The herald., 1898-03-24

sickens the heart and Qulckens every Inn
pulse of human sympathy and love-"
Under the shadow Of cathedrals and
churches. where Spain's authority is
absolutely unQuestioned the most horrt-
BILE conditions are conceded to exist.
Many have refused to believe that a
great government was waging war OF
determination instead Of a war Of
honor, yet such is an absolute fact. A
visit was paid to the orphanage, which
Is now under the care Of Miss Clara
Barton. 1t contains now about fifty
children, almost every one of whom is
a victim Of starvation. Dr. Lesser, one
of Miss Barton's assistants, has had ex-
perience in the Armenian and India fam
ines, but he declares that the famine in
Cuba Is worse than that in Armenia, and
the pictures he drew Of the terrible suf-
fering and starvation in the island
more than confirm all that has been
written upon the subject.
A detailed story of a visit to Los
Aocas, the place where the reconcen-
trados daily assemble to get food, was
also given.
A few weeks ago when Miss Barton
discovered the place there were 645 peo-
pie lying on the floors, many of them
entirely nude and all suffering the pangs
Of starvation. Much has been done by
the Red Cross Society to alleviate the
condition of those who still remain, but
scores of men, women and children are
yet there, gaunt and bony, almost as
skeleton, many of them covered with
sores directly traceable to insufficient,
food.
What a chapter of horrors and death
10 that! And still the tragedy goes on.
How much longer shall it continue
largely depends upon the forbearance
of great people, who, through suffering
and sorrow, achieved their own inde-
pendence and whose sympathies have al
ways gone out to the oppressed Of all
nations of the world"
A vivid picture was drawn by Mr..
Gallinger Of the trip to the City of Ma
tanzas. All along the route were wretch
ed people in rags, but not until the city
was reached was the full extent OF the
suffering realized.
"1t occurred to me as looked upon
the scenes of suffering and horror that
the Cuban reconcentrados might we'll
have adopted the words Of Dante Who
enters here leaves hope behind when
they were driven from the fields and
and herded like cattle in the cities and
towns of this fertile land. The truth
~ that Weyler devised a scheme of HUI
man suffering and sorrow that put
Dants's Inferno In the shade and con-
verted a contented, prosperous people
into a herd of suffering, starving unfor-
tunates.
"Matanzas is literally q place Of beg
gary and death. Never before did my
eyes behold such suffering, and never
again do I expect to see such havoc
wrought through a cruel and inhuman
decree. A visit to the Matanzas hos
pitfalls revealed an even more shocking
condition of affairs 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 at that time had since
died. There poverty. sorrow and suffer-
ing were depleted In their worst forms.
Children, gaunt in face but with alb
domens and limbs terribly swollen;
women in the last stage Of emaciation,
and men there were rapidly drifting to
II.
pitfalls, said Senator Gallinger, did not
discover it, neither were there signs
of medicine or of proper nursing and
care.
The Governor of MatanZas informed
Mr.. Gallinger that the first day he oc-
cupied the palace, fifteen persons had
died in the court yard. He said fur
ther that in that city 1900 had died in
November; 1900 in December; 700 in
January, and 800 in February. The
death rate was decreasing, simply be-
cause the reconcentrados by death
were becoming fewer.
"The number of people who have starv-
ed in Cuba will never be definitely
known. 1t is estimated that 100000 were
driven from their homes into the cities
and towns. / had it from Spanish au-
thority that, according to their figures,
225, 900 already have perished, but it is
said that the Red Cross Society is in
of figures showing that 425,-
900 Cubans have died as the result of
starvation and that 200, 900 more must
inevitably die.
Il have been asked many times what
Of the Maine. do not know. This, how
ever, do know, government that will
deliberately starve 100000 of it's own peo-
pie will do pretty much anything. If the
ship was blown up from the outside what
should our government do? Perhaps I
should forbear to discuss that question
now; but this will venture to say: HUI
man life if purposely taken cannot be
paid for in gold or silver. Mark my
words, if purposely taken and if it
shall appear that such was the fate of
$50 brave American sailors, then Heaven
pity the guilty parties. 1t will not be a
question for arbitration. but question
involving the dignity and honor of this
great republic"
Mr.. Gallinger said there was little real
loyalty to Spain in Cuba, as would be de-
monstrated when the hour of trial
should come. He did not believe that
Spain could subdue the insurgents. The
Cubans had been oppressed so long that
they preferred death to Spanish rule.
Discussing the question of Spanish
rule, Mr.. Gallinger referred to the mat
ter of taxation. In addition to direct
and indirect tax on real estate there is a
tax on every door, every window and
every chimney in every house, on every
letter in every business sign and on
every name on every hotel register. Lii
censes are required to build and to paint
houses There is tax on food animals
as a whole, special taxes on the horns.
hoofs and the hide. In addition to all
mendous burden. The salaries of the