The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-08-02
gaAiu Ea9e
vi. NJ. MURDOCH. Editor.
A WORD FOR THE CUBANs.

A WORD FOR THE CUBANS.
Itwould be flying in the face of wide
spread public opinion to say that the
Cuban insurgents have been the target
Of a good many unnecessary insults
from this country and that their pres
ent huff is a little bit justifable.
Our present force in Cuba has su-
preme contempt for the Cuban. That
can not be denied. The Cubans did not
help build roads; they did not line up
and help take the brunt OF battle; and
they helped themselves to the coats
and haversacks dropped on the way by
our soldiers. And. what is not the least
strange, they showed a most vicious
eagerness to clean the Spaniards out
after they were CAPTURED.
The result Of the Cubans' actions has
been a protest from public opinion in
America Those protesting forget that
the Cubans were men enough, patriots
enough, to rebel against a tyrannical
government; that for over two years
they have loved liberty sufficiently to
live wild in the mountains, fighting a
hopeless fight.
Let it be remembered that they are
q tropical people. They are suave, eff
fusive and enthusiastically polite. They
take the rough. outspoken frankness Of
our American soldiers for insults. They
can not understand Josh" or jibe,
or a joke There is evidence that since
the battle the Americans have ''joshed"
them without mercy. The Cubans did
not help build roads. When ordered to
do so they cut down the chapparal and
called it a road. Perhaps they consid-
cred it sufficient. They certainly did
not know how to build a pike. If they
did, it was a foregone conclusion that
they would, like all tropical people, lack
thoroughness. They did not line up
and charge with our soldiers outside
Santiago. But they did effective Skin
mish work in advance of our lines
They did not fight in the. open, because
they do not understand an open fight.
They have been taught for two years
to avoid such contests. OF the charge
that they helped themselves TO the dis
carded American coats and haversacks
Il must be confessed that this semi
theft was a most ungraceful thing, and
admits Of only one defence-that 1t was
not general, but the work Of a Cuban
here OF there. So far as their eager
ness to clean the captured Spaniards
out is concerned, it should be remem-
bered that cur enmity for Spain is more
or less polite. If the war should con-
tinue for four or five years and every
household in this country should lose a
son or a husband or a brother, our en-
nifty for the Spaniards would be a
great deal less formal and Admiral
Cervera would be regarded a great deal
less Of a hero than he is today. We
would probably want to clean captur-
ed Spaniards out ourselves. There is
vengeance in Remember the Maine"
and perhaps that expression misled the
Cubans
And, above all, 1t should be remem-
bered that when you are lighting for
cake, and a man comes to your assist
ance who is able to take the cake away
from you subsequently, you are liable
to have suspicious of your strong ally,
even when he is fighting for you. The
Cubans are part Spaniards themselves.
they have been fighting Spaniards, and
it is not unnatural that they should
be unable to understand American
magnanimity.
At all events, 1t is our sincere hope
and belief that IN the reconstruction of
Cuba, the Cuban insurgent will have
a big finger and that he will receive at
last fitting reward for his long, sor-
rowful and desperate fight against
tyranny.