Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1895-08-15
Old WARS RECALLED
In q Plea Fur Justice Toward Men
A Now Fighting In Cuba.
% the Spaniards Alone Be-
longs the Blame.
Justice, Patriotism and Humanity Demand the
p Nations capituIatIon.

New YORK, Aug. 10. "A prominent
member Of the Cuban party In New York
qity has received n copy OF El Quijote
(Madrid) containing the Objectionable
article which the Spanish government
tried to suppress. IL was written by
Senior Margall, one OF Spain's foremost
Republican politicians, who was one Of the
presidents OF the Spanish republic before
Martinez Campos placed Alfonso XII on
the throne, thereby again roestablishing .
monarchical form OF government.
The article caused sensation among
Cubans I'm New York. This Is transla-
tion OF IL by The World:
We should work to re-establish tho prin-
ciplcs OF justice. No nation has the right
to occupy territories populated by other
people unless with their consent II n ma
tion occupies them by force, those con
quered can at any time fight them until
they drive them from their soil.
There is no possible limitation. Moth
Ing can limit the right TO freedom and in
dependence. Whenever this principle was
applied to our life, did we Spaniards un-
derstand soY For centuries we fought for
our independence, and tho limitation Of
centuries made no difference.
l<ct us De JuSUn W tnOsc WHO are HOW
fighting In Cuba. We should have given
them long ago the autonomy to which
they have an undisputed right. We should
have united them to the metropolis by the
ties of common interests only, national
and international. We would have thus
prevented not only the present war, but
also that of 1863. How much blood and
how much treasure we should have saved
by this conduct.
If there Is now war In Cuba Ii Is all our
fault. 1t is our duty to mend our error
and stop it. The war of 1868 lasted 10
years, and we could only stop it by
treaty. We then allowed the Cubans the
rights and liberties enjoyed by Puerto
Rico-the treaty by which we will have TO
end the present war if we are not beaten
by Cuba.
Seventeen years ago wes~gave them lib
erty. Let us make them now the owners
and arbiters Of their dcstinies. Let us al
low them to govern themselves politically
and economically; and in order that they
may be grateful for our generosity, let us
help them to their autonomy
Without Disturbance or BIoodshed.
The feeling of patriotism is invoked
against this conduct. Above the feeling
y,
and, above all, the feeling OF justice. Cuba
is the graveyard of our young men. In
these deplorable wars our soldiers die
there by the thousands; some on account
Of the climate, and others by the lead and
steel OF the enemy. The greater part of
them go there by force, and fight for a
cause with which they are not in sym
pathy.
Is 1t even human not to try to find the
means of saving the lives of these menp
1t is irritating TO hear one day and an
other that 1t Is necessary to send to Cuba
regiments and recruits in order to finish
with the rebels, and uphold and establish
the national sovereignty.
1t is easy TO stay at home and send others
to die, and it Is easy, too, not to know
anything about the war, but by reading
descriptions Of the battles by our firesides
In winter and under the shade of the trees
In summer.
The national sovereignty Is it that the
nation in order to be sovereign must alb
sorb the life Of the groups that make 1t
up? Is it that sovereignty must carry
along with it the slavery Of the coloniesp
It's sovereignty limited to the national in
terests, IL must be circumscribed to the
life of relations to the colonists.
National pride is also invoked to con-
tinue the war, as II it were dishonorable
to a nation to grant what Is just. Would
the honor of the nation suffer less by con-
tinuing the war and losing in the endp
Was it mora honorable for us to have to
ratify Mexico by the peace of CordodO, the
plan of Iguala, and to sign in Peru the
shameful capitulation Of Avacucho2
The war will increase our already des-
perate economic situation. It's only three
months since the war was begun, and al
ready it has cost $7,O0O,OOO in the last
budget made up before the war.