Kansas City daily journal., 1897-01-27
HALsTEAD LECTURE.
DISTINGUISHED JOURNALIST SPEAKS
FOR THE CUBAN CAUSE.
is IN FAVOR Of ANNEXATION.
INTERESTING ADDRESS BEFORE \
VERY SMALL AUDIENCE.
IntolerabIe Oppression Practiced by
Spain, Beside Which the Decla-
ration of Independence Seems
FrivoIous-Spain Cannot
Win-lIust Be Ours.

Murat Halstead, the distinguished ora
tor. statesman and journalist. delivered en-
interesting lecture at the Coates opera
last night on The Impending Crisis in
Cuba" Not even the severity of the
weather excused the slim attendance.
though the inclement weather undoubted-
kept many from hearing the lecture who
would otherwise have done so.
The lecture was delivered without any
attempt at oratorical effect. Its chief value
lay in the fact that the statements made
by Mr.. Halstead were those for whose ac-
curacy he could personally vouch. He
spoke strongly for the annexation of the
island and declared that Spanish success
in the present war was absolutely impos-
sible. During the course of his lecture
Mr.. Halstead said:
American statesmen have been interest
ed in Cuba for generations. Cuban politics
has changed the current of American mis-
tory more than once. Had Buchanan not
been backed up by the party in favor of
making Cuba an American slave state he
would not have been president. This is
only one instance
There is no question of the justice of
the Cuban cause. Spanish reforms cannot
be accomplished. Spanish reforms in CO.
lonial matters have never been consum-
mated. Spain has lost all her American
policy. The captain general has unlimited
powers: martial law practically exists. The
very latest alleged reforms proposed. those
of March Is, 1895, give to the captain gen.
eral the power to suspend the constitu-
tional rights of the people ostensibly CIV
en-. There is great deal of official cor
ruption. The economic policy of Spain in
dealing with Cuba is unjust and oppres-
sive. 1t would be worth $50,OO0O0O a year
to this country if Cuba were free to trade
with us, instead of having to trade with
Spain. Yet Spain passes by the limitless
sugar plantations and tobacco fields of
Cuba, after compelling the Cubans to trade
with her, and buys Virginia tobacco and
German sugar.
THE island is overrun with swarms of
needless officials who eat up the resources
of the people. Then there is the volun-
teer system. Three years service in Cuba
offset the five years military srvice re-
quired in Spain. There are 10000 of these
volunteers in Cuba to-day, who take the
situations which the young Cubans should
fill
1.-The annual revenue from Cuba is $685.
OF, 600. OF this S22OOO,OOO goes to Spain and
only $SOOO,0OO is pretended to be spent in
Cuba itself and not a cent for public
schools OF the SO 100000 which goes TO
Spain $11 900, 900 is for interest on the debt
of Cuba for the last war; $6,00O,0O0 goes to
the army and S4,O00.000 to pensions. There
are no public schools in Cuba whatever.
Beside this unparalleled oppression, our
own Declaration of Independence seems al
most frivolous.
1T is asked why 100000 Spanish soldiers
do not put down the rebellion. 1t is not
true that the soldiers are all miserable
youths, and all their leaders are not cor
rupt The Spanish army in Cuba is for
midable army, and on any field in Europe
would honor the Spanish cause. But the
tremendous vegetation in Cuba is an i'm
portant factor There are no roads, and
the army simply cannot penetrate the i'm
passable jungles on the island. The Gu
bans cut their paths with those terrible and
famous weapons, the machetes, which are
not cane knives. as has been said. The
blacks are especially proficient in the use
of this razor-edged weapon. and the Span
ish soldiers fear it like the pestilence. Those
who WELD it give an upward stroke, which
has been known to cut a rifle barrel in two.
and often sewers an arm with single
of the use of this. weapon.
LAS to the blacks. they are treated with
the greatest respect, and Weyler's body
guard is composed entirely of black men.
1t is not an insurrection, though the Span
ish papers seek assduous1y to hold up TO
the United States the idea of negro DOM
nation There are 100000 blacks to 1O10,00C
white Cubans and only 10000 Spaniards on
the island. General Maceo was black. Il
man who will go down into history as u
patriot and n general. L give to you an
absolutely true account of the killing OF
Maceo, from a source which is entirely re-
liable. MaCeo was not lured into an am
bush DIR. Zertucha. his physician, wanted
to surrender. Maceo crossed the trocha
with about sixty men. He met large
body of insurgent cavalry and had 600 men
under him when he fell into an ambuscade
and a stray bullet struck him in the jaw,
killing him His body was recovered from
the Spanish after u desperate fight
Horrible outrages are committed, but
they have been exaggerated. l myself
know of massacre OF twenty pacihcoes
| and the butcher who commanded the mass
acre was honored by Weyler, VINO insisted
| that il was combat.
Cuba and only 100000 are cultivated; there
are II 900 900 acres of forest full of precious
woods If $lOOOO0,OO0 of exports come from
| 9 900 600 acres. what would bet he yield II
| the island were under American control?
II do not pretend to say what is the
! proper way Of settling this difficulty. but
| Spain was not insulted at all when. dur
| ing the last war, We offered TO guarantee
the payment of an indemnity II Cuba Were
| ceded TO us. If Europe has duty in Ar
menia then we have one in Havana. The
/ longer the war last the more certain is
| the ruin of Spain. The Cubans cannot bt
worse governed by themselves than they
| are by Spain. There can be no American
| sentiment than that Cuba shall some day
| be ours. and the sooner the better. | hav,
| an aspiration that some day as the routis
| approaches or leaves the island he shal
see waving from the summit of Moro cas-
| tie, not the red and yellow flag of Spain
| but the stars and stripes of my own coun
| try and among the stars that of the com
| monwealth of Cuba" (Applause)