The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1898-04-29
The Cuban War.

and bankers of New York, London and
Paris, for the payment of interest and
principal. The present Cuban-S Spanish
trouble should have been settled during
Grants administration, when the ten
years war Of the Cuban insurgents
against Spain was patched up by Spanish
promites which induced the insurgents to
lay down their arms. Not one of the
promises of Spain was carried ont.
The United States had as ample cause
for war against Spain then as now. The
seizure Of the Virginius and shooting of
part of her crew without trial, and the
imprisonment of $50 passengers, all of
whom would have been shot had it not
been for British man of war that hurried
from Jamaica to TIE scene of this Spanish
massacre and told the Spanish COM
mander that if another passenger was
murdered he would blow the Spaniard
and his numbering gang to hades. During
the time the massacre was going on our
government was cabling messages to
Madrid and getting evasive answers back,
procrastinating till the massacre would
have been complete had not the British
government been informed that an
English subject was among the prisoners.
The very prompt aud warlike action on
the part of Great Britain did not cause
war with Spain but stopped the brutality
of Spain at once, while the criminal put
tering and trifling then and now have
brought real war, quarter of injury
later.
General Grant was a great military
man but did not possess the primary prin-
ciples of statecraft, and never protessed to.
He was honest and confding and trusted
to those about him, and the Cuban insur
rection of that day was smoothed over by
lying promises of Spain, and the insults
and injury to the United States citizens
and flag were diplomated out of date and
out of court, and the Spanish bond
holders security was preserved to breed
another and more fatal conflict which the
United States are at last compelled to
settle at the lannon's mouth
| Every effort has been made to settle the
present Cuban Instruction in the old
way, but the Cubans this time swear
it is death or independence, and the
results show that Spain would have been
driven out of the island ere this had not
the government of the United States been
all open ally ofSpain and an active enemy
to the Cubans.
In place of declaring the Cubaus bel
ligerents more than two years ago and
maintaining strict neutrality between
Spain and the insurgents, over f., ooo 900
was expended by the government in the
interest of Spain, policing the coast with
revenue vessels to prevent the Cubans
supplying their army with war munitions,
while Spain was permitted to purchase
and ship to her army i'll Cuba every neces-
sity it required. All this time Spain kept
up constant complaint that the United
States government was not furnishing the
Spaniards with sufficient aid to enable
them to crush the Cubans The Spanish
press in Madrid and Havana was filled
with abuse of the Americans all this time,
which inflanled the ignorant and blood
thirsty Spanish with deadly hatred more
intense by far than a just and prompt
action by this government at the begin.
ming and all along could possibly have
done
The United States government under
the executive management of Cleveland
and Mckinley has acted most shameful
part, which has eliminated in the present
war, most natural sequel to a career of
base injustice toward the. oppressed and
tyrant-ridden Cubans who fought for life
and liberty.
For this long and unjust struggle OF
our officials in power to save the Cuban
bonds which the Rothschilds and their
money loaning cliques own, we have seen
our citizens murdered, robbed and starved
and one of our finest battle ships blown
up by the treacherous Spana DIS while
lying peacefully in Spanish harbor, a
guest of the nation, and to the outrage
we have added to our national shame the
Presidents declaration that the blow
ing up of the ship and murder of 266 of
Its crew was all accident. He puts it in
the diplomatic language of an incident, "
which means accident, thus adopting the
Spanish version of the infamous affair,
rather thar that of our own commission
OF inquiry into the cause of the outrage.
When Spain's series of crimes and in
suits have at last driven the Americans to
pitch of wrath that is more powerful
than the bond holding influence and the
scene shifts 10 the halls of congress we
find Mckinley asking that body to place
the army and navy under his command
to settle the Cuban difficulty without
stating what policy he proposed to pursue.
In the House we find the bond holders
strong i'll their efforts to save the security
Tor their bonds, and the Speaker array
ing the Republican members on party
lines to resist declaration of indenend.
ence, and make the war one of interven-
ton, which is war of conquest, that
leaves the Cuban bond holders a tech
meal claim on the United States for the
payment OF their bonds to be brought IN
IN future. Thus all through this disgrace
ful-disgraceful to the United States