National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1876-02-19

fellow mortals. 1t is notorious fact thatin
New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and
New Orleans there are palatlal homes
reared by the i'll gotten wealth extracted
from this wicked system now established
in the Isle of Cuba-homes where men
and women, decked in magnificent robes of
costly silk and satin, and ornamented with
brilliants, read, day after day, of the ca
lamitous results Of slavery on that island, of
the suferings and wretcbedness ofthe strug
Cling patriots. Of the cruel butcheries and
unceasing strife, yet never reflect that their
comforts and luxurious life are built upon
the woe and destitution of that unhappy
people. To these upholders of human
slavery; to these jewellers in the misery OF
their kind to these aiders and abettors of
atrocity to these owners of human cattle
to this number, few who make many thou
sand mourn does the pungent force of this
bill directly apply. Some of these are
American philanthropIsts - men whose
names are familiar almost as household
words whose benevolent bestowments and
charities have met with unreStrained praise;
whose untiring efforts in behalf of the des-
titute of our own land is feature of their
existence, and whose names are connected
with the most eminent institutions for the
advancement of Christianity. Such men
as these are trailicking in human flesh and
blood on the Isle of Cuba. They are own
ers, breeders, users. buyers and sellers of
slaves men who will, moved by an in
satiate avariee, continue to own, buy,
use and sell in bondage their fellow.men
until the strong arm of legisl alive enact
ment wrests from their grasp the odious
privilege which they ROW possess. Chris
tan gentlemen, indeed, philanthropists and
charity giving people! Men who build
home reputation in America upon the i'll
gotten wealth wrcpched from the toll and
suffering of an oppressed people in for
eign cline men who claim as their right
to perpetuate a cruel system, and to
whip and work and torture human
slaves Christian gentlemen, who
when they speak Of liberty, mean the lib
ertyto Cypress people who are struggling
to free themselves from q more eXacting
and sterner and far less responsible despot
than was Haroun Alraschid in his robe of
scarlet. While the minions of Spain are
overrunning the island, devastating the
land. numbering the men, outraging the
womca and applying the torch, we have
Americans in our midst and American cit
liens in Cuba who stand by, in their caps
city as shareholders, with the lash, the
branding iron, and other instruments of
torture, ready to thwart any attempt of
that people to secure freedom, thus being
actually engaged IN perpetuating the
abominatle system on the island. Ameri-
can citizens can find other and more pleas
ant roads to wealth than through the mi
quities Of human bondage. The citizens
of this country are free, and Thoroughly In
the possession of the inalienable right of
freedom, and therefore should be pro-
hibited from continuing the fctters upon
those who ar less fortunate. Shall we cry
shame on Spain for her incessant brutal
ity 10 the Cubans so long as there are men
who claim the protection Of our flag en-
gagged in the nefarious business of aiding
and abetling Spanish inhumanity On that
island? Shall we look aghast at the
barbarous scenes in Pagan lands and smile
upon the merciless cruelties of Christians I?
Shall we menace Spain with Intervention
and possible war because of her long con-
tinued oppression of this province so long
as we tolerate our own citizens to engage
in buying and selling its inhabitants as
slaves? The wisdom and humanity of Mr..
Sp1inger's bill answers these questions in
a most positive manner. Let us cease to
talk, then, of SPANS iniquity until Amer
lean citizens now engaged in the unholy
traffic have washed their hands Of a crime
which is repugnant alike to civilization
and Justice. The President has repeatedly
urged them TO relinquish their slave prop
erty, but they persist in refusing and con-
seQuently the only effective remedy can be
secured through legislative enactments.