The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-05-17
WAR RALLY AT WASHINGTON
MONSTER MASS MEETING IN BE-
HALF OF CUBA.

the Republic Among Those Send
ing Letters of Regret-SenatOr
Chambers Letter Advocates send
ing Warships and Landing an
Army in Cuba.
Washington, May 16.-An enthusiastic
audience of men and women, many of
them well known in Washington, packed
the Columbia theater to its door this af-
ternoon at a monster mass meeting held in
behalf of the cause of the Cuban insur-
gents The theater was appropriately dec
Grated
Seated on the platform and participating
in the exercises were Senators Gallinger
and Allen, ex-senator Butler of South
Carolina, Rev. Hugh johnson, pastor of
the Metropolitan Methodist church; Rev.
Howard Wilbur Ennis, and number of
others Identified with the interests of the
insurgents.
Gen. William Henry Browne, president
of the Cuban league, called the meeting to
order, and introduced Senator Gallinger as
the presiding officer. The latter made a
brief address and read a number of letters
and kilograms of regrets, among them be-
ing those from Senators Chandler, Frye
and Burrows, and Commander Clarkson
of the Grand Army of the Republic.
Senator Chambers letter was as follows:
| Senior A. A. Aguirre, Washington. Dear
Sir: Although unable to attend the meet
ing tonight, l send few words of SYM
pathy and of hope for the relief and inde-
pendence 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
nation of course 1 shall, as a practical
friend, vote for every motion tending TO
the same beneficent end.
Il hope and believe that congress and the
President will soon formally recognize
state of war and Cuban belligerency. This
step, followed as it Will be by all the other
| independent nations of the western hemis-
! phere, cannot fail to ensure the Cuban in
| dependence which is sought for
| Moreover, without delay we ought to
send a fleet to their harbor and an army
to land upon the soil of Cuba. First to
protect the lives and property of American
citizens, and secondly, to stop the afro
cious and uncivilized methods of warfare
adopted by Spanish generals. In advo-
| eating all these measures, l am conscious
| of no passionate hostility to Spain. In
1861, she recognized the southern confeder-
acy within less than three months after
| its military struggle began; and surely if
| she cannot hold Cuba without MAX
| ing it one vast desert and grave
| yard by driving the inhabitants into the
| cities to starve, and by hanging, shoot
| ~ M ofH
| diers for rebellion and incendlarism, she
| ought to lose the island. If between 1861
| and 1865 one confederate general had been
| thus 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
and to establish and maintain the south
| ern confederacy. Yet, Gen. Robert E.
| Lee and all his generals were as truly
| guilty of rebellion and incendiarism as
| was Theodore Menendez Gonzales, who
| was shot for that offense at Cabanas
| fortress in Havana on Monday last. We
| blame England for abandoning the harm
less and peaceful Armenian Christians to
| massacre by the Moslems and for sub
! mitting the liberty-loving Greeks to
slaughter by the Turks. England retorts
that we dare not stop the methods of
uncivilized warfare applied at our very
| doors i'm the American Crete-the fair ISL
tereharge are justly made
I'm helping to make Cuba independent
we are observing a traditional and uni
versal American policy, the duty to pro-
mote at the first good opportunity the
severance 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 republicans, by their promises that
the United States should endeavor to re-
store peace and give independence to the
| island.
There need be little fear that these
pledges will be violated. President Nc
| Kinley 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
may proceed with what will seem to i'm
| patient spirits to be undue caution, with
the cries and groans of unarmed men, wo-
men and children enduring inhuman cru
| city and dastardly murder ringing in his
! ears, but he will not fail to be faithful
to his pledges, ana he will before long.
| register the decree which went forth In
| his triumphant election that Cuba should
be taken from the control Of Spain and
made peaceful and independent. In this
faith In a great party and It's President,
! let us rest patiently and most hopeful.
| Very respectfully, William II. Chandler" !"
| Kari Decker or washington, who, as
correspondent Of the New York journal,
| spent some time IN Cuba, much OF Il with
a branch Of the Cuban army in Santa
Clara province, gave a description OF the
| condition OF affairs existing, and OF the
pitlable plight Of many of the people suf-
| fering for the necessities Of life. lie rid-
culed the claims set up by Gen. Weyler
that the island had been paclfedand said
that ~ the Cubans were granted belg-
orent rights by the United states they
would certainly win.
In the course OF some interesting re-
marks. Senator Allen OF Nebraska, hui
morously declared there was no division
| Ia the populist ranks on the question OF
Cuban liberty. The whole matter. he
thought. had been too much sacrificed 10 a
spirit OF commercialsm and II was time
| this government had a little more human
ity and a little more Amerlcanism. He de-
clared that the United States could not af-
ford TO allow a docaying monarchy 20
have a foothold on this continent. He
would be delighted 20 see Spain and the
ottoman empires wiped from the map OF
| T,urOuo