The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1898-03-24

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measure in guerilla warfare are no
nearer the actual accomplishment of
their purpose than they were at the
outbreak of hostilities. Nature and
her CHASTITY hand maiden, Pestilence,
have fought for the insurgents; but
Nature battlings have been balanced
by new arrivals of Spanish soldiers
men, some of them; boys many of
them--forced almost at bayonet points
to take the places of the diseased and
dead. Against the dOggedness of the
insurgent the pride of the ruler has
been matched. The insurgent can
hold out indefinitely; the Spaniard
will.
While the stubborn warfare of these
unyielding forces has proceeded with
fluctuating results that in the long
run have practically balanced each
other, third army of human beings
has been slowly ground to destruction
Of their woes we must think and ,hav-
ing thought, we must act. Though
the Spaniards have been chiefly CON
fined within the limits set up by them
selves; prisoners, in fact, within their
own Notifications, yet they have re
tanned fear-compelling power over
feeble minds of the children and the
timOrous natives of both sexes who
were afraid to fight and did not dare
to flee. These pacificOs quietly Obeyed
the government when orders went
forth through the country regions to
gather within town limits and stay
there. The expected freedom to live
in peace under the surveillance of the
| Spanish army, changed at once into
death-dealing bondage. Unable to
cultivate land to any great extent,
herded together in huts unfit forswine,
suffering from lack of food, and by
lack of food rendered more helpless
and weakspirited than before, they
have died like flies in autumn; and in
dying have suffered woes that are un-
! eoualed even by the bloody suffering
Nof the Armenians or the plague-ridden
starvation of the HindoOs. The Ian
guage of a moderate woman like Clara
Barton, the famous red-crOss heroine;
and the stories pictured by the truth
full camera, more than justify these
comparisons. In one hospital alone
"a place where care and tender over
sight are eXpected-four hundred Of
the pacifcos have died of starvation.
The burdens of the insurgents, who,
in rebelling did so in full expectation
of the fortunes and misfortunes of
war, have been as naught besides
the woes of these unhappy nOn-cOm-
batants. Where Spain has slain its
hundreds by fire and by sword, it ha<
slain it's HUNDREDS OF THOU
I SANDS by hunger and by neglect
This has taken place and is still doing
so within ninety miles OF the land that
declares in favor Of "life, liberty and
the pursuit of happiness"
This war-measure of Spain against
harmless ones will ever stand out
/ prominently in the annals of the bru-
talities of which our race is capable.
This is not WAR with its glamour Of
excitement and of chance but relent-
less MURDER without the shedding
of blood.
When a man sees a weak one perse-
cuted and refuses TO side with the
weak he is no man. The rule for
man is the rule for IL nation. Murder
of women and children, helpless and
enfeebled and starving, is at our door,
at last We begin to appreciate it.
Their broker. lives, their untimely
deaths, their rights to a happier con
dition are making themselves under
stood among our people Every stra
tum of society is permeated, The
great underlying love OF fair-play is
stirring this nation North and South.
And it is glrding itself TO PUNISH
: a8d not to make war.
I - - 80, -, ~ <,,,,.
are pure and our minds uncOnfused.
The wild talk of u blundering official
like De Lone is nothing to our great
conservative millions. War or even
the thought OF war over such a mat
ter is unworthy our contemplation.
1t would be an absolute reversiOn to
the barbaric irascibility of olden
times. We have grown away from
such things.
The selfish motives of tobacco fac
tors and sugar gamblers in pointing
out to great, fair-minded country
cause she is weak, that which is hers
as truIely as New England is ours, has
moved us only to condemn and not to
approve. We refuse to add to our
racial problems at the nod of self
seeking men. The heart of the ma
tion is unresponsive to such tempta-
sion, and furthermore even the terrible
Maine disaster, with it's sorrows and
its loss has grandly shown to the
world that we are slow to anger and
plenteous in conservatism. Despite
all guesses to the contrary, our peo-
pie have refused to believe that the
Spanish government could be suici-
dal enough to have directed connec-
tion with the disaster. We believe
that she would forsee more damage
to herself than to us in this sudden
and horrible eve mt. If this were all
that had happened, an indemnity