Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1895-11-21
The RESURRECTION w CUBA.
Efforts OF the People to Secure seif-Gsv-
~,,.-

eminent.
Orr knowledge Of the facts of the in
-surrcetiou now in progress in Cuba Is
far from satisfactory. While one can
hardly pick up a daily newspaper with
cut finding soule dispatch concerning
the struggle, it is impossible to deter
Esine how far the published statements
have been colored by In authorities.
Spanish or Cuisan. by whom they have
been prepared.
The silent facts Of which we may be
sure arc that TIE insurrection has been
ia progress for a number OF months.
and has extended over a large part ct
the Interior Of the island. that spain
has Srnt over her ablest general, with
tens Of thousands Of soldiers. 70 crush
II; that the insurgents. far from yield-
ing. have adopted the constitution Of a
rrruhiIc. and chosen n president anil
other officers.
When We remember that a Previous
effort e achieve the Independence OF
the ISLAND resulted in a war Of y years
length. filled with atrocities hardly par
allie led even in similar conflicts. the inn
mediate outlook is hot inviting 70 tn.
lover Of peacf-
The history of Cuha in this century il
little more than a dreary record of un-
suc'-.ssful attempts at liberty. ut drs,
TIN. attempts were peaceful. The con-
situation Of spain in fSt2. A. a result os
the Maps leouic wars. guaranteed a GER
tain representation to the CubanS.
Through the successive defeats of the
liberal narty in Spain. this provision
WAS never enforced; and when. in $3.50,
Queen Isabella finally accepted the con-
stiuutiOn. the eorteS voted bv an over
Nhelmiug majority thai Cuba should
enjoy none OF the privileges which il ex-
tended to the SpaniartiS themselves.
Since then. TO most Cubans. liberty
amt independence ave mean the same
thing. The rule of the governors GEN
eral has been absolute To n degree which
it IL hard for an American to realize.
1t is true that Il small party has con-
tinued 10 hope that some measure OF
sell government might be gained with
out separation from the mother eoun-
~ ~ nv tRAAEfC-tbnE Nv WHICH the
'ong insurreetion of 1s6s-1ss0 was
brought to a close proved of no practical
value. The grasp of Spain ON the col
ouy planted nearly 100 years before tn.
settlement Of our own jamestown has
remained firm while both the northern
and southern continents of America
have been freed from European control.
Whatever ones views as to the right
or wrong of the present uprising. it,
general similarity to the struggle that
resulted IN our own independence cam
- be denied In the matter of -riev-
ances in fact. most of US will be in
clined TO think that the Cubans have
even greater right to complain than dill
the British eolonists in II16. The char
acter OF their warfare. with its numer-
ous small engagements and its slow
progress. Is also not unlike the earlier
campaigns of the revolution.
Now. - then. the sea power is almost
entirely IN the hands of the mother
country and consequently the insur-
gents r mainly confined to the inte-
rlor- The advantage Of a disciplined sol
ciery is on the same side. The eiinase
OF the island is. however. a help to the
Insurgents such as our fathers did not
possess: toe we see it constantly as.
serted hat the yellow fever is provin.
far more fatal to the troops from Spain
than all the bullets of the rebels.
his similarity of the Cuban struggle
10 the revolution. the nearness Of thu
island To our shores. and the intimacy
or its commercial relations with this
cOunry have made the Cuban question
a matter of practical political impor-
lance with us. That the sympathies Of
most Americans are with the party OF
Independence II evident to everyone. II
II further asked. however. whether this
sympathy may not properly be ex-
pressed by some act of our government.
The contention that the United States
shouidat least recognize beIIigerent
rights of the insurgents draws a certain
strength from the fact that Spain ae-
corded such recognition 10 the south
ern confederacy within a DAYS after
The firing on Sumter. But we should
not repeat, in retaliation. what we then
regarded as a most unjust and unfriend-
ly act.
some competent Judges are of the
opinion chat the according of beIliger-
ent rights to the Cubans by a first-class
power would turn the scale in their
favor II seems certain that the Gu
ban themselves are looking 10 us from
their mountains with some expectation
Of encouragement. IL not of active helm.