The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-01-04

with that of the Pharisee who ''stood and
prayed thus with himself: God, 1 thank
Thee that l am not as other men" Mr..
Twain's self-concelt and f-glorihcation-te
say nothing Of his indifference to right and
wrong-are something miraculous. Nothing
exceeds them but his falsehood.
Il is false that the Cubans have conducted
their war with barbsrity They are net q
base, a cruel nor a treacherous race OF Peo-
pie; and no instance can be demonstratedin
which they have gone beyond the bounds OF
legitimate civilized warfare.
1t is false that they have committed muir
der, assassination, rape, matricide, or the
other crimes which this literary mountebank
alleges.
1t is false that they have been ready to
sell their principles or their cause, or are
now ready to do So If they could have been
bribed the revolution would have been ended
long ago. If they could be bought up now,
it would not last a week longer.
1t is false that they massacre their pri-
soners.
It is false that they mutilate the blind and
helpless Spaniards who fall into their hands.
1t is false that the Cubans are half f-civil-
lied, ignorant, brutal, staggering semi
devils. We have known them long and well;
and gentlemen OF better principles, higher
honor, more genuine cultivation, more civil
lied and refined manners cannot be found in
any country. We have never had the plea
sure of beholding Mr.. Twain, either in his
ordinary costume or when dressed to appear
as a clown in the ring; but he must be much
more of a man than he has ever shown any
sign of being, to bear comparison with those
he so recklessly bellies.
We are happy, however, to say that in one
respect Mr.. Twain does not depart from the
fact. He says that the Cubans are fantastic
in costume, and this is true. Without organi-
zation, military education, experience, or re-
sources, they have been waging war for fifteen
months against an organized enemy possess
ing all these things, able to supply arms, am
munition, and clothing in abundance to all his
soldiers, and with q numerous fleet, which the
United States have just trebled, to guard the
Cuban coasts and keep the patriots from re-
ceivipg supplies Under these circumstances
the Cubans have necessarily fallen off very
much in the completeness of their wardrobes.
For instance, most of them have no shoes;
most of them have very poor hats, if they
have any at ALL most of them are in rags;
most of them are without medicines when
sick or wounded; and this interferes with
their personal appearance. In short, they are
in as bad a condition as was Washington's
army at Valley Forge. But they do not COM
plain of these inconvenience, for they possess
honest hatred of the intolerable oppression of
Spain, and a firm resolution to make their
country free and Independent. If their cos
tune is fantastic, their hearts are right their
purpose deserves the sympathy and applause
of all good men, and their cause is sure to
triumph in the end.
We say their cause is sure to triumph, and
our confidence is based not merely on its
justice, but on one of the reasons for which
both Mr.. Fish and Mr.. Mark Twain honor it
with their disapprobation. We refer to the
fact that the Cubans have not fought nor at
tempted to fight great and decisive battle.
Such battles are no doubt more snowy than
the guerilla warfare which they have adopted;
but with their small forces-they have only
10000 men armed with guns to cover all their
vast territory-and with their limited and
precarious resources, they are not sure of
being able to get any more guns or ammuni-
tion-it would be criminal folly, insanity, for
their leaders to peril all upon the issue Of any
single conflict. Their only safe policy is to
wear out their enemy by constant alerts and
harassments, and not attempt TO crush him
by any grand operations.
They cannot afford to run any risks, and
We are glad to be able to report now, as we
reported year ago, that their wisdom is
equal to the exigency of their situation.
Spain sends new army of 10000 men to
make good the losses of the last campaign,
and there is but one proper way to deal with
them. If the Cubans could obtain an un-
limited supply of arms and other material of
war, if they could arm hundred thousand
men for active campaigning, they could make
shorter work of it; but that is out of the
question. They must proceed cautiously,
taking no chances that they can avoid, and
keeping always in view as their object, to
use up their opponents without ever giving
them a chance to use up the revolution.
This is tedious method, and not satisfac-
tory to soldiers on the grand scale like Mr..
Twain and Mr.. Fish; but it is eminently salts
factory to all who wish for the emancipation
of Cuba, because it is the only way that is
sure to win.