The commonwealth., 1898-04-08


+ shane our course Ifany poEentate il
j Europe great OF small thinks thh
quarrel is his, let him interfere if bi
I chooses. We shall not be daunted
/ We have reached at last that stage il
the development Of nations when W'
can afford to stand singly before the
lapnh route our responsibility and de
| the things approved by our Judgment
Spain unfortunately has for four cen.
/ turies been marking time when othei
natioas have been marching When
| they have been reaching out and de
i Yeloping into a broader and higher
humanity, q brighter civilization, Shit
! has been a caseof arrested development
She has no part in the spirit Of this age
! She is dreadful anachronism When
! did Spain win a battle7 How many
centuries have fed since her arnie.
were yictorious9 When did Spain ever
win naval battle since Lepanto, three
| hundred years ago, when Don john o.
| Austria crushed the Turkish feet and
humbled the Sublime Porte with an
armada composed mainly Of Cienoeseand
| Venetian ships, and supported by tht
genius Of Doria and the skill Of Barber
INF, the two Italian adinirals2
Yet some people think it Is power
to befeared. How isit that this nation,
which once stood In the commanding
position Of arbitor Of Europe, asreach-
ed its degradation9 How is it that heI
| victories are but memories2 Over four
| hundred years ago she began to pouI
out to the world all the manhood,
energy, enterprise, courage, in that
gallant band Of Conquistador5 that
over-ran the country from Sabine Pass
to Patagonia, which established king.
| doms and oYercame nations
Everything great, everything noble,
has gone out Of Spain and left the
leaves and dregs of manhood to perpet.
uate her population. She has expelled
the Moor she has expelled The Jew
she has expelled the Protestant she has
| done the things she ought not to have
| done, and the curse Of God has seemed
to rest on her ever since. 1t is as un.
pleasant to recite the crimes and fail
ures Of nations as those Of individuals
but when we come face to face with tht
question Of a struggle with that coun
| try, we have a right to inquire into hen
history to measure her strength, and
| to size mp her capability
Not only has Spain not won a naval
battle in over a hundred years, but fol
that time she has been a source Of more
trial to her allies than to her enemies.
/ In the history Of modern Europe Spain
has been a ceaseless care to her friends
and Of little effect as against hen enc.
mics. She has held the province Of
Cuba for four hundred years There is
a people Of her own blood, unmixed
Indians, the only Spanish American
colony where there has been no mix
ture, because the indian was promptly
exterminated ia the first twenty-five
years Of Its history, according to the
| general policy Of that time. There has
| grown up this beautiful colony on an
island Of $4,000 square miles. When
the war began, tcontained a population
Of over !, 100000 people.
| Mr. President, one hundred and City
/ years ago the Dutch took possession Of
Java Java has almost exactly the
same number Of square miles, almost
the same length and general conagura-
ton, as Cuba. Both Lie in tropical
sea. They produce exactly tbe same
articles sugar, and coffee, and rice, all
the tropical fruits, bananas pineapples,
and 50 On. But when the Dutch took
| possession Of Java one hundred and
fifty years ago, the population was
| 100000
| Today under the wise, benefeent,
and protective rule Of the Dutch, Java
supports q population Of $4,000, 600;
"a, 100000 people under the fostering
care Of a government thousands of
miles away while Cuba with tho same
capacity, with the same favorable Cir
cumstances. contained but 100000
| people, Of whom today not 100000
are left This il the fostering care of
the mother country, Three thousand
miles Of heaving brine seems to have
engulfed every sentiment Of sympathy
and protection and interest.
The island has been held to Be de
spoiled Her people have been shut
ont from laudable HeIds Of ambition.
They have been denied a share IF tbs
public Offices. They have had 10 sem
blance Of eommune, local self.soyern.
ments The Captain. General, eyer since
the office was created, a hundred years
ago, has been invested with power
more absolute than any king or queen,
more autocrauc than the Gar Of Rus
sic, q power more drastic, more arbitary
and despotic in It's exercise than chat
exercised BIZ any potentate Or prince |
From the confines Of western Europe
clear across the Asiatic continent toE
Cape Town, thereis not q power SO great
as bis His decree j. law Nobody ques
tions lis decision, He has the power
Of 2 general of city in a state of siege
He conAscates he Stays, and that he
has exercised this prerogatiYe without
the mOurnflii history of rtt,t,s