The evening times., 1898-10-27

The cable dispatches this morning
announce that Spain has thrown her
self on the mercy of the Americans
and made a piteous plea to be relieved
of the burden Of the Cuban debt. The
Spanish representatives pointed out
that only by some release from that
could Spain be saved from complete
ruin, and submitted facts and figures
in proof. The conference adjourned
for twenty-four hours for the purpose
of allowing the American Commission
ers to consider the question and Of per
uniting communication with Washing
tom
There may be more behind this than
can be guessed. There are shreWd per-
sons in Paris who are not convinced
that the reports Of the proceedings OF
the peace conference tell all that might
be of interest. 1t is possible this pit
eous appeal is part Of plan to move
the sensibilities of the American people
to the point of approving concessions
as 10 the Cuban debt that would benefit
somebody holding Cuban bonds; and
that the apparent severity of the
American Commissioners, the ultima
tum. and all, are features Of pre-
arrangement.
But leaving all that for the time,
what is there in the Spanish pauper
plea to induce the American Commits
sioners ito consider the question and
communicate with Washington" Sup
pose il is all true that Spain asserts, and
n - mic sion
eIs were appointed to negotiate treaty
81 peace and not to consider any ques-
tion Of charity. There is no more rea-
son why America should help Spain out
OF poverty than England, France, Ger
many or any other nation should save
hey from ruin. Indeed, America is the
las: country in the world Of whom
Spain should expect charity funds.
There is no possible relation between a
treaty Of peace and Spain's pauperism,
and why she should hold out her hat to
our Peace Commission is ineXplicable.
Here is the case in brief: Spain bor-
roved enormous sums Of money for her
own use-not for the benefit of Cuba.
The money was spent for her own pur-
poses. a part of il TO send soldiers to
Cuba TO Cypress the people Of that ISL
and As security for the debt, she
pledged the earnings Of the Cubans,
which she meant to get as Blanco has
got money from the bank of Havana
by the baldest robbery. Her tyranny
in Cuba provoked a revolt which cost
her a great deal Of money. Refusing
all the propositions of America to help
her stop the abuse of her unhappy sub
jects in Cuba, she forced a war that
compelled her to pledge all her reve-
nues for years to come, and at the end
of it she finds herself bankrupt. She
can no longer bleed the Cubans. who
have been kept in abject want by her
unholy eXactions. and she is response
BILE, as she should pe, for the payment
OF The money she borrowed and squan-
dered and which is miscalled the Cuban
debt. Recognizing the fact that the
people Of the island had nothing to do
with the money, and never saw any OF
il except in the form of Weyler and
his men, the American people ridiculed
the proposition that either America OF
Cuba should assume this Indebtedness
The Commissioners under the instruc-
tons of the President, notified the
Spaniards that the proposition was alb
surd and could not be considered, ex-
cept as joke.
The facts about the so-called Cuban
debt are just what they have been al
along. Suddenly abandoning the con-
tention that there is any question Of
Spain's right to demand relief from the
burden, her representatives put in the
poverty plea and say that unless
America, the country that she drove
into a costly war. comes to her relief
she viii be ruined That may be sad ir
spite Of the fact that she brought the
threatened ruin On herself by the mosi
barbarous and cruel and wicked abuse
OF power the modern world has seen
But what can il have to do with the
peace negotiations? 1t is a beggar':