The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-04-14

are our near neighbors. connected with US
by ties of business and of friendship In
their aspirations for liberty they have been
animated by our example and have modelled
their form of government upon ours. Dur
ing these three years the Spaniards have
butchered these people. starved helpless
women, children and old men by hundreds
of thousands and nave wasted the island
by fire and sword in violation Of all the
rules of civilized warfare. These acts of
barbarous cruelty have filed the American
people with horror, and they are practically
unanimous i'm favor of recognizing the in
dependence of the government established
by that brave people by the expenditure of
so much blood and treasure. and our peo-
pie will be satisfied with nothing less.
THE government which the Cubans have
established has all the forms of a republic
and is a republic in fact, based on manhood
suffrage, with legislative and executive de-
partments in full operation, and with
judicial department so far perfect as the
exigencies OF the situation permit. They
levy and collect taxes, disburse large sums
of money conduct a postal system. main
tain an army of 10000 men in the field have
defended themselves successfully against
225 900 Spanish soldiers, 135 900 of whom are
in hospitals or in their graves, and are now
in undisputed possession of three-fourths of
the island. Outside her picket lines Spain
possesses not one foot of Cuban soil.
Within her picket lines three-fourths of the
population are insurgents at heart, who
will cordially participate in the republican
government soon as the Spaniards
evacuate the island.
with these facts staring us in the face
we must realize that Spain can never
conquer Cuba, and that ultimately we must
recognize the independence of the Cuban
republic. This being the case, the sooner
we act the better for all concerned, thereby
putting an end to the sacrifice of human
life and the destruction of property.
I'VE urge the unequivocal recognition of
the independence of the Cuban republic, be-
cause the Cuban patriots merit such recog-
milton by their valor and prowess in arms;
because recognition is the plain, honest,
courageous, manly course, and will remove
from the minds of all mankind any sus-
picion that we are preparing to wage a war
of conquest and annex the island from mo-
tives of sordid greed, or as the beginning
of a policy of imperial aggrandizement. We
urge the recognition of the existing repub-
lie, because. under international law only an
existing government can be recognized and
because by recognizing the present republic
we lift from the minds of the Cuban patriots
the fear that we will force upon them
government which they do not want. We
urge it because, without such recognition,
in the event of war between Spain and the
American Republic, it would lie war
against Cuba also, for until the recognition
of her independence, she is in the contem-
plation of international law still a part of
Spain.
Recognizing the independence of their re-
public will give the Cubans credit among
the nations of the earth, thereby enabling
them to use all their resources to the ut
most, and will influence men of other coun-
tries to reinforce the Cubans with the as
surance that they will be treated as soldiers
and will not be hanged as traitors, filibust-
ers or PIRATES in the event of capture.
I'VE urge the passage of the second reso-
luton, providing for armed Intervention, as
Il necessary and logical sequence to the
recognition of the independence of the Gu
ban republic. Facts must be considered as
they actually exist, not as we would lave
them, and one of the most potent or patent
facts of the situation is that Spain refuses
to realize what all the rest of the world
knows to be true, that Cuba has passed
from her control forever. This being the
case she will hold on with the strength of
despair to fragments of the island as long
possible, thereby perpetuating the pro-
cess of starvation, arson and determination
wherever she can and by occasional forays
rayaging the country adjacent to her gar
risons and stoekades. We have no doubt
that our simple recognition of the republic
of Cuba would enable the Cubans them
selves TO ultimately expei the Spaniards
from every portion of the island. Armed
intervention on our part would end the
agony of this brave people, save thousands
of them from death and speedily close the
most disgraceful chapter in the history of
the Western hemisphere. We owe this duty
to ourselves no less than to the Cubans
I'VE recommend the adoption of the third
resolution to feed the famished Cubans as
an act of mercy and humanity"
The report was signed by Messrs. Dins-
more Newlands, Clark of Missoari, Will
liams, Berry and Howard of Georgia.