The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-05-10

her captain, crew, and cargo. and not the
United States, must pay the peual,y.
Spain has the right to say what arllcles
shall not be landed on her shores phe
has no right to dictate to the uHteu
States what articles shall not be shlppeu
from our ports. We have, u Is true set
Of neutrality laws, laws whlch were
passed originally in the interest OF Portu-
gal i'm 1918 and amplifed later in the IN
terest of England. which make " an Oh
fence for any person or persons 10 OF
ganize military expeditions destined 10
operate against any country with whtch
the United States ere at peace. But these
laws relate. In terms, TO military eNpedi-
tions and not to the clearance of vessels
carrying cargo and passengers, no mat
ter what the cargo may consist OF, from
any Of our ports. our argument there-
fore, is that, under the present cohultloh
Of affairs, vessels loaded with any OF the
products of this country are entitled 10
clearance at any port in the United states
for any port IN Cuba without the exaction
from their CAPTAINS Of any oath beyond
the one which is required by the law, ana
without interference from our coast
guard. Where they steer their course
after losing sight Of our shore Is no con-
cCrn of ours.
-:ll:--
How different is the course of the United
States in respect Of Cuba from what II has
been toward other countries. we nave eN
pressed national sympathy Tor peoples III
Europe who, being under OPPRESSION nave
struggled to obtain their liberty. we toot
early and decided action in recognizing
republic in Franco and Spain and later
I'm Brazil. But here at our very doors are
people oppressed as no other ChTlstian
people have ever been oppressed; laNed
to the extent Of the value of the prouuct
of their industry; their property de-
stroyed; their citizens arrested am
thrown into loathsomc prisons upon lne
shallowest pretcxts; shot down slmply
because found with arms In their hands;
women and children murdered indiscrlm-
inately; the smoke OF burning towns anu
ham.ets resting in clouds over the lana
when we can almost hear the groans OF
the victims of tyranny; people VINO lot
years have foiled the attacks or vast
army. and are determined to perish rather
| than live again under foreign dominlon'
who have organized a government com
plete in all its parts, which exercises juris-
diction over two-thirds OF their country
yet no recognition or assistance has gone
| from us to them' More than that we re-
| fuse to accord to them even the quality
| of belligercnts, which would give them at
| least the protection of civilized warfare.
| We ignore the fact that, in spite of what
| Spain may say war in its most dreadful
| form has been waging there for more than
| two years. We shut our eyes to the acts
of carnage and destruction which are
daily enacted there. We are deaf to the
prayers of those strugglers for liberty
| We read unmcved, or at least our govern
| ment officials so read, the uncontradicted
| statements that thousands of them, non
| combatants, driven from their homes, are
budding in miserable huts and starving
even those who have been sent to sucn
places as Matanzas. where supplies can be
| obtained. We allow cargoes OF provisions
and munitions Of war to go to their OPP
pressors, hut will not allow LOAF or pread
| to get to them if we can prevent 1t!
| ILL
What is the occult power which has
| enabled Spain to make our government
her ally in war so barbavous against
people so long suffering?