The times., 1897-05-23
THE TRUTH ABOUT CUBA
Spain VIII Not Sell and Cuba
Will Not Buy.
THE ADMINISTRATION POLICY
No Possibility of Driving "A Bargain
which Neither Side Would Toll
erate-C c ommiss ioner Calhoun
and His Foolish and Useless
Mission.
To the Editor of The Times:

To the Editor OF The Times:
The proposal that Cuba shall purchase
her independence OF Spain isether shallow
subterfuge invented for the purpose of de
la wing and evading effective action, or it
is the silly habbling OF gross and ndineNcusable
ignorance, both of he status of the war and
tile national character of both parties to the
contest
The Cuban war is not wagedon either side
for monetary objects, nor does it admit of
any termination otherwise than by the eX-
puisioa of the Spaniards from the island, or
the deat h or incarceration of the last Cuban
who can fire shot or grasp an inch OF
steel. Spain would not sell Cuba, thong h
for every grain OF sand on her coast millions
OF gold were offered i'm exchange. The
Spani&r1 has been termed a COW ard by the
press anu by orators in Congress. If they
use the word in the sense of cruel or i'm
placable' towards weaker enemy it is
perhaps correctly applied, but if it is en-
ployed iii q sense implying timidity or llck
of resolution and valor ii is most egregious-
ly misapplied. No people are more dis
tingulsHed for desperate, unfiinching, in
nation is so little influenced by considera-
tiOns of prudence or material advantage
where they believe their national dignity,
pride, or honor TO be involved Spain looks
upon Cuba as the last relic OF her ancient
glory, and no government could exist in
Spain for twenty y-four hours which would
even seem to listen with respectful ear TO
a proposition for the barter OF that island.
Tor
Chief. Ma ximo Gomez, has announced TO the
word the fixed determination of the Cuban
patriots tp refuse to buy their freedom, ex-
cept a the cost of their blood and sufferings
al do love thee 50,
Tha5 wIli siorIy send thy soul TO heaven,
If heavea VIII take the present at my
hands,
This is the language of the Cuban to
tile SpnRiard, and rightly SO. Can they
forget their wasted homes, their ravished
daughters, their starved, their mangled,
tortured and murdered children? In such
war as this there is no place for nego-
tiations based upon pecuniary compensa-
tion. The Cuban rejects the proposal
with adherence, hate and scorn; the Span
lard spurns it with indignant contempt.
There is no Cuban now alive, there is no
does NOT know and confess that the situa-
tion and sentiments of the Combatants al
Nit OF no accommodation No American
who is conyersant with Cuban affairs is
ignorant of the facts [ have stated Why
does not the Admnistra ton know them?
Never have the halls of the American Con-
gress witnessed more pitiable exhibition
than the efforts of the opponents OF the
. ~.
feat that measure at the bidding of PTesi-
dent pledged to defend it. The bad faith,
the insincerity, the venal and seTvile
motives Of the opposition, showed naked
through the paltry pretexts the pettifog-
ging quibhies, the wire-drawn distinctions
and fiinsy, gauze like, lame and lying
profession with which they sought to de
feat the will Of the American people, who,
in the opinion of these men, have neither
The sense to feel nor the courage to resent
repeated outrage, deception and wrong
There is no evidence that war exists
in Cuba "-EIkins Columbus discovered
America. Wellington. Spain will
lay waste our coast. "-Iiawley Spain
will search our vessels ;-Hoar. don {
steal the thunder of the Administration. ~
-Spooner. Don't be impolite to Weyler -
Fairbanks Mckinley has something good
up his s,eeve-he has sent q commissioner
to Havana. let him get back and we will
know all, about it."-Hitt. These, in bIief
were the arguments employed against the
Morgan resolution Was ever an indignant
and enlightened people RECALLED with such
nauseous, puerile, despicable trash?
Mr. Hit, who is, evidently by nature,
honest and sincere, and who is too IA
milar with the facts 10 be deceived, was
fully sensible of the embarrassment of
the situation forced upon him by mistaken
fealty to the Administration.
He knows that the American people de
mand Immediate action in behalf of the
patriots Of Cuba He knows that the only
Immediate step now practicable is the
recognition of Cuban belligerency. He
knows the influences which labor to frus-
trate the liberty-loving sentiments of the
people Of this country. He knows how
futile and inexcusable are the pretexts for
delay lie knows that Spain viii never
release Cuba for a money consideration,
and that Cuba win never consent to traffic
with her bloody and relentless oppTessors
Mfr. HIT j S fully sensible OF the fact that
the sending Of Calhoun to Havana was Il
foolish useless and ridiculous step---that
an American attorney, ignorant of the
laws, the language, the manners, habits,
character. and conditions Of Cuba. can
not by brief visit to Havana acquire any
information which can be compared in
value with the reports of Consul General
Lee and of our consuls in Cuba, most OF
whom have been studying conditions and
cleaning information from the most re-
liable sources for the last four years Are
not these reports. the fruit Of observation,
experience, special fitness. and opportunity,
the highest and most original kind of evil
dence Of which the nature of the case ad-
mits? Why send Calhoun? Why wait for
his report VIII the evidence of our ac-
credited official agents now on file at the
State Department, and the testimony Of
numbcrless eye witnesses already published
to the world. derive any additional weight
from the testimony Of Mr.. Calhoun? Or
does the Administration suppose that IL
would he justified in accepting the report
of Mr Calhoun as a satisfactory refutation
OF the conditions alleged TO exist by our
consular representatives and by the press?
These are the fantastic tricks before high
heaven" which Shakespeare referred 20 as
making the angels weep
JOSE GUTIERREZ.
NIP. ROBINSON STATES HIS CASE.
A General DefeuSe of the Govern
mept's Agricultural Reports.