Evening journal., 1898-05-10

should be handed over to G? Why, cer-
tainly not. We could only admit the
equity Of such a course Of procedure
were we willing TO admit that the plea
of robbery is am admissible plea No
Intelligent man is prepared to subscribe
TO anything Of that kind. And yet that
is exactly what this country is to-day
attempting TO dO-what, in an prOba-
bility, it will succeed in doing. When
Spain officially offered through her
representative ait Washington, Senior
Duiz Polo de Bermalbe, to grant au
tOnOmy to her Cuban subjects, then the
United States-had 1t been so Inclined
was sufficiently STRONG to compel
Spain TO carry her offer into effect.
This also applies TO the other offers
and concessions, notably the offer To
arbitrate the Maine matter, officially
made by the Spanish COrtes to the
United States Government. Again, it
was tacitly agreed by His Excellency,
the President, some few months ago,
that Spain should be allowed to carry
out her proposed plan of autonomy.
But In the meantime, before the Cuban
elections were held and before Spain
had been given the opportunity of par-
feCting her plan, war was declared by
this country
1t needs no ghost come from the
grave to tell us how this war will end,
provided no cOalistic complications en-
sue. Even were other amphibiOus bat
tiles than that OF Manila to be fought
and even were the Spanish fleet to gain
a victory, which is somewhat prob
lematical-the end would still be in
sight The lack OF the very sinews of
war, money, with which to establish
O navy adequate to cope successfully
with the navy of this country, would
alone suffice to-brand Spain's naval ef-
forts with defeat But when all is said
and donle-and when the h.gh-falutin
| speeches, recently delivered in behalf of
the dispOssession of Spain, have Oeen
stripped OF their mendaeiOus and
sophistical coverings-there still re-
mains the incOntrovertlb,e fact that the
United States was first, last, and a."
the time grievously and lamentably
the wrong for waging war with Spain
/ a nation whose cardinal Offense seems
TO have consisted of wishing to retain
| that which she ever legitimately pos
| sessad-yes, legitmately possessed,
even when England, with her we'll
| known aggressiveness, once tempo
rariy dispCgsessed Spain. Of her two
principal and original colonies. The men
who guide and shape the destinies OF
| nations went to school once upon a
| time Whenever they spiCd a diminu-
| tive notable tO-stand-u himself
| solt of an urchinr-say, with am apple
in his hand-they would unceremOni-
Ously catch hold of the aforesaid d.
| minutive youth and rOb-"rob" is the
correct term-him OF his apple. These
| juvenile thieves-once more we assert
| that thieves" is the correct term-
| have arrived at mans estate, and they
| are regarded as wise and sagacious
men. These men have gone out OF the
| apple-rohbing business, but they still
| continue to play the very same game
! only the 'limit" has been raised, the
stakes are higher. We often wonder
who are the greatest lnaves-these
y en-, or we poor simple fools who stand
quietly by and applaud their rascally
and hell-born Vaccinations.
We have been told by many able anh
| responsible newspapers THAT the Span
ism nation is composed Of a cowardly
race. This is not so. The Old-timt
chivalry Of Spain may be mOribund
but the bravery of the average Span.
lard Of to-day is unquestiOnably alive
The Spanish people are familiar with
| defeat, but they never yet showed thl
| white feather.When the British charged
the heights of BalaIclava'-and wheI
| Lord Cadigan, with supreme c0ntemp
for death, exclaimed: Here goes th'
last Of the Cardigans' lit was fool
hardy but brave act. We all know how
the poet TennysOn has surrounded ant
immortalized this gallant charge will
liquid verse. But that charge was no
one whit braver or more heroic thar
the fight put up by the Spanish at tn
recent naval battle of Manila. During
that engagement not a single Spanisl
boat struck her colors; preferring
rather, voluntary sinlSage to falling
into the hands of the enemy Ami
when the last fragment of hope hal
! / 0r1 and Whpn Tho uy1-inlylcd FRONT N