Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-03-23


Weyler devised scheme OF human
suffering and sorrow that put Dante's
Inferno in the shade. and converted "a
contented, prosperous people into a
herd Of suffering, starving unfortunates
"Matanzas is literally IA place of
beggary and death. Never before did
my eyes behold such suffering and
never again do / expect to see such
havoc wrought through cruel and In
human decree. a visit to the Matan-
2as hospitals revealed an even more
shocking condition than the streets
Members of the Red Cross society who
had visited one of the hospitals two
weeks before were almost overcome
upon discovering that nearly every
one of the inmates Mt that time had
since died. There poverty, sorrow and
suffering were depicted in their worst
forms.
children, gaunt in face but with
abdomen and limbs terribly swollen,
women in the last stage of emacia-
tlon. and men there rapidly drifting
to death. If there was food in these
hospitals" said Mr.. Gallinger, II did
not discover II, neither We're there
signs of medicine or of proper nour-
ishment and care
The governor of Matan2as informed
Mr.. Gallinger that the first day he
occupied the palace fifteen persons
had died in the court yard. He sold
further that in the city LOO had died
in November, 1900 in December, 700
in January and 500 in February. The
death rate was decreasing, simply be-
cause the reconcentrados, by death,
We're becoming fewer.
1.-THE number of people who have
starved in Cuba will never be def
nltely known. 1t is estimated that
100000 We're driven from their homes
into the cities and towns. | had 1t
from Spanish authority, that accord
Ing to their figures 225.000 already
have persisted, but IT is said that the
Red Cross society is in possession of
figures showing that $4,000 Cubans
have died as the result of starvation
and that 100000 more must inevitably
die.
81 have been asked many times,
what of the Maine--I do not know.
This. however, I do know: gov
eminent that will deliberately starve
100000 of its own people will do pretty
much anything. IL the ship was
blown up from the outside what
should our government do? Perhaps
/ should forbear to discuss that ques-
tiun now; but this i Will venture to
say: Human life purposely taken
cannot be paid for in gold or silver.
Mark my words, Purposely taken,
and If 1t shall appear that such was
the fate of $50 brave American sailors
then heaven pity the guilty parties.
1t will not be a question Tor nrbltra-
ton, but a question involving the dig
nifty and honor Of this great Republic
Mr.. Gallinger said there was littie
real loyalty to Spain in Cuba, as
would be demonstrated when the hour
of trial should come. He did not be
Iieye that Spain could subdue the in
surgents. The Cubans had been OPP
pressed so long that they preferred
death to Spanish rule.
4. ian
rule. Mr.. Gallinger referred to the mat
Ter of taxation. In addition to all di-
rect and indirect taxes on real estate,
there is n tax on every door, every VIM
dow and every chimney in every
house: ON every letter in every bust
ness sign, and on every name upon
every hotel register. Licenses are re-
aired to build houses and paint houses.
There is a tax on food animals as a
whole special taxes on horns, the
hoofs and the hide. In addition to
all this. the interest on the debt Is
tremendous burden, the salaries of the
Spanish officials are beyond all reason,
and the amount Of money wrung from
the Cubans to keep the Madrid govern
ment from complete insolvency is sim
ply enormous. mo people on the face
of the earth have been so oppressed,
the treasury of Spain being literally
supplied from the revenues extorted
"Our forefathers went to war because
the mother country put a tax ON tea.
| Cuba has ten thousand more reasons
! than we had for rebellion, and she de-
serves the sympathy and help of every
true American.
Fortunately the people of this great
Republic are thoroughly aroused to the
| situation and the great heart of the
American populace Is in full sympathy
with Cuba. Religion and humanity
alike demand that the war shall cease,
and cease it should even though the
glitter and glamor of military rule
shall end and a decaying and dissolute
throne shall pass away, never to re-
turn"
AS to what would be done, Mr.. Gallln>
ger felt that sooner or later this gov
eminent would of necessity absorb Gu
ba, but If annexation cannot now be
accomplished. let II speedily come.
in conclusion. have already suffered
| enough. We have patrolled our coast
in the interest OF Spain as long as we
should, and we have spent quite too
much money in protecting our people
from epidemic diseases coming to our
shores because of the unsanitary con-
dition of the harhor and city of Ha-
vana Spain has failed to meet the
requirements of an advanced civiliza-
ton. Let the United States or Cuba
take up the problem and solve It,"
NEWS FROM HAWAII.