The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1897-05-19
CUBAN MASS MEET
ING.

Washington Turns Out to
Urge Recognition.
Washington, May 16 An enthu
siastic audience of men and women.
many of them we'll known in Wash
ingion. packed the Columbiae theatre
to It's doors this afternoon at mon
ster mass meeting held in behalf OF
the cause of the Cuban insurgents.
The theatre was appropriately decor
ated Seated on the platform and
participating in the exercises were
Senators Gallinger and Allen. ex-
Senator Butler of South Carolin, Rev.
Hugh johnson, pastor of the Metro
poliian Methodist church /; Rev How
ard Wilbur Ennis and {. number of
others identified with the interests Of
the insurgents Gen William Henry
Browne, president of the Cuban lea
que, called the meeting to order and
introduced Senator Gaillinger as the
presiding officer. The letter made a
brief address and read number of
letters and telegrams of regrets,
among them being those from Sena
tors Chandler. Frye aad Burrows aud
Burrows and Commander Clarkson Of
the 6 A. r
Senator Chandler's letter was as
follows;
4.senor A. A. Aguirre, Washington,
D. C.
..Dear Sir: Although unable to
attend the meeting tonight, ] send a
few words of sympathy and of hope
for the relief and independence of
Cuba. As / wish to see the United
States declare and maintain the in
dependence Of the island as France
did that of the American colonies
and made the United States ma
ton, of course / shall, as practical
friend, vote for every minor motion
tending to the same beneGcent end
81 hope and blieve that congress
and the President will scon formally
recognize state of war and Cuban
belligerency This step. followed as it
will be by all the other independent
nations of the Western hemisphere,
cannot failt enscre the Cuban In
dependence which is sought for.
Moreover, without delay we ought
TO send feet to enter the harbor and
an army to land upon the soil of
Cuba First to protect the lives and
property of American citizens. and
secondly, to stop the atrocious and
.unciyiI,zed methods of warfare adopt
ed by the Spanish generals.
'.1p advocating all these measures,
I am conscious Of no passionate hos
ti!ity 20 Spain. In 1861 she recog-
nized the Southern Confederacy with
in less than three months after it's
military struggle began; and surely
if she cannot hold Crba without max
ing it one vast desert and graveyard
by driving the inhabitants into the
cities to starve, and by hanging,
shooting and garroting Cuban officers
and soldiers for rebellion and incen
diarism, she ought to lose the island.
Between 1861 and 1865 had one
Confederate general been bnt thus
put to death, all the powers of Europe,
with one accord, woold have sent
their fleets and armies 5000 miles
across the ocean to end such bar
tarous warfare and to establish and
maintain the Southern Confederacy.
Yet Gen. Robert E Lee and all of his
generals were as truly guilty Of re
beIlion and incendiarism as was The
odore Menendez Gonzales. who was
shot for that ofense at Cabanas fort
ress in Habana. on Monday last
."We blame England for bandening
the harmless and peaceful Armenian
Christians to be massacred by the
Moslems. and for submitting to Iiber
ty loving Greeks to slaughter by the
Turks. England retorts that we dare
not stop the methods OF uncivilized
warfare applied at our very doors III
the American Crete-the fair island
of Cuba-apd both charge aud coun-
tercharge are justly made
''ln helping to make Cuba indepen
dent we are observing a traditional
and universal American policy. the
duty to promote at the first good op-
portunity the severance of Cuba from
Spain. In 1896, also, the Democrats
pledged themselves to do this by
their declaration of sympathy for the
people of Cuba in their heroic strug
gle for liberty and independence. and
tho Renuhlicono hv thar nroy,icos thot