Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1897-05-20
THE CAUSE OF CUBA L|BRE
Friends Of the Patriots Meet
in Washington.
SYMPATHY FOR INSURGENTS
to the Island to stop the Atrocious
War-Spain's Action Compared.

/ Washington, May 18.-An enthusi
astic audience of men and women
many of them we'll known in Washing
/ ton, packed the Columbia theater to its
doors this afternoon. at monster mass
meeting held in behalf of the cause Of
the Cuban insurgents. The theater was
appropriately decorated. Seated on the
platform and participating in the exer.
cises were Senators Gallinger and Allen,
ex-senator Butler, of South Carolina;
Rev. Hugh johnson, pastor of the Met
ropolitan Methodist church; Rev. How
ard Wilbur Ennis, and a number of
Others identified with the interests of
the insurgents.
General William Henry Brown, pres
ident OF the Cuban League, called the
meeting to order and introduced Sena-
tor Gallinger as the presiding officer.
The latter made brief address and
read number of letters and kilograms
OF regret, among them being those from
Senators Frye and Burrows, and Com
mander Clarkson, of the Grand Army
of the Republic.
Senator Chandler sent the following
letter OF regret:
Washington, May 1S.-Senor A. A.
Guire, Washington-Dear Sir: AL.
though unable to attend the meeting
tonight, | send few words of sym
pathy, and of hope for the relief and
independence of Cuba. As wish to
see the United States declare and main.
tain the independence of the island, as
France did that of the American colo
MES and made the United States a
nation, of course shall, as practical
friend, vote for every method pending
to the same beneficent end. | hope and
believe that congress and the president
Will soon formally recognize state of
war and Cuban beligerency. This step
followed as it will be by all the other
independent nations of the Western
hemisphere, cannot fail to insure the
Cuban independence which is sought
Tor. Moreover, without delay, we
ought to send fleet to enter the bar
Dor and an army to land upon the soil
OF Cuba; first, to protect the lives and
property of American citizens, and Sec
ond, to stop the atrocious and uncivil-
lied methods of warfare adopted by the
Spanish generals.
In advocating all these measures. /
am conscious of no passionate hostility
to Spain. In 1861, she recognized the
Southern Confederacy within less than
three months after it's military struggle
began, and, surely, if she cannot hold
Cuba without making one vast desert
and graveyard by driving the inhabit-
ants into the cities to starve, and by
hanging, shooting or garroting Cuban
oiflcers and soldiers for rebellion and
lncendiarlsm, she ought to lose the
island. If, between 1861 and 1865, one
Confederate general had been thus nut
to death, all the powers of Europe, with
one accord, would have sent their fleets
and armies 5000 miles across the ocean
to end such barbarism and to establish
and maintain the Southern Confederacy.
Yet, General Robert f. Lee and all his
generals were as truly guilty of rebel
lion and incendiarism as was Theodore
Mendez Gonzales, who was shot for that
otfense at Cabanas fortress in Havana
Monday last.
we blame England for abandoning
the harmless and peaceful Armenian
Christians to massacre by the Moslems
and Tor submitting the liberty glowing
Greeks to slaughter by the Turkish des
pot. England reports that we dare
not stop the methods of uncivilized
warfare applied at our very doors in
the American Crete-the fair island of
Cuba; and both charge and counter
charge are justly made.
In helping to make Cuba independ-
ent, we are observing traditional and
universal American policy; the duty to
promote at the first good opportunity
the severance of Cuba from Spain. In
1896, the Democrats pledged them
selves to do this by their declaration of
for the people of Cuba in
their present struggle for victory and
and the Republicans de-
clared that the United States should
endeavor to restore peace and give IN
dependence to the island. There
need be little fear that these pledges
Will be violated. President Mckinley
recognizes the binding force
of the platform upon which he was
elected, and will soon do his part to.
ward making Cuba free and independ-
ent. He may proceed with what will
seem to impatient spirits to be undue
caution, with the cries and groans ring
ing in his ears of unarmed men, women
and children enduring inhuman cruelty
and dastardly murder, but he will not
fail to be faithful in his pledges, and
he will before long register the decree
which went forth in his triumphal elec.