The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-11-22


aroused to action our fathers in 1776. Yet
with all the disadvantages the Cuban
patriot has been brave and has fought a
good fight. Her sons have inhaled the
atmosphere of this liberty.loving country.
We can almost hear her agonizing cry for
help across the narrow channel that sepa-
rates US.
sOf the extent of the war and of the
actual condition in Cuba we have no accu-
rate information. The insurgents can send
none, the Spanish authorities give none.
Spain, thousands of miles away, by her
acts proclaims that it is war, a revolution,
not mere insurrection, nor the mad caprice
of a mob. A nation of 1900, 900, with
1000, 900 soldiers on war footing, is pour
ing into Cuba vast armies of men, mate
rial, supplies and munitions of war
emptying both her arsenals aud her treas
ury."
The speaker closed his address with a
tribute to the Monroe doctrine" which
he introduced thus: "There often comes
a time in the lives of nations as well as
of men when it becomes necessary to
walk in new untrodden paths, to brush
aside the cobwebs of tradition which OBJ
scure the views to grasp great living
thoughts and meet the problem OF grow
ing, progressive age-in short, to find
way or make it."
He quoted the example of England and
other foreign nations which had not hesi-
tated to extend aid to suffering people in
remote parts of the world and added,
"Godspeed to the Cuban patriot in his
sublime hope and his holy ambition. His
cause is lust, the right shall prevail and
in Gods own time Cuba will be free"
Governor Matthews was followed by
Gonzales de Quesada of New York, the
secretary of the Cuban Junto, Mr.. de
Quesada, made an impassioned and dra-
matte speech, appealing to the sympa-
thies of the audience for the struggling
Cupans and asking that they be recog-
nized as belligerents by this Government.
Resolutions of sympathy and promising
aid to the Cubans were adopted. The
resolutions also called upsn the Senators
and Representatives of Pennsylvaniaand
upon the two houses of Congress when
they meet to pass concurrent resolution
directing the President to recognize the
Republic of Cuba as belligerent nation"
A committee of the Philadelphia Brigade
will present the resolutions to President
Cleveland.
Captain w. w. Kerr, Assistant District
Attorney of Philadelphia. made the most
radical speech of the evening in favor of
the Cubans. Captain Kerr has gained
wide notoriety of late as the owner of the
steamships Leon and Laurada, which have
been accused of landing flibustering ex-
peditions on the shores of Cuba. Captain
Kerr boldly proclaimed his right under
the laws of this country to land men and
munitions of war upon the coast of Cuba,
and the burden of preventing him doing
this rested upon the maintenance of a
blockade by Spain.
He ridiculed the opinion of Attorney
General Harmon that the laws of this
country prevented him from doing this,
and asserted that under orders from Wash
ington every customs Inspector in the
ports of the United States has become
Spanish spy. Continuing, he said:
''And they might as well know that, un-
til Cuba is free, ships will constantly sail
from this country and land upon the coast
of Cuba men and arms, and furthermore,
if they keep their eyes and ears opep, they
will hear of another expedition being
landed in about ten days. They talk
about risks. We're willing to take the
risks
Captain Kerr spoke at great length in
this strain, and told of the oppression i'm
posed by the Spanish Government upon
the natives of Cuba, and asserted that if
this Government recognizes the belliger-
ency of the islands, and need men to go
there and fight Spain, he for one would be
willing to go. He laughed at the blockade
that Spain is maintaining and said that
there were miles and miles of the Cuban
coast upon which filibustering expeditions
could land daily without Spanish cruiser
being seen.