The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-10-05
CUBAN INDEPENDENCE.


The city of Chicago has given utteranee
to that sympathy which the American
people feel and should extend to Cuba IN
her desperate struggle to throw off the
yoke of an Old World monarchy. 1t may
be that the full-voiced protest of the Windy
City is triHe too vigorous for consistency
with our treaty relations toward Spain, but
leaving this aside, there can be no doubt
that Chicago has given expression to the
sentiment of the Nation, that Cuba should
be free.
The condition of the revolution in Cuba
is such as to amply warrant the extension
of such sympathy and the expression of
such a sentiment. For several months the
struggle has been going on between the
insurgents and the Spanish troops. The
tenacity and success OF the instruction, as
well as its spread over the whole island,
entities it to the name of revolution and
the insurgents to the more dignifed but
none less dangerous term of belligerents.
The first step toward the official admission
ofinsurgents to the rights of belligerents on
the part Of neighboring nations is taken
in the unofficial expression of National
sympathy for their cause. Mexico and the
Cuba this encouragement, and it would
not speak well for our countrymen to be
far behind their fellow-Americans in this
respect. Whenever it shall appear that
the Cuban insurgents embody a general
aspiration OF the Cuban people for Ma
tional independence under republican
forms of government the people of the
United States should be first in their offer
OF cheer.
1t may be argued that between the
United States and Spain there are treaties
which may be violated by an expression of
sympathy for Cuba. 1t must be apparent,
however, that this cannot be true. a treaty
may bind the United States as govern
ment against the extension of Official aid to
the Cubans in revolt, and may even go so
far as to require the swift checking of fill
clustering expeditions attempted to be or.
gained upon our soil. Beyond this, how
ever, no treaty can ever go. The peoples
heart cannot be chilled, nor their lips
sealed by treaty regulations from the ex-
preston of their aspirations for the more
perfect liberty either of themselves or their
fellow men.
In the case of Cuba her struggling pat
riots deserve the ready hand and cordial
voice of sympathy and hope from every
other people of the New World which
has already shaken Old World shackles
from its limbs. First among these
should be the people of the United States,
For this there are two reasons, of which
the first, and perhaps least important, is
that the trade benefits of the United States
arising out of Cuban independence from
Spain would be very great. The proof OF
this lies in the recent record of reciprocity
with Cuba.
The second, more sentimental and more
important reason lies, however, in our
own National history. We were the first
people on this side the Atlantic to receive
ike sympathy in a similar struggle for
freedom. We have set ourselves up as an
example to New World nations of the
righteousness of resistance to Old World
dominion and of the advantages of indie
pendence under republican rule We have
raised monuments and inscribed tablets in
honor of our heroes Of the Revolution.
We have received from our sister republic
OF Europe statue of "Liberty Enlighten-
ing the World, and have lighted its torch
upon our shores which look toward Cuba.
Her sons have caught its cleaning and
have thought they read its meaning and
have formed the resolution to be free.
And shall we observe their boIdness with
muue reserve and GOODNESS and refuse to-
voice message of good cheer and sym-
pathy? If we do it would be better to blot
out each letter and word which the friends
OF freedom sent us in our struggling in
fancy; to erase those lines of glory on
which is writ the story Of our fathers
high resolve for liberty, and our Nations
emblem lower from its place of pride and
power and quench Bartholdi's beacon in
the sea.