Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1873-12-02
Our Affair with Spain.


Of our difficulties with Spain:
| II the United States don't have a
little cotillion party with Spain,
then the United States is unworthy
TO be considered first-class govern
ment. A more cruel and horrible
butchery than that of the crew and
passengers of the Virginus could
scarcely be imagined.
The Virginus was merchant
vessel, sailing under the United
States flag. She was captured at
sea by Spanish war ship, run into
the port of Santiago de Cuba, where
the captain, crew and nearly all the
passengers, to the number Of more
than a hundred, were brutally shot
by the Spanish authorities in Cuba.
The vessel was captured on the
high seas, and no proper trial was
held to ascertain il she was prop
er prize, and the men were slaugh-
tered before q hand could be raised
to save them. From the reports Of
the massacre which have reached
us, we have nothing left but to re-
cognize the fact that the United
States flag is no protection to a cit
izen of the United States any more.
The scenes in Santiago at the time
of the shooting were of the most
atrocious and bloodthirsty nature.
The feeling against Americans was
very bitter. and there was the great
est anxiety to have the victims of
the Virginius capture executed be-
fore anything could be done to pre-
vent il. rt. ~
This is by no means the first time
that outrages upon American citi-
zens have been committed with i'm
punity by Spanish authorities. The
flag has been frequently
iusulted, hut thus far the people
had ! orne it with great patience,
olly waiting and hoping that some- J
thing would be done to save us
from absolute disgrace. -
But nothing has been done. /
American citizens were imprison- f
ed by Spanish barbarians, hut the 5
American government took no step y
toward their protection. n
y American merchant vessels deal b
ng with Cuban ports have been in a
erfered with and outraged, and the D
American flag insulted by the Span /" /"
sh authorities. hut the American n
government made no movement to- p'
ward protection, nor to secure its II
lights in the Antilles. ll amly u
These outrages have been per- n
nitted to go on so long, without :
wen so much as one word of re-
that the Spaniards had
'ery reasonably concluded that the
United States Government either
lid not know when it was insulted
II it had no power to avenge out
ages to It's citizens and their prop
rty. Acting upon this. assump- p
ion, the insolence of Spain has \
'rown worse from year to year, and 90
he American people have chafed -
nder the supine conduct of their
until the awful afro
ity of the Spaniards, in the muir {,
ec Of the crew and passengers of Il
he Virginius, and the treating of n
he vessel as a pirate, has raised the
'hole country. The people have 81
injured as long as they can, and
ow they insist that something shall
e done to assert the dignity of our !
ag, and to show, not only to Spain,
mt to all the nations of the earth,
hat vessels, and merchandise, and 4
nen sailing under the stars and
stripes are to be protected from out
age. t -f'' - tA'a :
The people have waited patiently Z
good many years for the admins +
ration to do something, but they
rave now reached the point at
which patience ceases to he vir-
tue. Still the administration does
not move in any way that is salts
factory or earnest. ,t- IL
All over the country public
are being held, and the
people are expressing their feelings
on this important subject. The
lives of the slain cannot be restored,
but their murderers can be given
up; .ae vessel which is condemned
by Spanish authorities as a pirate
can be restored, and Spain can
give proper assurance that hereaf-
ter our vessels and citizens shall be
. f Il
IfSpain is unable to do this, is in
competant to inforce the DEGREES of
the government In Cuba, then there
is only one course left to the
United States Ii should send
sufficient naval force to Cuba to see
that American vessels engaged i'm
trade with the island were protect
ed, and that American seamen and
citizens were not brutally murdered
by some of the most barbarous
butchers that have lived since the
dark ages. Our commerce with
Cuba and her sister isles is of.
good deal Of importance, and must
not he interrupted in order that
Spain may safely send her war YES.
sels to chase our merchantmen on
the high sea, and fir upon them,
and insult the flag. The present
administration is the only one we
have ever had since the confedera-
ton of the Safes with which Spain,