The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-11-24
AN OUTRAGE ON AN AMERICAN
CITIZEN.
The State Department Criticised for
Not Being More Active IN Protecting
American Citizens.

The State Department Criticised for
Not Being More Active IN Protecting
American Citizens.
From the New Orleans Times D emocrat.
Yesterday, as our readers no doubt OBJ
served, we published the narrative of a
gross outrage committed by the police of
Cuba upon Mr.. P. c. Oglesby. journalist
of Georgia, and a native born citizen of
the. UnitedStates.
Mr.. Oglesby was editor of the Pennant
of Key West and in the columns of his
paper he expressed, in plain and out
spoken though moderate language, his
sympathies with the revolutionists in
Cuba, who are now engaged in a struggle
TO free their island from the tyrannous
domination Of Spain. 1t is presuma Die
that there is nobody. in a free country at
least, who will dispute that right which
MIR. Oglesby assumed of criticising the
acts of the Spanish government in the
island of Cuba, and of
enunciating on paper his hope that the in
surgents might be successful in achieving
their Independence There is hardly an
editor of paper in the United States, or
for the matter of that in any civilized
country where the press is comparatively
free, but exercises that right of express
ing his sympathies with one or the other
side when two sections of the same people
are engaged in intestinal strife with each
other And we are not aware of the ex-
istence of any clause in international law
or of any rule in the international ETH
quette that specially exempts Spanish
rule in Cuba from liability to criticism,
adverse or friendly, to structure inimical
or commendatory
But it seems that Spanish oficialdom
in Cuba thinks otherwise. Mr.. Oglesby,
after the expression of his sympathies
with the Cuban revolutionists, had occa-
sion to pass over from Key West to Ha-
vana to collect data in the island for
literary work on which he is engaged. 1t
came to the ears of the Spanish officials
that Mr.. Oglesby, friend of the revolu-
tiOnists-friend, that is to say, of their
enemies-was within their jurisdiction.
The opportunity was one not to be let slip.
So the said officials gave instructions to
the military police of the island to pick
quarrel with MIR. Oglesby, orqto trump up
a charge of his being in Cuba to assist the
revolutionists, on the strength of which
they could arrest him.
There was no trouble about making the
arrest. Citizens of New Orleans know
by experience how the thing is done The
police jostled and insulted Mr. Oglesby
as police elsewhere have been known to
ers and when Mr.. Oglesby protested
and perhaps strove to defend himself
against unprovoked personal violence, the
Cuban police arrested him on q chrrge of
asSaulting them. They didn't content
themselves with merely arresting him;
they bound him, they robbed him, and
they dragged and threw him into a filthy
prison, where he now lies, and where he
Will lie indefinitely without being brought
tn trial J1OlASS active no talon
by this country to have him liberated
That is how the underlings of foreign
government treat a citizen of the United
States, almost within sight of our own
shores The rights of an American are
shown as much respect by them as would
be the rights of a PatagOnian, and not
one iota more.
The craven pusillanimity that has been
shown by successive Secretaries of State
over this sort of outrages, which have
been of quite common occurrence for
years, is the cause that American citizens
travelling in other countries receive
neither respect nor protection. and that
American citizens at home are made
to blush so often for the disgrace
full treatment to which their couutrymen
are subjected. A patriotic American
reading the narrative of this brutal out
rage on Mr.. Oglesby, and learning that it
took place over three weeks ago, and that
during all this time it has been tamely
submitted to by our government, feels his
blood tingle with mixed Indignation and
shame, and makes him wish that we had
but month or two of a Viscount Pal
merston at our foreign Office, to teach
a few of these paltry aliens a lesson of
respect for the American flag and
American citizens, which they wofully
need.
We recommend to Secretary Gresham
to lay aside diplomacy in the matter of
this Oglesby outrage, and to try little
wholesome action for a change. There is
doubtless a United States man-of-war in
Cuban waters. Let the man-of-war be
ordered to Havana, and let the Spanish
officials be presented with the alternative
conditions of delivering up Mr.. Oglesby
within four-and-twenty hours, or of having
their city shelled. If any diplomacy be
needed let the diplomacy begin from the
moment at which the result of such de-
mand by the commander of one of our
men-of-war is known, but not till then.