Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-03-25

supplies Tor the most part contScated
Most Of these people We're old men, women
children. Slow starvation was their inev-
ltable rate. a conservative estimate indi-
Gates that ZlO.uc OF these people have al
ready perished from starvation.
The government of Spain has never con-
trlbuted one dollar to house, shelter. feed
or provide medical attention for these its
own citizens.
Spain Cannot End the Revolt.
There has been no ameioration of the
situation. except through the charity of
the people of the United States. There
has been no diminution in the death rate
among these reconcentrados, except as the
Death death supply is constantly, diminished,
There Is no relief and no hope except
through the continued charity of the
american people until peace has been fully
restored in the island.
Spain cannot put an end to the existing
condition. She cannot conquer the insrr.
gents. She cannot re-estabish her SOW
ereignty over any considerable portion of
the interior of the island. The revolutions
lists. while able to maintain themselves,
cannot drive the Spanish army from the
fortified seacoast towns. The situation.
a chaos or devastation and depopulation of
underlined duration, whose end no man can
see.
In detailing the incidents and reciting the
facts that came under his observation Mr..
Thurston said he had no desire to deal in
horrors If had my way" said he. Il
would shield the American public even from
the Photographic reproductions of the awful
scenes. that viewed in all their original
ghastliness.''
OF the 225.0O0 soldiers Spain had sent to
Cuba, less than 60.0oO We're now available
for duty. The remainder are dead sick in
hospitals or returned to Spain incapacitat
ed. 1t is currently reported that $1,000 are
now sick In the hospitals on the island.
IN, the army was in IN poor condition and under
lax !,S I'd discipline; zip Il do not believe" said he.
could stand an engagement in the open
field against 20, 900 we'll disciplined American
soldiers" OF the Spanish soldiers. he said
that they. of all people on earth, would
most gladly welcome any result which
would enable them to return to their homes.
Pictures of Misery Not Overdrawn.
"The pictures in the American newspa-
pers Of the starving reconcentrados are
true. They can all be duplicated by the
thousands. never saw, and please God ]
may never again see, so deplorable sight
as the reconcentrados in MatanZas. 1 can
never forget to my dying day the hopeless
anguish in their despairing eyes. Huddied
about their little bark huts. they raised no
voice of appeal to us for aims as We went
among them. Men, women and children
stand silent, famishing. Their only appeal
comes from their sad eyes, through which
one looks as through o, an open window into
In Matanzas the people had done all they
possibly could for the reconcentrados, but
it was too true that many Matanzas peo-
pie who resided in fine houses scarcely
knew where their own next meal was to
come from. The governor was willing that
the reconcentrados should pass the trocha
to their homes. but the great majority were
physically unable to go. Their fate was a
slow death by starvation. The governor
of Matanzas, Mr.. Thurston said, could see
no end to this condition of affairs and could
suggest no relief except through the Unit
ed States.
will not appropriate one dollar to save
these people. They are now being attend
ed and nursed and administered to by the
Of the OF the
Spain; we are nursing their sick; We are
saving such as can be saved, and yet there
send food. but we must keep hands off. I
say that the time has come when musketS
ought to go with the food.
Spain as a Barbarian Nation.
ST shall refer to these horrible things
no further. They are there. God pity me;
have seen them: they will remain on my
mind forever-and this almost the twen-
tieth century. Christ died 1900 years ago,
and Spain is a Christian nation; yet she
has set up more crosses in more lands.
beneath more skies, and under them has
butchered more people than all the ma
tions of the earth combined.
Europe may tolerate her existence as
long as the people of the Old World wish.
morning the last vestige of Spanish tyran-
ny and oppression will have vanished from
the Western hemisphere
Discussing the remedy which should be
applied to the evils he found, Mr.. Thurs
ton said: ''I counseled silence and moder-
alton from this floor when the passion
the destruction of the Maine: but 1t seems
to me the time for action has now come.
Not action in the Maine case. I hope and
trust this government will take action on
the Cuban situation entirely outside of
the Maine case. When the Maine report
is received, if it be found that our ship
side explosive We will have ample repa-
ration without quibbe or delay: and if the
explosion can be traced to Spanish Off
cial sources there will be such swift and
terrible punishment adjudged as will re-
nh What shall the United States do. Mr..
For answer Mr.. ,Thurston, as a Repub-
licaE, turned to the last national plat
form form Of his party. which which, declared that
its influence and good offices to restore
peace and give independence to the ISL
and In accepting the nomination ten
adopted the Cuban plank with mighty
Shout William Mckinley had said: 1.-The
platform adopted by the Republican con-
vention has received my careful consid-
GRAFTON and has my unqualified approval"
Too Late for BeIIigerency.
Twice within the past two years. Mr..
ThCrston said he had voted for a resolu-
Cuban insurgents, but he was satisfied
1t was now too late to accord them bel
lgerent rights, or even merely to recog-
EiZe the independence of the Cuban re-
public. Our PLATFORM said he, de
mards that the United States shall active
ly use its influence for the independence
of the island. / am not here to criticise
the present administration. 1 yield to no
man living IN my respect, my admiration
for and my confidence in the judgment,
the the wisdom the patriotism. the American
ism of William Mckinley. When he en-
dlfhcult situation. 1t was his duty to
1t was the plain duty Of the president
of the United States to give to the Liberal
ministry of Spain a reasonable time in
which 10 test its proposed autonomy That
time has been given. Autonomy is con-
ceded the wide world over to be a conspIc-
uous failure. The situation in Cuba has
only changed for the worse. Sagasta is
poweriess: Blanco is powerless to put an
end to the conflict, to rehabilitate the ISL
and or to relieve the suffering, starvation
and distress.
THE time for action has then come No
greater reason can exist for it tomorrow
than exists to-day. Every hours delay
only adds another chapter to the awful
story of misery and death. Only one power
can intervene-the United States of Amer
lea.
1T was her glorious example which in
spred the CubanS of Cuba to raise the flag
of liberty in her eternal hills. We cannot
refuse to accept this responsibility which
the God of the universe has placed upon