Daily Kennebec journal., 1896-12-08

lgreat objects Ior WAlch tncy sooA ~
larms.
her authority. neither have the insur-
frents yet made good their title to be
lraqarded as an Independent state. In
ldeed. as the contest has gone on, the
Ioretense that civil government exists on
1.-The island, except SO far as Spain Is able
% maintain 1t. has been practically aban-
Idoned. Spain does keep on foot such
Government. more or less imperfectly, In
the large towns and their immediate SUBJ
,rbs. Eut, that exception being made.
! he entire country is either given over
| % anarchy or is subject to the military
| occupation of one or the other party.
| 1t is reported, indeed. on reliable au-
| shority. that, at the demand of the COM
mander-in-chief of the insurgent army.
The putative Cuban government has now
given up all attempt to exercise its func-
ions. leaving that government confess
sedly twhat there is the best reason for
supposing it always to have been in facD
Il government merely on paper.
Were the Spanish armies able to meet
their antagonists in the open. or In
pitched battle. prompt a&d decisive re-
suits might be looked ftV. and the i'm
mense superiority of the Spanish forces
IN numbers. discipline. and equipment
could hardly fail to tell greatly to their
advantage.
But they are called upon to face a foe
that shuns general engagements, that ear
choose. and does choose, its own ground
that from the nature of the country is
visible or invisible al pleasure. and that
fights only from ambuscade and when
All the advantages of position and num-
hers are Oh it's side. In a country where
all that is Indispensable to life in the way
of food. clothing and shelter is so easily
OfIln1 bla rSnari1liN hN bf,r and
bred on the soil it Is Obvious that there
is hardly limit to the time during which
hostilitieS of this sort may be prolonged.
Meanwhile. as in all cases of pro-
tracted civil strife, the passions of the
combatauts grow more and more infiamed
and exccsses on both sides become more
frequent and more deplora bic. They are
also participated in by bands of ma
randers. who. now in the name of one
party and now in the name of the other,
as may best suit the occasion, harrass
the country at will and plunder its
Wretched inna bi.ants for their own ad-
vantage. Such IA condition of things
would inevitably entail immense destruc-
ton of property, even ii IL were the policy
OF both parties to prevent ii as far as
practicable. But while such seemed TO
be the original policy of the Spanish gov
ernment, * has now apparently aban-
theory as the insurgents. namely that
the exigences of the contest require the
wholesale annihilation of property that it
may not prove of use and advantage to
the enemy.
1t is to the same end that in pur-
suance of general orders Spanish gar
risons are now being withdrawn from
plantations and the rural population
required to concentrate itself in the
-
be that the industrial value of the
island is fast diminishing. and that un-
less there is a speedy and radical change
in existing conditions. it will soon dis
appear altogether. That value consists
very largely. of course. in its capacity
TO produce sugar-a capacity already
very much reduced by the Interruptions
to tillage, which have taken place during
the last two years. 1t is bly, as
serted that should these Interruptions
continue during the current year. and
practically extend, as Is now threatened,
to the entire sugar producing territory
of the island. much time and so
much money will be required to restore
the land to its normal productiveness
that it is extremely doubtful if capital
can be induced to even make the at
tempt.
The spectacle OF the utter ruin Of an
dGIOlillHS country, Dt one VI tIe
most fertile and charming on the globe,
would engage the serious attention of the
government and people of the United
States in any circumstances. In point
OF fact. they have a concern with it
which is by no means Of wholly sem
timental or philanthropic character. 1t
lies so near to us as to be hardly sep
aratcd from our territory.
Our actual pecuniary interest in it is
n,,l
government of Spain. 1t is reasonably
estimated that at least from $50 zoe, GOO to
$50 010.G00 of American capital are invest
ed in plantations and in railroad. mining,
and other business enterprises on the
island. The volume of trade between
the United States and Cuba. which in
1889 amounted to about s6i 600. 600 rose in
.S93 to about $l03. coo 900. and in
1884 the year before the present instr
rection broke out, amounted to nearly
S96 0oo 600. Besides this large pecuniary
stake i'll the fortunes of Cuba, the United
States finds itself inextricably involved
in the present contest in other ways both
veNatOus and costly.
Many cubans reside in this country and
indirectly promote the insurrection
through the press by public meetings. by
the purchase and shipment of arms, by
the raising of funds. and by other means
the tenor OF our laws do not permit to be
made he subject of criminal prosecu-
ions. Some Of them though Cubans at
heart and in all their feelings and in
.erests. have taken out papers as nat
uralizcd citize rs of the United States a
proceeding rcsorted to with a view to
possible protection by this government
and not unnaturally regarded with much
Indignation by the country of their ori-
gin. The insurgents are undoubtedly en-
couraged and supported by the wide
spread sympathy the people of this coun-
try always and instinctiVely feel for ey-
cry struggle for better and freer gov
efnmcnt. and which in the case of the
more adventurous and restless elements
of our population. leads in only too many
instances to active and personal partici-
patton in the contest. The result is that
this government is constantly called upon
to protect American citizens, 20 claim
damages for injuries to persons and prop
dollars. and to ask explanations and apol-
ogies for the acts of Spanish officials.
whose zeal for the repression of rebel
lion sometimes blinds them to the i'm
munities belonging to the unoffending
citizens of a friendly power. 1t follows
from the same causes that the United
States is compelled to actively police a
long line of seacoast against unlawful
expeditions, the escape of which the ut
prevent.
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