The San Francisco call., 1896-03-23
AN UNJUST CHARGE.

OcnOI dllcS y blDOt, lccQCI VI tuc Il GU"
eral party in Spain, is reported to have
made the following extraordinary declara-
ton: although it is absolutely undeni-
able that the colonial policy of Spain in
Cuba has been disastrous and despotic to
the extent OF fully justifyIng the insured :
tions which have arisen against various
Spanish Governments, still the United
States is the very last nation justified in
raising its voice, as the Spanish policy can
in no way be compared to the sanguinary
methods employed in American territories
which they have forcibly annexed"
These remarks are made by an intelli-
gent man. whose natural sympathies
should be with the principles upon which
our country was founded. The bitterness
and falsehood of his utterances show either
that he is grossly ignorant of American
history or that he is unfit to lead the politi-
cal movement at whose head he stands.
The subjugation of the rowing and scat
tered bands of savages originally occu-
pying the territory of the United States
was largely defensive one. 1t was only
when the incredible atrocities practices by
the savages upon white settlers became
unbearable that regular campaigns of con-
quest were organized. What few wars we
had with civilized nations for disputed ter
ritory were conducted decorously, and a
great deal of territory was secured by pur-
chase both from the savages and civilized
nations. When the natives were finally
conquered they were placed on ample and
exceedingly fertile reservations, encour-
aged in the arts of peace and agriculture
and regularly supplied with food and
clothing. In that pursuit many millions
of treasure have been employed. The
whole history of conquest shows nothing
equal to the humane, paternal treatment
which the white conquerors of this country
have shown to the aboriginal occupants.
How has it been in the countries subju-
gated by Spain? Surely Senior Wales y Ri
bot cannot have forgotten Cortez and his
relentless destruction of the finest and
purest civilization that the Western Conti-
nent contained. Americans never made
poems of their conquered savages. We
never humbled and degraded them and
used them as beasts of burden. To this
day those of them who wish to be peaceful
and refrain from committing theft, arson
and murder (and it is rarely now that such
as these place themselves in evidence) re-
ceive more consideration than any Amer
lean citizen. Our own people may starve,
but the savages whose country we occupy
are provided with the richest lands, are fed
and clothed at the public expense and are
protected in their rights and privileges by
the army of the United States. Where
they have shown an inclination to rise
above savagery and adopt peaceful methods
of livelihood they are given the right to
make their own laws and maintain gov
ernment after their own ideas. Spanish
history shows nothing analogous to the
Cherokee Nation in the United States.
Whenever our savages reyoIted it was to
secure liberty to plunjer and kill. The
Cuban revolution is one, not of savages,
but OF people who generations ago adopted
civilization and who are now fighting for
the right to enjoy its benefits. 1t might
profit Senior Wales y Ribot to inquire more
closely into American history before deny
ing that we have the right to protest
against the unjust oppression of any civil
ized race