The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-12-30

mond Academy of Music to large
audience on the battles before Santiago.
He told amid great enthusiasm, how the
Americans turned back the Spaniards at
Ell Caney. and then paused to pay tribute
TO the gailantry and bravery of ths Tenth
Cavalry, the colored regiment which
came to the rescue of the Seventy first
New York regiment What happened
when be reached this point we let a dis
patch printed in Washington paper tell
as follows:
| Mitchell was cbeered vociterously dur
ing his lecture until he gave Voice TO LIS
eulogy of the negroes and then he brought
down yolley of Kisses upon his head.
From all parts of the building came cries
| of ssput him OUT and stop him, and
Kisses drowned the voice of the speaker.
Mr.. Mitchell rebuked his audiences but
to no purpose, and finally well-known
gentleman, who SERVED gallantly IN the
| late war between the States. arose IN tne
audience and proposed three cheers for
the United States soldier. He gave them
almost by himself, and resumed his seat,
while the Kisses were continued until
Mitchell had 10 ring down the curtain
and retire from the stage.
The men who came in for this Kissing
aud abuse were soldiers of the United
States who had calamity risked their
lives to carry the flag to the heights OF Ell
Caney and rescure white soldiers from a
perilous situation. They deserved the
gratitude of every loyal man in the Re-
public Instead of Kisses cheers should
have greeted the recounting of their ex.
ploits, and this would have been the case
had their skins not been black. 1t is a
crime now almost to suggest the hauling
down of the American flag whers it has
been raised, and the man that proposes such
thing is howled at as a Little Ameri-
CAM and 'tfriend of Spain. But an out
rage like this at Richmond perpetrated on
American soldiers gets scarcely rebuke,
lest the5good feeling between the North
and South brought about by the Spa ishf
war may be disturbed. Has our humanity
| all been exportedP Have we none left to
spend upon black men who fought our
battles and carried the flags up the height
of FL Caney9 No wonder that after a
/ scene like this a negro physician OF
the South should break out in such satire
as this:
'sLet us appeal to the foreign Powers to
intervene in the interest of humanity.
Let this country memorabilia all the
great Powers OF the world in the interes t
4 OF oppressed and suffering humanity In
this country. Let them present the
wrongs of the IL, COO 600 colored people for
the past thirty years in every possible
detail Then let this gre at council select
"a representative delegation to bear and
nrespnt these memorials to the heads and
legislative bodies of all the great Powers
of the worth. Let us pray that they in
terfere for the cause of suffering and op.
pressed humanity. This may refle great.
ly upon country which boasts SO much
about its liberty and freedom, when
| neither exists 1t will reflect greatly upon
a country that has spent millions of
money and many lives for the sake of
humanity in the Spanish colonies, when
it is unable to extend humane treatment
to its own people. But this is our last
hope. 1t is all that is left for us to do. -