New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-04-10
NO BETTER THAN A RAG"

NO BETTER THAN A RAG
That was fine burst Of oratorical indigna-
ton on the part of Senator Morgan, OF AlaDama'
somewhere toward the end of his great speech
on Cuba-whch has been running now ABOUT
week and Is liable to break out again. ike
Mauna Loa almost any time-when ne declared
that II only one American citizen had been SUD-
iected to outrages In Cuba End the United states
flag was not used to protect him. that SYMBOL
Of free institutions was mo better than rag.
Senator Morgan Is very much IN earnest about
Cuba He thinks that the first duty OF this Gov
eminent Is to recognize the Cuban insurgents as
belIigerents and the next to catch on to the hrst
opportunity offered by any show OF disrespect
on the part Of the Spanish authorities 10 an
American citizen to send the Navy down there
and blow the last vestge of Spanish oppression
off the island And if this isn't done he declares
that the Star-Spangled Banner Is mo better tnan
n rag" 1t is a rather sweeping declaration, and
has something of the SAVIOR Of impatience For
Senator Morgan Is not willing to walt for rea-
souable proofs that an American citizen has
actually suffered injustice at the hands OF the
Spanish authorities before sending the Navy to
call the latter to account at the mouth OF Its
cannon He can hardly keep his temper because
Congress and the American people are not IN
lust as great hurry as he Is to avenge wrongs
that there's no certainty about And If it isn't
done at once and out Of hand he sets down the
flag of our Union rs mo better than rag
Possibly he is mistaken about that He thought
so once before. and changed his mind. He Is
not infallible though he seems to be interim
nable. If he should show n little less eagerness
for war and little more eagerness to sit down
and bring his perennial remarks to close, he
would make himself more tolerable to talked
todeath country.
The Spanish authorities in Cuba have certain
ly treated this country, and especially that por-
ton of the people Of this country who have
bnrning desire to extend the blessings Of free
institutions. including Free Silver and Free
Trade, to all the islands of the sea, very shah
billy. Not that they have abused and maltreated
orr citizens. That would have pleased us, for
then we would have had n pretext for sweep
ing down on the island with our idle and unoc-
cupied Navy and extending the area of freedom.
The trouble Is that they seem to have avoided
it with the most exasperatng caution. On
several occasions when had every encour-
agement for believing that the Spanish authori-
ties in Cuba had been guilty of blood-curdling
atrocities. and some Of our most enterprising
a point that several OF our leading statesmen
were ready to declare war for other people 10
fight in, the Spanish Government has been mean
enough not to have been guilty Of any such
atrocities-and where has that left us? Why,
simply fired with patriotic fury without any
cause for it, Nothing Is more humiliating to a
proud-spirited people than that. 1t was a das-
tardly thing to do, on the part of the Spanish
In ,.ho
must have known that Sc many liberty -loving
citizens Of this free and enlightened Republic
were just hankering for them.
Just think what disappointment it was
when after some Of our most widely circulated
newspapers had fully decided to declare war
against Spain because the insurgent chief Maceo
had been killed in violation of the laws of war,
1t turned out that the Spanish military authori-
ties had utterly neglected-doubtless with NAL
Ice prepense-to violate the laws OF war in any
particular Then there was the case Of the
newspaper correspondent who, aside from hold
ing commission from the insurgents and main
tanning communications between them and their
source Of supplies, hadn't done thing to Spain,
but was held as a prisoner The newspaper
that employed him came very near declaring
war against Spain on its own account for that
outrage and doubtless would have done so had
not the depressing information arrived that the
| Spanish authorities were thwarting that noble
purpose by treating the correspondent with the
| greatest kindness and consideration, and giving
| him every opportunity for "scOoping" rival con
/ tempOraries with the latest and most authentic
| reports from the inside Another case was that
reported by the enterprslng correspondent Of
! another newspaper who saw an innocent woman
| stripped and searched under circumstances Of
the greatest indgnty. That was a good cause
for war until 1t appeared from the wcman's own
statement that she was actually doing the work
| Of a spy and that the Spanish military author!-
ties had been mean enough to avoid any cause
Of war by treating her considerably and kindly
Then here Is the latest hope Of embodiment
rudely dispeed by the intelligence that the
Spanish authorities are not going to shoot the
! insurgent General Rivera. More than that. they
| have gone to work and released nearly all the
American or pseudo-Amcrlcan citizens who have
been imprisoned on the island for assisting the
| insurgents or some little thing like that.
| In short, they seem to have done everything
they could to cheat us out Of pretext for going
| down there and driving them off the face OF the
island. The effect of this Is very discouraging
| to that active though not numerous body OF