The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1898-07-16
Our soldiers in Cuba have been at

| Idch0u Uy yellow lever, Wulcu Is mOT6
dangerous than Spanish bullets, yet
they face that dread disease unf1inch.
ingly as they do all dangers, and it is
to be hoped that they will overcome it
as they did Toral's army.
The Capital Journal, published at
Salem, is rapidly coming to the front
as the leading paper of Marion county.
1t takes splendid day telegraphic
service, and continues to stand for the
rights of the people. Defending such
principles, it is bound to succeed.
A move is on foot among the Ger
man Americans to purchase battle
ship and present it to the United
States government, the ship to be named
the Teutonic. Such an act would be a
splendid exhibit of the patriotism of
our adopted citizens.
The appointment of W. ]. Riley, of
Portland, to be captain of battery b is
probably good selection, but it is not
very pleasant for the many capable
men in Eastern Oregon to realize that
| they must forever be ignored. So far
the governor seems to have forgotte q
| that there was anybody east of Port
land except men suitable for privates.
General Skaters last report to
Adjutant-General Corbin of the killed
and wounded in the battle before San
tiago, July 1, and shows that 1895
men were sacrificed. The list is as
follows: Killed-officers, %; men, 20S.
Wounded-officers, 80; men, 1923.
Missing, 81. This is what we have
sacrificed to free the struggling
Cubans.
Now that Santiago has surrendered
and General Torars splendid army are
prisoners of war, what will Spain do
next? Will she heed the advice cf
! the European powers and sue for peace,
or will she continue the hopeless war?
In the interest of humanity and to end
the suffering5 of the starving Cubans
as we'll as the deprivations of her half
starved soldiers, it is to be hoped she
will ask for peace.
The fall of Santiago was glorious
victory, for by surrendering, General
Toral saved thousands of lives, and
averted one of TIE bloodiest battles the
world would ever have known. Honor
is due him for giving up when he
knew resistance was useless. and too
much honor cannot be bestowed upon
General Shafter for having surrounded
Toral so that he was forced to give up.
Now that we have Havana it will be-
come necessary for the commission
appointed to establish form of COVER
ment for the islands to use the greatest
precaution in recommending officers
who shall administer the law, and it i.
to be hoped that men will be selected
for their competency and not because
of their allegiance to any party or sect.
The war stamp tax is not falling
very heavy on corporations but is
being borne by those who patronize
them. You send package by express
aud you pay for the one cent attached
to the bill of lading, you send a tele-
graph or telephone message and the
same charge is made. So the masses
will pay the bulk of the war tax after
all.
1t ia not true that the Vesuvius has
been disabled, but it has severe
cough that is terrible for the old fogies
of the navy department to hear, for
they recognize that it is destined to
revolutionize navy building in the
future. A vessel that can cough up |
200 pounds of dynamite and hurl it
into the enemy's camp every Is secss
onds cannot be overlooked.
1t is reported that when Captain
Blanco heard of Cervera's de-
feat, he attempted to commit suicide,
but was prevented by his associates.
What pity. 1t would have been a
fitting termination for him to have
'dhOu Ills Wv Ii liIO' IL WOulu dlSO nave
been a relief to the Cubans to have
known that the cruel old tyrant had
sought more tropical climate than
Havana. |
And now it is determined to not at
ack Havana, but to let Blanco go
lhead and starve the concentrates, in
whose cause this war was instituted. :
Every day our mercy" to the Cubans g
Gems to be about as detrimental as {
spanish tyranny. The army at Ha- '
ana will be fed because they are t
tronger than the citizens, while We
ave blockaded the ports, and forced
he Cubans to starye.
What.are We fighting this war FOR
nyway? Is it to pile up an enormous il
ebt and acquire more territory? Or f
J it to right the wrongs of the oppress- "
d Cubans? It seems TO be the former. n
it were the latter, we would center a
ur fire on Havana, drive the Spanish O
ut of Cuba, and permit the Cunans to a