Evening star., 1897-05-17

are now Delng near0 IN the once Deaut11ul
and now desolate Island of Cuba. Out of
our strife came the grandest and greatest
republic the world has ever known Zap
plause), and l will read the signs Of the
times to mean. ladies and gentlemen, that
out of the strife that Is going on, in yonder
beautiful isle, will come sooner or later
another free republic. resplendent In beauty
and glory. to take its place among the ma
tions of the earth"
Senator Gallinger then read a number Of
kilograms and letters from Senator Frye,
Gen. Colby, Commander Clarkson of the
G.. A. R.. Representative Amos ]. Cum
mings of New York and Senator Chandler
Of New Hampshire.
Chandler ArOuses Enthusiasm.
The reading of the words Of Senator
Chandler created great enthusiasm. In the
course Of the letter he wrote as follows:
Although unable to attend the meeting
tonight. 1 send a few words of sympathy
and Of hope for the relief and independence
Of Cuba
'As 1 wish to see the United States de-
clare and maintain the independence of
the island. as France did that of the Amer
lean colonies and made the United States
a nation, of course I shall, as a practical
friend, vote for every minor measure tend
ing to the same beneficent end. hope and
believe that Congress and the President
will soon formally recognize state of war
and Cuban belligerency. This step, fol-
lowed, as 1t will be, by all the other inde-
pendent nations of the western hemisphere,
cannot fail to insure the Cuban indepen-
deEce which is sought for
Moreover, without delay, we ought to
SEND a fleet to enter the harbor, and an
army to land upon the soil of Cuba-frst,
to protect the lives and property of Amer
lean citizens. and, secondly, to stop the
atrocious and uncivilzed methods of war
fare adopted by the Spanish generals
In advocating all these measures, 1 am
conscious of no passionate hostility to
Spain. In 1851 she recognized the southern
confederacy within less than three months
after its military struggle began; and
surely. II she cannot hold Cuba without
making 1t one vast desert and graveyard
by driving the inhabitants into the cities
to starve. and by hanging. shooting or gar
rot1ng Cuban officers and soldiers for re-
Dellion ana incendiarism. she ought to lose
the island. If between 1861 and 1863 one
confederate general had been thus put to
death. all the powers of Europe, with one
accord, would have sent their fleets and
armies 5000 miles across the ocean to end
such barbarous warfare and to establish
and maintain the southern confederacy.
Yet Gen. Robert E. Lee and all of his gem
erals We're as truly guilty of rebellion and
lncendiarism as was Theodore Menendez
Gonzales, who was shot for that effense at
Cabanas Fortress in Havana on Monday
last.
EnElnnd's Countercharge.
I'VE blame England for abandoning the
harmless and peaceful Armenian Chris
tians to massacre by the Moslems. and for
submitting the liberty-loving Greeks to
slaughter by the Turkish despot. England
retorts that we dare not stop the methods
of uncivilized warfare applied at our very
doors in the American Crete-the fair
island of Cuba; and both charge and coun-
tercharge are justly made.
In helping to make Cuba Independent
We are observing a traditional and univer-
sal American policy-the duty to promote
of Cuba from Spain. In 1896, also, the
democrats pledged themselves to do this
by their declaration of sympathy for the
people of Cuba in their heroic struggle for
liberty and independence and the republi-
cans by their promise that the United
States should endeavor to restore peace
and give independence to the island
ffesiueht Mckinley and the Platform.
There need be little fear that these
pledges will be violated. President McKin-
ley willingly recognizes the binding force
OF the platform upon which he was elected
and will soon do his part toward making
Cuba free and independent He NAV pro-
ceed with what will seem to impatient spir-
us 10 be undue caution, with the cries and
sroans ringing in his ears of unarmed men
women and children, enduring inhuman
cruelty and dastardly murder, but he will
NOT Iali TO be faithful to his pledges, and
NE WIN Deiore long register the decree
ZION that Cuba shall be taken from tna
control or Spain and made peaceful and in
dependent In this faith in great Marty
anu its PRESIDENT let us rest patiently and
most hopeful" anu
Karl Decker's Talk.
men the applause had subsidized Senator
uaihhger introduced Mr.. Karl Decker. the
iespoiiuent OF the New York Journal
"io hdS recently returned from Cuba He
vas eoruiahy greeted. He began by de-
clar1ng that the Cubans were as SIRE of
winning their Independence as anvtbine
could be regarded as a surety and tb.I ie
reared II the United States did not taLa
carry action 1t would lose all future cnnor
;Lni.y ;s, OF commercial sympathy with the
the true difficulty. He knew the Amarieon
people sympathized with the Cubans. but
mad expressed to the speaker his contemnt
Ior SUCH sympathy which did not ma
If this spirit were not changed cuba
when free, would necessarily have a feel
ing OF animosity to the people of the United
states, @ ana our great opportunities for
making with other people their treaties
W men Gomez Is presidant-as he shall be
(applause)-the Cubans will treat US as
coldly as we have treated them
Mr.. Decker said he would not recon-
mend sending food to the island He
would recommend that this government
should force Weyler to allow the people
now penned up in the cities and towns to
go back to their farms, where food was
plentiful.
Mr. Decker described a warehouse in
which were 200 of these poor peasants
Fifty of them, he said, were living. NOT
from disease, but from lack of nourisb-
ment Five died on the day he was AL
lowed only to look in, one of them being q
boy who had the misfortune of bcing a
relative of some one in the insurgent army
and therefore under of
walton to death. Weyler thus proposed to
crush out the rebellion by crushing out the
breed. Similar conditions, he said, existed
in Matanzas, Cardenas and Havana. In the
latter city deaths by starvation are classi-
fed as death by some disease.
So. he said. the proposition to send food
to Americans was utterly nonsensical 1t
would be easy to scare the Spaniards into
doing what he recommended. Weyler was
blufter. He was coward and a type of
the Spaniard. What was needed most was
that the United States should take quick
and decided action. In proof of the cow
ardice of the Spaniards, Mr. Decker related
the rising of the people at Sui Grande on
the passage of the Cameron resolution and
their demonstration against Consul Barker.
which was allayed when they found that
the consul at his house was getting ready
to fight with his Winchester.
You don't have to whip the Spanards
YOU Only have to hit them Tho Irnited