The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-12-11

| SpanlardS. The Spanish element,
which has always controlled and
| dominated Cuba since its discovery,
numbers only about one-tenth of its
| population. Columbus declared, this
is the most beautiful land ever beheld
| by human eyes in October, 1892. Now,
in 1896, it is given over to devastation
and destruction. Within its borders
RACES a war which, on both sides. is
| declared to be a war either of ex-
termination on the one hand, or liberty
and Spanish exclusion on the other.
| This condition must cease. The Span
| ish after two years war have failed
to establish peace and the insurgents
| have failed to reach their hoped for
| Independence.
IT MUST STOP.
This war of determination must
stop.
This congress of the United States
has already recognized, by solemn
resolution, the belligerent rights of
Cuba, but so long as it has not re-
ceived the executive approval, it has
: no force. And if il had, it is conceded
! that some other course must be taken.
The question to be determined is not
fully clear except that the war must
cease.
ITO the average Spanish gentleman.
Spain is the object of alteration; but
Spain without Cuba, is to him the
world without the sun. The revenue
from Cuba has been the chief joy of
Spain for many years. and if Cuba
should now be separated from the
| Spanish throne the sun would cease
to shine upon the Alhambra.
Cuba today is lost to Spain. The
| public proclamation of Spanish de-
feat may not have been officially and
definitely announced, but in truth and
fact the submission of Cuba will never
again be Welded. as of old. The tri-
butte of e25.000.000 to $40, 100000 an
nually, so long eXacted will never
again replenish the treasury Of Spain.
| The struggles of 1895 and 1896 may
sadly cripple Cuba, but they will ruin
! Spain. Cuba, with its wonderful soil
and climate and its unparalleled capa-
! bilities, will regain in material wealth
and growth under benign influences
far more than she has lost; the blood
of her people spilled upon her soil will
yield growth of independent citizen
| ship, consecrated to liberty. This age
is not an age of retrogression.
OUR DUTY AS A NATION.
Whatever maT be said regarding
our duty as nation toward a friendly
rower which is striving to suppress an
! inSurrection in Cuba, still no one, either
in America or Europe, misunderstands
| the situation. Every humane heart
American or foreign, sympathizes
| deeply and sincerely, not with the
rapine and pillage by which the in
! surgents in Cuba seek to weaken their
! enemies, but with the spirit which
leads them to look constantly and with
| hope toward that star of liberty which
! they believe will lead them to Cuba
libre.
The American people are coming to
! consider the Cuban situation, as they
| have already certain cases, as a great
| political question. a continental ques-
ton, if you please; and being a politi-
cal-continentai question. it will be de-
cided ultimately by the continent whose
| interests are most clearly involved.
! Geographically considered, Cuba can
! not belong to Spain. Geographically,
| Cuba is in American waters, and po-
! iticallv ii is entitled to statehood in
the continent of American republics.
This great continental question,
! therefore, when stripped Of all COM
! plicationS, becomes in plain and simple
! language shall Cuba be free?
This country will never consent to
! the transformation of Cuba into q slave
pen for holding in servitude the
| captured patriots and insurgents who
| are fighting for the dearest rights of
mem We will not permit that island,
| d ldnQ WHICH mas the pOSSl-
| bilities for a people of intelligence and
enterprise, to be made the abiding
| place OF death and destruction This
] war now being Waged is avOWedly a.
war OF determination or utter crush
! ing out Of liberty on Cuba's &c, 600
square miles of territory. Think of it,
! An island which in ordinary years eX-
ports more than million tons of sugar
! and many millions of dollars in value
! nf or rernd11ptC the T1nifp6
! States no interest in our own trade
| and commerce with an island from
which we receive fully 80 per cent of
| the vast sugar product and much the
! larger part Of all her other produc-
tons? The interests of the United
| States, counting all things passing be-
! tween the two countries, reach. per-
| haps, $780, 900 annually, and already
this trade has been practically wiped
| out.
mo CHARNEL HOUSE OF RUIN
I believe it to be the duty of the
| United States to use the great power
attaching to the nation to declare and
| to maintain, as a prerogative of right
! belonging generally to republicanism
and specifically to this republic, that
no charnel house Of ruin shall be con-
tinued in the West Indian waters
whose waves break at our very front
gate, any longer than the time it shall
require to break it up. And if the
duty of suppressing this damning blot
and erasing it forever from sight shall
fall alone upon the United States. so
be L. Have we fallen so low as to
have forgotten the sacrifices which men
of Genius and character and honor
made in behalf of this country in its
! days of trouble? We shall not stand
alone in the warfare which may follow
| in behalf of common humanity. Nation
! after nation will make joint cause with
us in such a struggle, and when we
have succeeded and shall have made
into law the principle and made into
history the fact. every other country
worth naming will regret it's mistake
in not participating in the humane
work
THE effort cannot fail. We shall not
wage any warfare for the acquisition
of territory for ourselves. We shall not
claim Cuba as reward for saving her
from the slaughter, but we will not
see that fair island turned again to
the mercies of wild beasts and vultures
of war. whose only stimulus is gain.
Cuba libre-free Cuba-is the reward,
and what a glorious reward will that
be, Every citizen of the United States
will feel that his birthright as an
American freeman will mean some
thing.
SETTLEMENT MUST BE MADE.
"A settlement must be made. The
account has been open and running
long enough. To its settlement we may
properly invite the cooperation of all