The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1898-03-24

Miss Barton discovered the place
there were GO people lying on tn
doors, many of them entirely nude
and all suffering the pangs of starVa
ton. Much has been done by the Rec
Cross Society to alleviate the condi-
ton of those who still remain, but
scores Of men, women and childrel
are yet there. gaunt and bony, al
most as a skeleton, many of them
covered with sores directly traceable
20 insufficient food.
What a chapter of horrors and death
is that, and still the tragedy goes on.
How much longer shall it continue
largely depends upon the forbearanco
of 4 great people, who through suf-
fering and through sorrow achieved
their own independence, and whose
sympathies have always gone out TO
the oppressed of all nations of the
world.
A vivid picture was then drawn by
Mr.. Gallinger of trip to the city of
Matanzas. All along the route We're
wretched people in rags, but not until
the city was reached was the full eX-
tent Of the suffering realized.
1T occurred to me as [ looked upon
the scenes OF suffering and horror that
the Cuban reconcentrados might well
have adopted the words of Dante,
Who enters here leaves hope behind,
when they were driven from the fields
and herded like cattle in the cities and
towns Of this fertile land. The truth is,
that Weyler devised a scheme Of hu
man suffering and sorrow that put
Dante's Inferno in the shade and
converted a contented, prosperous
people into a herd of suffering. starry
ing unfOrtunates
Matanzas is literally a place OF
beggary and death. Never before did
my eyes behold such suffering, and
never again do I expect TO see such
havoc wrought through a cruel and
inhuman decree. A visit to the Matan-
zas hospitals revealed an even more
shocking condition of affairs than the
streets. Members of the Red Cross So
ciety who had visited one of the hos
pitfalls two weeks before were almost
overcome upon discovering that near
ly every one of the inmates at that
time had since died. There poverty
sorrow and suffering We're depicted in
their worst forms. Children. gaunt in
face, but with abdomen and limbs ter
ribly swollen; women in the last stages
of emaciation, and men, there. were
rapidly drifting to death. If there
was food in these hospitals" said SEN
ator Gallinger. I did not discover it.
neither were there signs of medicine
or OF proper nursing and care"
The Governor of Matanzas informed
MI. Gallinger that the first dav he
occupied the place fifteen persons had
died in the court yard He said fur
ther that in that city 1,200 had died in
November; 1000 in December: 700 in
January, and 800 in February. The
death rate was decreasing. simply be-
cause the reconcentrados, by death.
We're becoming fewer.
The number of people who have
starved in Cuba will never be definite
~ known 1t is estimated that 500 900
were driven from their homes into tho
cities and towns. / had it from Spanish
authority. that. according to their fig-
ures. $4,000 already have perishad
but it is said that the Red Cross So
Getty is in possession of figures show
ing that f2aWlO Cubans have died as
me me result OF starvation, and that POO,
~ HiCAN must lHeN lldDiN Gle.
t have been asked many times what
Oh the Maine? [ do not know. This.
however l do know: A Government
that will deliberately starve 400. 900
OF its own people will do pretty much
anything. If the ship was blown up
Ifom the outside. what should our Gov
eminent do? Perhaps I should forbear
10 discuss that question now; but this
VIII venture to say: Human life pur-
poseiy taken cannot be paid for in gold
or silver. Mark my words. purposely
taken, and if it shall appear that such
was the fate of 80 brave American
sailors, then heaven pity the guilty
parties. 1t will not be a question for
arbitration, but a question involving
the dignity and honor of this great Re
public
Mr.. Gallinger said there was little
real loyalty to Spain in Cuba. as would
be demonstrated when the hour of trial
should come. He did not believe that
Spain could subdue the insurgents. The
Cubans had been oppressed so long
that they preferred death to Spanish
rule.
Discussing the question of Spanish
rule, Mr.. Gallinger referred to the mat
ter of taxation. IN addition to a direct
and Indirect tax on real estate. there
IS tax on every door, every window
ana every chimney in every house: on
every letter in every business sign: and
on every name in every hotel register
Licenses are required to build and to
paint houses. There is tax on food
ANNALS as a whole; a special tax on
the horns. the hoofs and the hides.
In addition to all this. the interest on
the debt is a tremendous burden. the
salaries of the Spanish officials are be-
You'd all reason, and the amount of
money Wrung from the Cubans to keep
the Madrid Government from complete
insolvency is simply enormous
No people on the face of the earth
have been so oppressed, the treasury of
Spain being literally supplied from the
revenues extorted from Cuba and the
Philippine Islands.
Our forefathers went to war because
the mother country put a tax on tea.
Cuba has 10000 more reasons than we
had for rebellion, and she deserves the
sympathy and help of every true Amer
lean.
Fortunately, the people of this great
! hepubhc are thoroughly aroused to the
situation. and the great heart of the
American populace is in full sympathy
with Cuba Religion and humanity
alike demand that the war shall cease.
and cease it should even though the
glitter and glamor of military rule shall
end, and a decaying and dissolute
, throne shall pass away, never to re-
turn.
As TO what should be done, Mr.. Cal
inger felt that sooner or later this
Government would of necessity absorb
: (,l-laa hui nann..D-n IT,, -. -.