Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1870-06-16


would certainly make very excellent
Judge OF the Supreme Court, and if it i;
found more practicable to secure hi:
noraination than that of Judge Cowen
OF this county, We shall very cheerfully
assist our neighbor i'll his effort.
THE PRESIDENTS CUBANtMEssAGE
The President sent the following mes
sage to Congress late in the afternoon
on Monday:
".fo the Senate and House of Represen-
tdtiues:
"In my annual message to Congress
at the beginning of its present session L
referred to the contest which had for
more than year existed in Cuba be-
tyeena portion of its Inhabitants and
the Government of Spain, and to the
feelings and sympathy of the people and
Government of the United States for the
people of Cuba, as for all people strug-
Cling for liberty and self-government,
and said that the contest has at no time
assumed the condition which amounted
to q war in the sense of international
law, or which would show the existance
of de factO political organization of
the insurgents sufficient to justify rec
ognition of belligerency. During the
SIX mouths which have passed since the
date of the message, the condition of
the insurgents has not improved, and
the insurrection itself, although not SUBJ
dued, exhibits no signs of advance, but
seems to be confined to an irregular sys-
| tenn of hostilities carried on by small
bands of armed men, without concen-
tration, through the woods and sparsely
populated regions of the island attacking
! from ambush conveyances and small
bands of troops, burning the planta-
tions and estates of those not in sympa-
thy with their cause. But the insurrec-
ton has not gained ground. 1t is equal
lly true Spain has not suppressed it.
! Climate, disease and occasional bullets
have worked destruction among the SOL
diers of Spain, and although the Span
| ish Government has possession of every
seaport and town on the island they
have not been able to subdue the hostile
| feeling which has driven considerable
number of the natives to armed resist
ance against Spain, and still leads them
to endure the dangers and privations OF
roaming life of the guerilla. On either
side the contest has been conducted and
is now carried ON with lamentable dis
regard of human life, and of the usage
and practice which modern civilization
has prescribed as the necessary process
of war.
The war of the Spaniard and Cuban is
alike bringing devastation over fertile
regions, and murderous and revengeful
DEGREES are issued and executed by both
parties. Count Valmaseda and Colonel
Bolton, on the part of Spain, have each
startled humanity and aroused the in
dignation of the civilized world by the
execution each of a score ofsprisoners at
time, while General Quesada,. the Gu
ban chief, cody, and with apparent un-
concern, has admitted the slaughter by
his own deliberate order, in one day, of
upwards of six hundred and fifty pris-
oners of war. A summary trial, will
few, if any, escapes from conviction,
confirmed by execution, is the fate of
those arrested On either side on suspic-
ion Of infidelity to the cause of the party
making the arrest. Whatever may be
the sympathies of the people or of the
Government of the United States, the
cause or the objects for which "a part of
the people of Cuba are understood to
have put themselves in armed resistance
to Spain, there Can be no question, just
sympathy in conflict carried ON by
both parties alike in such barbarous
violation to the rules of civilized ma
tions, and with such combined outrages
upon the plainest principles of human
ity, we can not discriminate in our GEN.
sure of their mode of conducting their
contest between Spain and Cuba. Each
commits the same atrocities, and ou.-
rage alike the established rules of war.
The property of many ofour citizens has
been destroyed or embargoed. The lives
of several have been sacrificed, and the
liberties of others have been restrained.
In every case that has come to the
knowledge of the Government, an early
and earnest demand for reparation and
indemnity has been made, and the most
emphatic remonstrance has been pre-
sented against the manner in which the
strife is conducted, and against the reck
less disregard of human life, the wanton
destruction of material wealth, and
cruel disregard for the established rules
of civilized warfare. 1 have, since the
beginning of the present session of Con-
gress, communicated to the House upon
their request an account OF the steps
which l have taken, in the hope of
bringing the conflict to an end, and for
securing to the people of Cuba the bless
ings and right of independence. The
efforts thus made have failed, but not
without assurance from Spain that the |
good offices of this Government might |
still avail for the objects to which they
had been addressed, During the whole |
contest the remarkable exhibition has
been made of large numbers of Cubans |
escaping from the island and avoiding |
the risks of war, congregating in thi, |
country, at safe distance from the
scene OF danger, and endeavoring to
make war upon our shores, to urge our
people into a fight which they avoid, |
and to embroil this Government in COM
plications and possible hostilities with
Spain. 1t can scarcely be doubted that
this last result is the real object of these
der the deceptive, and apparently plaus-
ible demand for the recognition of bellig-
erency.
tits stated Oh what have reason to |
regard good authority that Cuban bonds |
have been prepared 10 a large amount, |
whose payment is made dependent upon |
the recognition by the United States of
Cuban belligerency or independence.
The object of making their value thus
entirely contingent upon the action of |
bnlS 0oVernmenI Is SuDJecC LOT serious |
reflection. 1 undermining the course to
be adopted on demand thus made for
the recognition of belligerency, the
liberal and peaceful principles adopted
BY the Father of his Country and the
eminent statesmen of his day, followed
by the succeeding Chief " agistrates and
the men of their day, may furnish safe
guide to those of the United States, now
charged with the direction and control
of the public safety. From 1889 to 1915
the dominant thought of our statesmen
was to keep the United States out of the