The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-12-08

and while the circumstances of the strife
ere sucn as to preclude or general in
formation IN this regard, enough is known
10 show that the number of such cases is
considera ble- Happily, few Americans
have fallen victims to these savage acts.
OUR CITIZENS RIGHTS.
4 large part of the correspondence of
the state department with its agents in
CUBA has been devoted to these cases of
assault upon the rights of our citizens
In no instance has earnest remonstrance
ana energetic appeal been omitted. But
tie representative of the SDa0ish novya1-
often find it easily practicable to post
pone explanations and PREPARATION on the
ground OF alleged ignorance, of facts or
for other plausible reasons.
Its ERECT upon the personal security of
our citizens in Cuba is not the only
alarming feature of the reign of arbitrary
anarchy in that island. Us influence upon
The fortunes of those who have invested
their capital and enterprise there, on the
assumed assurance Of respect for law
and treaty rights. is no less in point.
Exact statistics of the amount of such
not obtainable. A gross estimate of $780,
co3O0o would be more likely to fall under
than over The mark. A large proportion
the exceptional vicissitudeS of the war.
Estates have been desolated and crops
destroyed by the insurgents and Spaniards
alike Upon those not actually ravaged,
operations have been compulsorily sus-
pended, owing to the warnings served by
the revolutionists or the withdrawal of
protection by the Spanish, often accom-
panied by similar prohibition against
continuing work thereon or by forbidding
communication and residence, thus en-
failing enforced abandonment Of the
premises.
LOSS FELT BY ALL.
The loss does not fall upon capitalists
alone, Secretary Clney points out, but
large numbers of the agricultural laboring
classes are driven from fields to the
nearest towns, partly by the peremptory
orders of the local military commanders,
and partly by the cessation of destruction
of their only means of livelihood. They
are well nigh destitute. Among them
are many sons of the United States. 1t
is officially reported that there are in one
provincial city alone some 1900 refugees
from the surrounding country to whom
the municipal authorities can afford lit
tie or no relief. over 800 of these are
American citizens, engaged in prosperous
farming and stock raising at the begin
ming of the outbreak, whose employment
and resources have been swept away by
IS months of civil strife, reducing them
from attiuence 70 perjury, and throwing
them upon the charity of an exhausted
community in devastated island
All these disastrous conditions with
the evils and disorders necessarily follow
ing in their train, are interfering with
the insular avenue OF trade, and very
gravely impairing the business operations
Of Cuba.
From whatever point OF view we regard |
the matter, it is impossible not to DIS
Germ that a state Of things exists at our |
door, alike dangerous to good relations, |
destructive of legitimate commerce. fatal
to the internal resources of Cuba and
most VeXatiouS and trying, because en- |
failing upon this government excessive |
burdens in its domestic administration |
and its outward relations. This situation |
cannot indefinitely continue without grow |
ing still worse, and the time may not be |
far distant when the United States must |
seriously consider whether its rights and |
interests, as well as it's international |
duties, in view Of its peculiar relations TO |
the island do not call for some decided |
change in the policy hitherto pursued.
THE COMPETITOR CASE.
Mr.. Olney mentioning that 1.-The right |
OF every citizen arrested in Cuba to nave |
the benefit of ordinary criminal proceed /
ings guaranteed by existing treaties has
been energetically insisted upon" refers
to the ship Competitor affair as follows:
In April last the Competitor, a small
schooner of American registry eluded the
vigilance of the federal authorities and
took on board men and supplies presume
bly, intended to aid the Cuban insurrection
and reached the coast of that island near
San Cayetano. Being discovered by the
Spanish coast guard, conflict ensued
resulting in the capture of number of
those on board as we'll as the seizure OF
the vessel.
1.-The prisoners, among them several
Americans, were doomed to summary
military trial, which, although conducted
appeared 10 have lacked the
essential safeguards of procedure stipu
Ia ted by the existing conventions between
the United States and Spain. This gov
eminent promptly interfered to secure for
its implicated citizens all the rights to
which they were clearly entitled, in
tence of death. D Their cases were sub
sequently carried 70 the higher tribunal
at Madrid which has set the convic-
tions aside and remanded the cases for
re-trial."
OUR EARNEST PROTEST.
He further says: This government
has been constrained to enter earnest
encouragement of Cuba. ordering the
of all aliens in the island,
and pronouncing all those not registered
within a certain time as debarred from
law. The treaty rights of American citi-
zens obviously depend on their actual al
legiance to their own government, not
upon any arbitrary INSCRIPTION as aliens
by the state wherein they may be So
journing; and while this government is
well disposed TO admit the convenience
evidence of the right of such citizen in
Cuba to the protection of the authorities
and has signifed its willingness to ia
cilitate their registration it can never
local forrlality can operate to outlaw any
persons entitled to its protection citi-
zens, or to abrogate the right 10 the or
1erly resources of Spanish law solemnly
guaranteed 10 them by treaty"
AUSTRIA-HUNGARY
In other portions of his report the sec :
-etary of state refers to the arrests of
laturalized American citizens in Austria
Hungary, and says that the progress
made toward the9settlement of this ques-
ion has been most satisfactory. He re-
ers to the establishment of the Central
American diet by the republics of Hon .
luras, Nicaragua and Salvador (adopting
he name of the Greater Republic OF
.Xact international and effect of the arti-
les of association between the three re-
)ubEcs is not yet fully apprehended. the
teton necessary or proper to be taken in
thereof is still under con-
liberation by the department
Negotiations are still in progress for the ,
completion Of the unfinished work of the
lillian claims commission. He says:
"Our relations with China have been
made more friendly by the concession of
American citizens of the right 70 pur-
hase lands-a right hitherto conceded TO
France
THE TONNAGE TAX.
In respect to the reimposition of ton $
,ort says that after an investigation l
which showed that port dues were being t
objected in German ports on every i
american vessel. the United States am E
,assador at Berlin was asked for an ex- I
tanation, which when made was not :
eemed satisfactory. The report then
efers to the fact that the stringent
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