The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1897-05-21
THE CAUSE OF CUBA


Support Sf the Right and the Duty OF
the United States TO Intervene and Stop
tie Slaughter.
| WASHINGTON. May 17.-An ehtbusl-
tic audience of men and women,
any of them well known in Washing
N, packed the Columbia theater to its
oors yesterday afternoon at monster
mass meeting held in behalf of the
cadse of the Cuban insurgents. The
theatef tyas appropriately decorated.
Seated on the platform and participat-
ing in the exercises were Senators Gal
linger and Allen, ex-senator Butler, ot
South Carolina; Rev. Hugh Johnson.
dist church; Rev. Howard Wilbur En-
mis- and number of others identified
with the interests of the insurgents
Gen. William Henry Brown, presi-
dent of the Cuban league, called the
meeting to order and introduced Sena-
tor Gallinger as the presiding officer
The latter made brief address and
read a number of letters and kilograms
of regret, among them being those
from Senators Frye and Burrows and
Commander C1arkson, of the G. A. Z.
Mr. Chandler's letter was as follows:
WASHINGTON, D. c.. May IS
| Senor H. Il. Aguire, Washington, d. c.:
| DEAR SR-Although unable to attend the
| meeting tonight. send few words of SYM
| pathy, and of hope for the RELIEF and indepen-
| dence of Cuba.
| AS 1 wish to see the United States declare
| and maintain the independence of the island as
| France did that of the American colonies, and
| made the United States nation, OF course
| SHALL as a practical friend, vote for every
1 =, han oar
| end. / hope and believe that congress, and the
president will soon formally recognize state
| of war and Cuban belligerency. This step, fol-
lowed as it will be by all the other independent
| nations of the western hemisphere, cannot fail
| to insure the Cuban independence which is
| sought for.
| Moreover, without delay, we ought to send
| fleet to enter the harbor and an army to land
upon the soil of Cuba, first to protect the lives
| and property of American citizens, and, sec
| ondly, to stop the atrociouS and uncivilixed
| methods of warfare adopted by the Spanish
| generals
In advocating all these measures am con-
| scious of no passionate hostility to Spain. In
| 1861 she recognized the southern confederacy
| within less than three months after its mill
| tary struggle began; and surely, if she cannot
hold Cuba without making it one vast desert
| and graveyard by driving the inhabitants into
| the cities to Starve, and by hanging, shooting
| or garroting Cuban officers Tor rebellion and IN
| cendiarism she ought to lose the island. If be-
| tween 1881 and 1855 one confederate general hao
| thus been put to death, all the powers of Eu-
rope, with one accord would have sent their fleets
| and armies 5000 miles across the ocean to end
| such barbarous warfare AMI to establish and
| maintain the southern confederacy. Yet Cen
! Robert E. Lee and all his generals were as
| truly guilty of rebellion and 1ncend1arlSm as
| was Theodore Mendez Gonzales, who was shot
| for that ofense at CabanaS fortress, in Havana
/ on Monday last.
| We blame England for abandoning the harm.
| less and peaceful Armenian Christians to mas
| sacre by the MoSiems and for submitting the
| liberty-loving Greeks to slaughter by the Turk
| ish despot. England retortS that we dare not
| stop the methods of uncivilized warfare at ouI
| very doors in the American Crete-the fair is
| land of Cuba-and both charge and counter
| charge are justly made.
| In helping to make Cuba independent we are
| observing a traditional and universal Amer
| lean policy, the duty to promote at the first
| good opportunity the severance of Cuba from
| Spain. In 1895, 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" anc
| the republicans by their promise that the Uni
| ted States should endeavor TO restore peace
and give independence to the island" There
| need be little fear that these pledges will
| be violated President Mckinley will
| ingIy recognizes the bia1ing force
| of the platform upon which he was
| elected, and will do his part towards making
| Cuba free and independent. He may proceed
/ with what will seem to impatient spirits
| to be undue caution, with the cries and groans
| ringing in his ears of unarmed men, women ano
/ children enduring inhuman cruelty and das
| tardly murder, but he will not fail to be faith
| full to his pledges, and he will before long reg
| lister the decree which went forth in his tri
| umphant election that Cuba should be takeT
from the control of Spain and made peaceful anc
| independent In this faith in great party and
its president let US rest patiently and hopefully
| Very respectfully,
WILLIAM E. CHANDLER.
Mr. Karl Decker, of Washington.
who, as correspondent of the New York
| Journal, spent some time in Cuba,
much of it with a branch of the CubaI
army in Santa Clara province, gave 8
description of affairs existing and OF
the pitiable plight of many of the
people suffering for the necessaries of
| life. He ridiculed the claims set out
| by Gen. Weyler that the island had
| been pacifed, and said that if the
| Cubans were granted belligerent rights
by the United States they would GER
| tainly win. Mr.. Decker has just re
| turned from Cuba.
In the course OF some intere sting re-
| marks, Senator Allen, of Nebraska.
| humorously declared there was no di
| vision in the popullst ranks on the
question of Cuban liberty. In this
whole matter he thought there had
been too much sacrifice to spirit OF
commercialism, and it was time this
government had little more humanity
| and a little more Americanism. He de-
clared that the United States could not
afford to have a decaying monarchy
| with a foothold on this continent, and
he would be delighted to see Spain and
| the Ottoman empire wiped from the
map of Europe. If the president were
| to send fleet to Havana, war in the
island would cease IN 80 days and il
would not be necessary to fire gun.
If the United States should say tc
Spain ''you shall not war upon the
hospitals, upon women and upon child
hood" Weyler's occupation would be
gone.
Mrs. Clara Belle Brown, of the Wo-
| mans National Cuban league, said the
league had but one platform, one aim
and one end, and that end was the es-
tablishment of the republic of Cuba.
Remarks were also made by Rev. DR..
Kent, Mrs. Lincoln, vice-director of the
Woman's league, and Rev. Howard
Wilbur Ennis.
Ex-senator Butler, of South Caro-
lima, read a series of resolutions, which
had been prepared, and these were
unanimously adopted. They earnestly
protest against the 'barbarous and
inhuman methods of Spain in conduct
ing the war in Cuba, declare that this
government should recognize the in
surgents as belligerents, and that Cuba
aas demonstrated that it is her mani
taSt dastinv that like Maxieo she