents rest their defense of Vama-
seda's bloody decree of April. After recount
ing the crueties committed on his captured
soldiers, and instancing his own forbearance,
Cespedes feels provoked to decree "reprisal
against the enemy in its most ample terms ;
"blood for blood; execution for execution; ex-
termination for determination" These are
desperate words, and uttered by man OF Will
We are inclined to believe the Junta when
they say that Count Valmasedas order was
not Immediately excited by this decree. With
or without code, he had, in all probability,
been previously exercising his talent OIL
assassination in the neighborhoods which
he had overawed. Valmaseda IS SAID to pos
sess fat head and a cruel heart and :like many
other provincial veterans of Spain is not
| troubled with piteOus scruples. He must have
practiced a great deal in the art of killing be-
| fore he could find in his heart to decree the
death of all males over fifteen years OF age
| found absent from home without proper cause,
| together with the destruction OF houses ana
something like violence of suspicious sort
| IN deTenseless women. The order OF Cespeues
| following his proclamation is more cOnsiderate'
since il grants pardon to the Spanish soldier
and nunishes the native traitor according to CIR
cumstances Cespedes, it here appears, has
sbrewdly availed himself of what he considers
n fierce necessity to direct a deadly threat
against such natives as fight in the Spanish
ranks. He may have aimed Mt the moblllzed ne
groes and mulattOes of whom we have Iately
| heard. c:,
The Junta have not referred to the Spanish
nroelamations of massacre antecedcnt to the
| decree of Cespedes and we shall here endeavor
to refresh theirs and the general memory Inc
| first proclamation of Valmaseda, issued Mt
| Verticntes, was a decree of death. On the loth
of October, Gen. Mena, in Puerto Principe,
officially directed all insurgents to be shot, and
| prescribed the same fate to their instigators
and cOncealers. On the 10Th of October, at
Manzanillo, Col Reguera proclaimed that all
residents who did not show themselves in forty
eight hours should be shot. On the 18th OF
! October Gen. Ravenct, at Santiago dc Cuba,
ordered all insurgents 10 be tried by court
martial and shot. Worse still, at Manzanlllo,
| on the 10th November, Nalmaseda attained the
climax OF military barbarism and despotlsm.
| He ordered that after date insurgents or CON
spirators, those who will edit print or cIrcu-
| late subyersiye writings or ners, those WHO
may interrupt or destroy teegrapho commu-
nication, and those generally who may aid or
abet tho eDcmy,-should he shot We
| have good reason 10 suspect that orders
| such rs these were subsequently issued
by Spaniards in other parts of the country
Who doubts that hundreds fell victims to these
butchcrly and cowarlly decrecs7 Gen. Cespedes
has at least the plea in his favor OF having
| been most intensely and savagely provoked TO
rcprisal. That his decree is not an IN
discriminate license 70 slaughter makes
| il comparatvely moderate, but even ITS
moderation must shock a public unused
10 the spectacle of war fought out on both
sides with all the tragedy of an ineradieable
hatred. IL is plain that Wc have not yet begun
IN realize the savage earnest Of the war III
Cubo. For the sake Of civilization and OF the
future We wish that we could successfully
ulead or protest against ITS horrors