The herald., 1898-03-30
Some Knotty Questions

Some Knotty Questions
To the Editor of the Los Angeles Herald:
In these times Of threatened war, party
lines are dissolved, and we are, AN of us,
patriotic Americans, with no thought but
to do what Is right and what becomes US as
a powerful and just nation. The Ameri-
can people have too much confidence In
their own strength and probity to be very
much annoyed by the insulting remarks OF
petty Spanish officials, or the bombastic
utterances of the Spanish press.
But 1t is not saying too much to say that
the people are not satisfied with the con-
duct of the administration. The reports of
extensive war preparations daily heralded
through the press has stirred UP some OF
us to the belief that the administration ex-
pected conflict with Spain; while at the
same time We are RECALLED with repeated
assurances from the highest authority
(Wall street) that "there will be no war;"
For instance, Mr.. F. NJ. Black Of Roy
Black & Co., bankers, said a few days ago:
II have inside information direct from the
executive headquarters at Washington.
and it says that President Mckinley does
not even think Of war" With the utmost
assurance every banker. broker and money
changer has said and says there will be no
war. When Mr.. Mark Hanna told the
press that there would be no war, "honest
Injun, s'eip me, Bob" or words to that ef-
feet, the American public should have real
about, and that they might just as we'll
bottle up their patriotic fervor and settle
down to quiet enjoyment of the prosper
t., r.. , t1,nx n ;v.,vx al
Instead of harboring naughty feelings
toward our dear friends the Spaniards. we
should rather emulate the president in his
deep sympathy for the sufferings Of the
few surviving reconcentrados. 1t appears
that President Mckinley has quite recent
ly learned that 100000 or so of people have
been starved to death in Cuba, and his
chief anxiety seems now to be to relieve the
distress of the few wretches who still sur
vive within the barbed wire fences estab-
lished by Gen. Weyler year or two ago.
Hardly any of the people of America
knew until within the past few weeks what
this 'reconcentrado" policy meant; nor
did any Of US appreciate the effects Of the
system. Had It not been for the Maine
disaster, 1t Is quite likely that the very last
reconcentrado would have died his miser-
able death long ere the American people
comprehended the unspeakable barbarity
of Spain's worse than hellish method Of
subjugating Cuba. The destruction Of the
Maine threw a whole army of newspaper
correspondents into Cuba. and 1t was not
lohg ere these inQuis!tive and troublesome
fellows had acquainted the world with the
facts regarding the reconcentrado policy
Of the Spaniards. The American public
had previously been chiefly supplied from
Cuba with accounts Of various skirmishes
between the spaniards and insurgents. in
which each side invariably claimed the
victory.
The deliberate and systematic starva-
ton of hundreds of thousands of innocent
non-combatants was in full operation but
was, as a matter of fact, hardly known to
the outside world.
Now, Mr.. Editor, I want to ask you a
serious question. and perhaps you can an
swer it. The dispatches some days ago
said that the administration had not made
public the consular reports from the vari-
Gus cities of Cuba, though called upon to d o
so several times by congress. understand
that these reports must have been In the
hands of the administration six months
or SO ago, and that they must have fully
described the horrible starvation (recon-
centrado) policy of Spain. The president is
reported to have lately excused himself of
keeping back these reports because he
feared the information contained in them
would be too much of a shock for the
nerves of our people, or something of that
sort. Now, the question I would ask Is:
Did the president know, from consular re-
ports, long before the disaster to the
Maine. what the actual condition of the
reconcentrados was? And does he think
that it is the duty of the president to keep
from the knowledge of the American peo-
pie, represented in congress, information
of such a character? If SO, allow me to
ask, is not the president of free, gener-
Gus, noble people always ready to relieve
the distressed of any land), really more
culpable than the narrow-brained, wicked.
cruel officer, Weyler, who knew of no other
way to destroy the insurrection in a prov
ince belonging to his government than by
devastating the land and starving the pro-
ducing class?
1 can understand how vicious, univer-
sally and probably justly abused man like
Weyler. finding himself beaten at all
such a heartless policy as a last resort
but how can We comprehend the conduct
of the chief executive of America, II he has
in fact stood in with Spain in its starva-
tion policy, by thus suppressing the re-
ports of our consuls, which would have
given us reliable information as to the con-
dition of affairs in Cuba in time to have
saved many thousands of lives that have
gone out in agony in the past year or so?
1 hope am wrong in my surmises.
hope that the European holders of the
Spanish fours"-the value of which is SO
dependent upon the action or non-action OF
this government-have not Influenced the
administration. I hope the newly-born in.
Tterest which the president takes in the
condition of the few surviving reconcen-
trados is genuine interest and not intend
ed as a diversion to engage the attention
of the people. l hope this whole business
is not dictated and controlled by the own
ers of Spanish fours and their American
allies. But fear it is!
March %, 1898. AMERICAN.
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Stories From the Bench
The other day when a petition was laid