Arizona republican., 1898-04-19
A TERRIBLE PICTURE.

1 The consular reports having been l given out, the American people know l that no incorrect statements have been made in regard to the policy of
 concentration in Cuba. They learn
 that the order of Gen. Weyler was ex- ecuted to the letter, that the peasantry and many other persons were forced to betake themselves to the towns and cities occupied by the Spaniards, and that while thus residing within actual reach of the means of sustaining life, they have been dying, by thousands, Of starvation and disease. The full meas ure of the terrible punishment inflicted on them is on record, to be read Of all men and for all time. Had Sagasta and Gen. Blanco only striven to feed the reconcentrados whom they found huddled together they would have won the credit of being as humane as Gen. Weyler and his superiors were 1nhu- man. But no conception of their nor al responsibility has dawned upon them.
 That is just what might have been expected The Spaniard as an admins trator of law and, as such, of the re- cally incompetent. Somehow or other he does not understand what the trend
 of enlightening progress has accom-
 plished for the world. Even when the Spanish republicans were glorifying
 the principle of equality in the early
 seventies they could not perceive tEat their duty and the state of interna-
 tional feeling at the time summoned them before the tribunal of civilized
 propriety for keeping the shackles up- 1 on the slaves of Cuba and Porto Rico. The theory of mercy and pity, Of humanity and decency, does not ap-
 peal to Spain today in relation to its colonies.
 It is unnecessary to consider the ! concentration as a war measure. There
 are men today who hold that Gen.
 Grants order to devastate the Shen-
 andoah was unjustifable. Mr. Gree |
 think that the acts of Gen. Sheridan
 bore good fruit. If one takes that
 view of the exceptional circumstances
 which provoked Gen. Grants policy,
 what is to be the measure of condem-
 nation passed on the Spanish devasta-
 tion, which has been carried out with I out a single reasonable excuse or one jot of merciful consideration for those deprived of the means of a livelihood? Has the insurrection been terminated by reason of the Weyler order? To condemn innocents or even suspected persons to death through privation just because a solitude is supposed to make for peace is against every prin- ciple of modern warfare. To extend the destroying operations to hun dreds of thousands of people is to make ! a hideous tragedy of war. But even the kindliest opinion of the Spanish
 policy will not allow that this tragic
 episode has any excuse. Admit that heroic measures may sometimes be needed to accomplish lasting good, and staring the thoughtful and considerate
 person in the eyes is the awful spec tacle of these hundreds of thousands of dying and suffering Cubans bearing their tortures for the sake of gigantic failure, humiliating fiasco. Weak men always adopt heroic schemes too
 late. Weyler and Spain made the
 great mistake of adopting concentra-
 ton when it was foredoomed to pass as a crime, because it was such a la
 mentable error. The concern of the humane American in the recontrados
 is based on this crying disgrace, that
 horrible tragedy has become a re-
 volting farce.
 | The great wrong done falls upon ] Spain, not upon Canovas and Weyler because, as has been pointed out
 Spanish authority is incapable oi checking it's direct consequences
 which are the want of food, charity and medicine among the hives of peasants : in the towns. Spain must answer foI
 it, too. Furthermore, it's inquisitor
 and master during the sad hours ot
 relieving the situation should be the United States, which alone has shown any regard for life and humanity in i Cuba. Compare this concentration 1 scheme with any act of the sultan of Turkey during the Armenian massa-
 cres, and it looks blacker than the series of deeds with which it is con- ! sidered. It is as sure as can be that
 if the sultan had committed his atro- l cities under the eyes of the foreign
 consuls, he would have found it much