The times., 1897-03-31
GOMEz'S APPEAL TO CAESAR.

| sense of our national disgrace and dis
honor in the face of such a presentation
| and appeal. Both documents Were for
warded by the correspondent OF a Chicago
newspaper, shortly before his death on the
battlefield, which has just been reported
The letter and the copy were no doubt
! in the hands OF the President yesterday J..
Whether the original of the February com
munication ever reached it's destination
OF not, probably never VIII be known. II
it did, 1t was suppressed, and its receipt
would naturally be now denied. If it did
not, it is Just as well, for its cry for help
to outraged woHianhood and helpless child
hood would have fallen upon deaf ears
Now it will be heard, and will sink as
deep in the heart Of Our Chief Magistrate
as it does in the great heart Of tie nation
Gen. Gomez does not ask the President
of the United States to interfere in be-
half OF the Cubans in arms. No he
writes: II raise my voice only in the
name OF unarmed Americans, victims Of a
frightful cruelty. I raise it in the name
OF weakness and IF innocence sacrificed,
Sacrificed brutally in the closing
days OF the nineteenth century, at the
very gates Of the great nation which
stands so high IN m9dern culture Again
he writes: " But you know it is not Cuba
alone; it is America, iii is all Chnstianhood,
IL is all humanity that sees itself out
ragged by Spain S horrible barbarity.'
But what else could one expect, the gen
eral asks, from a ration that prosecuted
and expelled the Jews, that instituted and
built up the terrible lHquisltiOn, eStab-
iished the infamous tribunals OF blood in
the Netherlands; eXteTminated the inst
settlers in Cuba, assassnated thousands
il the South American wars of iudcpend-
ence and filled the cup OF iniquity in the
last war in Cuba?
1t is not strange that such people
should proclaim murder system aud
as Il means or putting down IA war caused
by It's desires for money ana power. o
kill the suspect, TO kill the criminal, to
kll the dcleHseless prisoner, to klll The
helpless wounded, to Kill all who are able
to impede its desUlatlnE action, all this Is
comprehensive as the way that the span
lardS have always understood and carried
warfare.
But, not TO pause at the holy and
yenerated hearth, gersOnllicdtion OF all
most peaceful and most noble, nor at Wu-
Lea, emblem Or weakness nor at children,
overwhelming symbol OF lnoTrenSlye IN
nocence. TO bring upon these Ntruction,
rum, anu murder, constant and cruel All,
sir, how horrible this is. The pen fails
from my hand when think OF 1t, and L
doubt at times human natures, In COnteIn-
plating, with my eyes uIn with tears, 50
many hearts outraged, 50 many women
sacrificed, 50 maa children cruelty ani use
lessly destroyed Ivy the Spanish columns.
The Spanish, unable 10 exercise acts OF
sovereignty over the interior OF Cuba,
have forced the peasants 10 concentrate
IN villages, where, it is hoped, aIisery viii
government which they aOhOr, Not only
are these unhappy ones forced To abandon
the only means by which they 'sJn live;
not only are they forced to lie of StarVa-
tluH, tut they are branded rs decided sup
pOrters OF our arms and against them,
their wives ana children. is directed a
fearful and cruel persecution.
Ought such facts TO be toleTJ tea by a
civilized people Can human POWERS, for
getting the fundamental principles of Chris
tidn community, permit these things 10
60 on Is IL possible that 4 i.llLel pt Ople
VIII consent to the sacrifice ~ unIrmed
ana defGnsGiCss men, Can the American
people view, with culpablc 'sdiiference,
the slow but complete exteruiua IN OF
have declared that they cannot that such
acts of barbarity ought not L. he per
united nor tolerated. We see the brilliant
Initiative YOU have taken III protesting
strongly against the killing OF Europeans
and Christians in Armenia ana in ,hina,
den"uncng them with evidence OF heart
Knowing this, today frankly ana legally
appeal 20 you, ana declare that 1 cannot
cpluteteiy prevent the acts OF vandalism
that / aeploTe.
1t does not suffice that protect the fam
HES OF CuhanS who join US. and that my
lICUEs. following thc example OF CiviliZa-
ti15 ZION, ftsteet ahd5 Pt1t az immediate llbtfty
prisoners oi var, cure and restore the en-
eIlys wohnded ana prevent reprisais. 1t
SILL appears th8tthe Spanlards are amena-
ne TO no TOM OF refsuasiUn that Is not
An, Sill, the yictssrudes or this cruel
struggle nave caused much pain to the
hedrt OF an old and unfortunate rat her: but
luthing mas made ne suffer 80 much as the
horrors which | TeClte, unless { is to see
that you remain indifferent to them.
VINO can read the noble words of the
grand old Cuban hberator, addressed to
the American Nero, and not believe that
they are destined To bear swift and vigor-
Gus fruit in the action OF his high-minded,
patriotic, and Christian successor? Say
10 the spaniards that they may struggle
with US and treat US as they please; but
that they must respect the pacific popu-
laton; that they must not outrage women,
nor butcher innocent children" "
Gen. Gomez reminds Mr. Cleveland that
when, In 500, the Spanish Gen. Balmaceda
issued his frightful proclamation invoking
outrage and murder upon the people of
Cuba, our then Secretary Of State, pro
people march legitimateIy at the head OF
the Western Hemisphere, and they should
no longer tolerate the cold and systematic
assassination of defenseless Americans
lest history impute to them a participa tion
in these atrocities Gen. Gomez con
Cludes his letter thus:
Initiate the high example that have
in dcated above Your conduct, further
NpiI he has IL on ba
for this cannot refer only to
cf American territories, and
Iot % the defense OFT he people oc America
against European ambitions. 1t cannot
mean to protect American soil ind leave
It's helpless dwclIers exposed 10 the
1rueities of sanguinary aud despotic
defense or the principles which animate
modern civilization and form IN integral
part Of the culture and life OF The Ameri-
can people
crown your honorable history of states
with a noble act OF Christian
charity. Say to Spain that murder must
stop, that cruelty must cease, aud put
lhe stamp Of your authority on what you
say. Thousands of hearts VIII call down
eternal benedctions nn Your memory, and
God, the Supremacy merciful, will see in it
ne most merltQTiOuS work of your entire
life.
The communication above quoted from
needs little comment; but ii does justify
and demand action. We have every con
fidence that it Will be accorded by Presi-
dent Mckinley. who undoubtedly feels,
with the rest of us, that this nation has
been dishonored in permitting the atroCi-
ties of Spain in Cuba, when il was our |
duty and we had the right and the power
to stop them at any moment during the
past two years.
The facts involved are too notorious to
require preliminary investigation While |
President Mckinley. was reading the Go |