The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-06-22
mr.. CHAMBERS
Plea FOR CUBA.
a Vigorous Letter From the New
+ Hampshire Senator.
HE SAYS THE PRESIDENT sHoUL
'THER LEGISLATION SHOULD

|
PLEDGES OF THE REPUBLICAN
PARTY HAVE BEEN FULFILLED.
Washington, June 21.-Iu the Wash.
ington Post this morning appears the fol-
rowing vigorous letter from the pen of
Senator VIM. e. Chandler, of New
Hampshire:
Editor Post: / wish every American
citizen could read Stephen Bonsall's book.
The True Condition of Cuba To day,''
published on last Decoration Day by Har.
per 81 Brothers, New York. 1t shows
thar the policy of Spain is to literally ex-
terminate the Cuban race by deportation,
execution, concentration and purposely
caused starvation and pestilence
The brutalities and horrors deliberately
inflicted by Spain and her demoniac Gen.
Weyler exceed those of the Spanish hor-
rors in the Netherlands in the seventeenth
century; and for these crimes the United
States is as morally responsible as il they
were committed within sight of the dome
| of the Capitol. Until March d President
Cleveland's administration carried the
damning burden. For four months now
1T has been patiently borne. by new adj
III Illustration.
"ioh JIG ET6SlueDU anu secretary or
State could find time to read even one of
the incidents narrated by Mr.. Bonsall;
the death of q soldier Sof liberty in the
laurel ditch of the Cabanas fortress, shot
for rebellion and incendiarism" (5S to
I'D and transcribe below, for their ben
cit, the narration headed 1.-THE Murder
of Children" (page 67): "Under Gen.
Weyler there have been at least thou.
sand assnssinations of this order during
the last year.
| The whole volume, which is carefully
written, is calculated 70 bring home to
every citizen OF the United States sense
OF shame we'll expressed by Mr.. Bonsall
IN these words, on page 100: "But what
saw most clearly of al was our share
IN all this shame; cur direct ..and moral
responsibility for this reign of terror,
this carnival of crime, and all the afro
cious Incidents (which characterize the
lnhuman strife, which it is our plain
duty, both to humanity and ourselves, to
stop; and we can stop it with single
| word.''
Is this word to be spoken by President
Mckinley? For my part think all other
legislation and all other executive action
should be postponed until the pledges of
the Republican party to save Cuba are
fulfilled.
Banks and tariffs, stocks and trade,
Let them rise or let them fall,
Freedom needs our common aid,
Rally one and all.
VIM. +. CHANDLER.
Washington, June 20.
THE MURDER OF CHILDREN.
You may be glad you were not here
yesterday morning, and If had anything
TO do or anywhere else to stay ] would
not he here to-day, 'said the crippled ser.
geant. later on, as we met again at the
canteen. 1.-The hermnnitos, as we called
them, the brightest, merriest little hoys l
ever saw, were shot in the ditch yestey-
day morning They were not more than
10 or 10 years olds and how they came to
be with the rebels l do not know. we
were very fond of them, and tried to slim
in what food we could through the iron
bars of the galera, where they seemed so
out of place, where they never should
have been put, we thought, and so did
many of the officers. But were they
rebels? Well, they were, and red. hot
ones, and whenever the governor came
around on his inspection, they would al.
ways shout, Long live free Cuba and
other deviltry, and that is why they had
TO be shot.
"Woll, they came marching ont of the
chtDei yesterday morning rs pert as you
please, and hopping along with their
hobbies as cheerfully as though they
were going to n picnic, and not to their
death. They were very much pleased
when the lieutenant said of course they
would die together: he wor Id not separate
them Then the eldest whispered i'm.
ploringly to the captain, and we thought
he was going to give way, poor little
| worm, and would not have blamed h m
He should have been ut home with ihs
mother, curled up in her lap. But then
the captain answered loud and sharp, and
we knew he had not been wavering. The
captain said: what you ask is impossi-
BILE cannot have yonr-arms unbound.
must obey orders, and you must te
shot just as you are, and like all the
other prisoners sentenced to death for re.
bellion,' Then the little chap who was
not year older than his brother, said