The record-union., 1898-03-19
CUBAN BARBARITIES AND THE
PROCTOR REPORT.

English expression was quoted in
the dispatches the other day to the
effect that if Cuba lay in the British
Channel, with present conditions pre-
vailing, England would put an end to
them instanter, no matter who owned
the soil This has suggested the ques-
tion, What are these inhumanities of
which the newspaper reporters sc
much write? If Spain should respond
to a demand from the United States
for the cessation of these offenses
against humanity, what specifications
could we make in giving answer?'
If there would have been any hes
itancy whatever before Thursday Of
this week, there could be none now in
replying with crushing emphasis to
such demand. 1t comes in the clear
dispassionate and remarkably strong
statement of Senator Proctor from his
place on the floor of the United States
Senate. His Statement" stands with
out parallel and constitutes a crush
ing reply to any doubts concerning the
duty of a humane nation situated as is
the United States to Cuba
The single act of driving the agricult-
ural and other country people into the
cities and towns and confning them
within trocha lines, there to rot and
starve, is barbarity unparalleled and
not justified by any war conditions.
Fyl,
recorded equal to it in inhumanity.
1t is true that Spain has said that
this act Of Weyler's has been counter
manded and a decree to that effect has
CO. But while this is true, it is also
fact the repeal is limited one and
that the date for that decree to go into
eHecl has not yet been reached. If
the Recalling decree had gone into ef-
Iect al once, what then? Send these
untortu-ate people back into the coun-
try TO worse condition? Starvation
WouIo as Furely face them there. Their
STOCK Is cad or has been driven off
Thelr nuses have been destroyed.
Thelr linds have grown to rank veg
etatlonand there is absolutely nothing
10 oeproduced upon them until after
long nd costly labor to restore them
TO efginal uses. AS Senator Proctor
pts it, the land has returned to a
s,rimeval condition
Spain has not made provision for
these non-combatants, but has COM
placently stood by while American
philanthropy has sent in food, cloth
ing and medicines for these unfortu-
nate people, punished unjustly and for
that for which they are not blame
worthy. To Americans it would seem
that shame would mantle the Spanish
cheek to see relief supplies sent from
the United States to save these people
when Spanish duty is to care for them
as Spanish decree brought them TO
their present misery, which this COM
petent and trustworthy Senatorial au-
thority declares is indescribable and
surpasses in horror anything the mos
vivid imagination can conjure up.
When the cruiser Montgomery was
in a certain Cuban port recently, the
wretchedness of the non-combatants
driven in from the country was such
that the officers and men of our ship
emptied their pockets to give relief,
and they returned to the ship and
brought off their personal valuables, to
raise money to succor the suffering and
diving in the cutters of the streets
where Spanish cold-bloodedness left
them without so much as thought OF
COMPASSION. It is said that when the
Montgomery sailed from that port the
officers and men were so completely
strapped" that ten dollars could not
be found in the entire ship.
This one act of Weyler's, which still
has the sanction of Spain. is sufficient
to justify any humane power in pro-
testing with a vehemence and purpose
that should call a halt and produce
remedies instanters But there are 9TH
er barharities, if Spanish apologists de-
sire to have the list extended, not one
of which is tolerable under the rules