New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-11-18
CTRiN RELIEF WORK

r,oro ora suffering people in Cuba. That Is a
fact not TO be forgotten. The island i not eN-
clusivey inhabited by Spanish soldiers under
Rlanco and Cuban soldiers under oomez ana
Garcia. There are myriadS of men, women ana
children who took no militant part III the la'e
war on either side, but who have suffered ana
are still suffering some of the worst evils Oh
war There is much talk day by day ABOUT
shining the Spanish soldiers back to Spain ana
inducing the Cuban soldiers 20 diSband. ana
bevond doubt those things should be done as
nromptlv as possible Bur what about these
others who form the great majority OF the IN
habitants Of Cuba. and in whose behalf we III
.eryened between Spain and Cuba and accepted
the dreadful alternative Of war? For let it De
remembered that the first ground for lhterVeh-
lion was not to drive out the Spanish soldiers
nor 10 put the Cuban soldiers III control OF the
leland hut 'to nut an end to the barbartieS.
bloodshed starvation and horrible miserles
twisting in the island. which the parties 10 the
conflict were "eithcr unable or unwilling TO stop
or mitigate"
ON that ground we INTERVIEWED. BY the eXer-
cise Of military strength we have put an end
20 the barbarities and bloodshed." But the
"storvatjon and horrible miscres" stu exist
They do not exist to as great an extent as they
did With the hundreds Of thousands OF re
concentrates we need not concern ourselves
1,hev have ceased 10 exist. They are dead. But
reckoning such victims of the Great ASSASSIN
VIEWER at half a million men. women ana emil
dren-and We doubt if they have exceeded that
number there remain about a million living
Some Of these are in comfortable ana prosper
/ ors circumstances Most Of them, however are
urobably suffering serious losses Of property OF
/ busicess. And many numbered by scores OF
! thousands are In AFFECT want and bcgsary.
.Starvation and hOrrib." miScries' are thelr
marion. and their ncighborS are. because OF
/ their own losses unable to mitigate their woes.
II is truc that the climate Of Cuba is genial ana
the soil fcYtile that. rs was sald OF Auslralla,
if Won tickle 1t with hoe it smiles with har-
vest. But what if you have no hoe: And that,
literally IS the plight Of large part Of the Gu
han nconle today Houses, barns fences, I'm
Elements. cattle. crops all have been utterly de
stroycd and nothing left 10 the unfortunate
vrctcbeS but the ragged clothes upon their
backs and the bare soil
In such cas-" every intelligent ana sincere
J proposal for relief deserves attention. and mono
thus far made seems to deserve more than that
put forward at Plymouth Church. in Brooklyn
the other evening, and. as we are glad to see,
practically acted upon. 1t was introduced by
Mr. William Willard Howard with whose ad-
mjrablo efforts in behalf Of both the Cubans
and the Armcnans our readers have long been
familiar Briefly stated. II was to secure tracts
Of farming land in suitable places; provide
seeds ard implements; set the ablc-bodicd poor
AT work cuiiyating the land, paying them fair
wages for their labor; the profits from the
sale OF products rs capital In the enterprise:
and thus eventually assist the people TO return
10 and rehabllitatc Their old homes There was
70 be no giving Of tools or cattle or money. or
ANYTHING that would tend 10 pauperZc the peo-
pie: but everything was 10 he done on II fair
busincss basis, involving payment for value re-
ceiyed If this scheme were executed on a suf-
6cien, scale il is evident that 1t would speedily
relieve distress and conduce 10 permanent res
toration Of prosperity throughout the island III
urccIsely the manner most desirable for main
tanning the sclfrespect Of the people and for IN
croa sing the cordiality of their relations with
this country. II is heartily to be commended to