The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-03-03
wEYLER's PROTEST..
His Letter Demanding Apology from
President Mckinley.


New York Press.
From Ell Continente Americana of Mexico
is taken the following, which is said to be
a faithful translation of the letter General
Weyler sent to the Queen of Spain after the
contents of President McKinley's message
became known in Spain:
Madame: | come to-day before the high
est representative of the country and the
army, begging with the greatest respect
from your Majesty a boon which | deem
necessary to the Spanish arms and to my
own honor as soldier.
From his high position. the executive
of foreign power at the solemn moment
of the opening of its Congress has uttered
insults against the army of Spain of so
gross q nature that [ can hardly believe
they will be permitted to pass without the
energetic protest of the government of your
Majesty.
THE heroic soldiers who are shedding
their generous blood in the fields of Cuba
to defend the sovereignty of Spain have
been insulted in a coarse and cowardiy
manner before the whole civilized world
and treated as though they were on the
same level with rebellious hOrdes of bandits
who do not deserve an honorable mention.
THE military measures. Madame adopted
in the Cuban war with the full knowledge
and consent of one of your Majesty's gov
ernments, Il government of Spain, are crit
lciSed as Infamous and unworthy of a civil
lied people. The orders of the Spanish gen.
eral who commanded that army are finally
qualified, Madame. as brutal and calculated
to fill the civilized world with horror
IF such insults We're given only to the
soldier who has the honor to address your
Majesty he would not complain Of the
weakness of the government in permitting
them to go unrebuked. He would, in fact,
be extremely gratitied to have called forth
such an opinion concerning himself from
people whom he considers to be the open
enemies of Spain.
but when these insults are also directed
at the entire Spanish army, when the op-
honor of the invincible, noble, courageous
soldiers of Spain, the general who has
fought side by SidesWith those soldiers, the
general who has shared the hardships of
their lives the general who has honored
himself by commanding the most heroic
and largest army of modern times cannot
tolerate without protest the injustice of
such grave words. All my orders in the
field, Madame, We're inspired by the noble
mo, I cannot leave my companions in
arms alone. The man who has insulted US
has spoken his words at such q distance
that l cannot personally punish him. [
come, therefore, TO your Majesty demand
ing PREPARATION for our military honor,
trampled upon by the foreigner. Until the
President of the United States makes Il
complete apology to Spain / think that the
Spanish soldiers cannot wear their uni
Public has been the insult. Public COM
plete and immediate ought to be the apol-
are the honor of Spain and the honor of
the Spanish army, which represents the
country, and whose highest dignity inheres
in the august person of his Majesty, the
King.
Therefore. not as favor but as an act
of justice which your Majesty cannot re-
fuse, the undersigned demands from your
Majesty that you advise your government
to ask the satisfaction that is so necessary
TO the honor of the Spanish arms.
Madame, at the royal feet of your
Majesty. "VALERIANO WEYLER."
The letter was circulated among the
Weylerites of Spain and copies were sent
to the generals partisanS in Havana. One
of these copies was sent to a Spaniard in
the City of Mexico and there got into print.
The letter bears internal evidence of it's
authenticity. Besides. enough has dribbled
past the Spanish censors to indicate that
General Weyler expressed the sentiments
contained in the letter.