New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-09-25
croachments Of a natural object OF striking In
terest and beauty.
rTBA'S STATE-AND SPAINS.

Il
Reports from Cuba continue to be TO some
extent conflicting. On the main point 'her'
is. however. substantial agreement. Inc re
bellion Is rot suppressed The war; WIN III
rs attendant horrors Of massacre. piiiaSe ana
destruction, still goes on. Not a single province
is pacificd The Insurgents have mace receh'i!
some noteworthy gains. surh as AT victoria VI
las Tunas In spite. of repeated assurances from
tbe highest official source that that province
was pacifed soon after the death OF Mhceo
fresh troops have just been dispatched 10
pinor dol Rio: and while the army already
sent from Spain 20 Cuba is twice as large as
any ever before sent across the ocean ny IN!
Power further reinfOrcemcnts are now asked
for. and will. if possible. be sent.
.If possible" because there Is ground Tor
doubling SPANS ability TO send many more
soldiers 10 the Ever Faithful Isle The TWO
hundred thousand or ihereabouis aicady seat
have terribly drained her resources i'll men,
and The cost Of maintaining them ana supply
ing them with munitions of war mas equan!
taxed her financial resources. Moreover 'he
war In the Philippine Islands Is by no means
ended, and there is q The present tiinc '''eii-
acing revival OF militant C1rllsm. Inc IRE
tender is said probably with truth. to nav"
one hundred thousand men armed ana realy
TO sprng into revolt the moment The WORD IS
ciycn In such circumstances strong home
guard must be mainta med 10 protect the Gov
eminent ard the Alfonssl Dynasty Itself. And
Spain cannot. any more than any other nation.
send troops abroad and keep them at home. 100.
The fact Is that Spain has been and is max
ing one Of the most heroic struggles ever maze
nv any nation TO retain an inSurgcnt colony.
Her example will stand IN history as monu-
mental one. Had she put forth n commensurate
effort ninety years ago she would have held the
whole of tho South American continent. Had
England In 1916 cxcrtcd herself onc-half rs
much as Spain Is doing to-day. this country
would have remained subject 10 her Crown
No man vii! ever be able 10 say that Spanish
honor and Spanish PATRIOTISM were impaired in
1921. or that the last Of SPANS American
colonies was lost through lack Of labor and sac
rifcc 10 retain 4.
But there comes point when not valor nor
sacrifice nor all the energies Of the most devoted
patriotism can avail The question is. Has
not that point at last been reached? Has not
SPANS fight for Cuba become hopeless, and
would It not be tho part OF wisdom for her
20 recognize that fact? If shc should with
draw from Cuba now sho would not loso
honor nor reputation. She would not lose
friendship nor esteem. She would not lose even
n single pcseta IN property, for the Cuban war
Is costing her far more than Cuhn. crushed.
impoverished and dcsolatcd. Will bc nble TO re-
pay her for half n century to come. She would
simply get rid OF what has for moro than
generation been thorn IN her side md would
gain tho opportunity, which she so sorcly
needs, to repair her wasted fortunes nj homo
and TO rebuilt and enlarge the cdIfce OF her
domestic welfare Tho choice before nor Is
momentous ono for Spain. and II may be that
her whole future destiny depends upon It's
being rightly made