The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-03-13
CUBA.


gone-to-seed European monarchy,
brow-beating, crushing, an | holding In
bondage a handful of people on little
island, situate within swimming dis
tance of the shores of this great
American republic, will be forever
gone.
Cuban independence will some day
prevail, but it is evidently not to be Sc
cured by instructions such as the island
is now suffering from and such as it has
TOO often suffered from before. Accord
ing to all accounts the Cuban patriots
who have actively engaged in the pres
ent rebellion are but a handful Of
all the patriotic Cubans and
for lack of leaders they have, in sheer
desperation, been compelled to ally their
-.fortunes with Cuban brigands, and their
cause was evidently doomed even be-
fore the unspeakable Spanish govern
ment sent a big war ship to the coast
and poured thousands of disciplined
troops on Cuba's shores. Some day
Cuba will find leader who is patriot
and not simply reckless bandit.
THE Spanish-American blood is not
fighting blood in military sense. 1t is
indeed far superior for war than the
Portuguese mixture such as prevails in
Brazil whose recent rebellion was OF
an absurd opera-bouffe character, big
ships and great guns and armies being
engaged in doing a heap of shooting
with mutual desire TO hurt as few COM
batants as possible for fear OF being hurt
in return. The SpanishAmerican is
fighter, man OF reckless courage with
vindictiveness and cruelty often promi-
nent elements of his fighting quality.
But he makes Indifferent material for an
army organization, much as the native
Indian did before him. The battles of
South American and Central American
wars have been, very generally, simply
hand to hand conflicts, often distin-
guished by desperate individ-
ual bravery on which success turned
rather than on military art, and
the armies of the Spanish
countries have conspicuously failed to
develop from inherent individual courage
the qualities of generalship except where
other than native influences have as
sisted.
Leaders with such qualities, with
ability to organize and to command, in
military sense, are evidently essential
to Cuban independence never mind how
brave and devoted the Cuban patriots
may be. Where such leader
is to come from can hardly be
guessed, but he is not likely to be
developed IN Cuba or to be graduated
from the ranks of the brigands. Pos
sibly some foreign adventurer, some
soldier cashiered from a European army,
like BAKER Of Turkish fame, or seeking
excitement and an opening for his mill
tary ardor, as GORDON did in China,
may find field in Cuba for
redeeming his reputation, for acquiring
new fame, for achieving glory that will
place him among military heroes. 1t
was SIMON BOLIVAR, the "William
Tell" of South America, who made
Republic of Venezuela, who wrested
Peru from the same Spain that now
throttles Cuba. Ii was o HIGGINS, an En-
glish adventurer, and CocHRANE, IAN Irish
sailor, who fought the battles that re-
deemed Chile. The military genius as
well as the dashing soldierly spirit of
men like these organized from the irregu-
lar fighting material successful armies.
Cuba may some day be rescued by
BOLIVAR, but until such a man comes
to her succor there seems to be little
hope for her. The impotent nation
which once controlled the greater share
of the western hemisphere has now only
Cuba left and her resources, poor as they
are, can be successfully concentrated to
keep this beautiful little island, SO profit
able to her, in bondage.
The justice Of Cuba's cause may well
inspire some chivalric soldier to go to
her relief. Here is a brave people,
lduu VI iitu piOuuOlS, du
island of bountiful resources, tied
hand aud foot, gagged, at the mercy of
despotic power whose condition is such
that its needs must squeeze this help
less dependency to the last drop to help
maintain its own existence. Cuba is
simply taxed numerically. 1t is stated
that her two million inhabitants pay
s39, 100000 year in revenues to
this unnatural mother country and their
condition is little better than slavery. 1t
is an amazing situation to exist under
the shadow of our own great Republic.
1t may some day be fair proposition
for the power of the United States Gov
ernment to rescue these people from the
foreign despot.