The Columbus journal., 1898-03-30

ThaEe has never been . moro imprss
dvs speech delivered In tho United
otatss senate than that in which Sena.
tue Thurston Of Nebraska told what b
hAd seen in Cuba. Senator ThuEstou
0id:
Mr.. PRKsIDEST-I am hero BY com.
mand of silent lips to speak once and
Ir al upon the Cuban situation.
1Eust that no one has expected anything
0o00tional from me. God forbid that
the bitterness Of . personal loss should
induce me to color in the slightest de-
me- tho statement that I feel It my
d1ty to make.
I shall endeavor to b honest, conserv-
ative and just. I have no purpose to
stir the public passion to any action not
necessary and imperative to meet tho
duties and necessities Of American re-
spoudbility. Christian humanity and
national honor. I would shirk this task
II I could, but dare not. cannot sat-
ihy my conscience except by speaking.
and speaking now.
Some three weeks since three senators
and two representatives in congress &C.
oepted the invitation Of Q great metro
1olitan newspaper to make q trip 30
0uha and personally investigate and re.
poEt upon the situation there.
Our invitation was from . newspaper
whose political teachings I have never
1ailed to antagonize and denou1ce and
whose journalism I have considered de-
oidedly sensational.
But let me say. for tho credit OF tho
proprietor Of the paper in question, that
! believe the invitation extended to 10
Wa inspired by his patriotic desire to
have the actual condition Of affairs in
Cuba brought to the attention Of the
American people in such way that the
versy or dispute.
We were not asked in apy way to be-
come the representatives Of the paper ;
no conditions or restrictions were i'm.
posed upon rs; we were left free to
conduct the investigation In our own
way; make our own plans. pursue our
own methods, take our own time and
decide Tor ourselves upon the best man.
nsr Of laying the result Of our laboes
before the American people.
For myself, I went to Ouba firmly b.
lieving that the condition Of affairs
there had been greatly sxAggerated BY
the press, and my own efforts were d.
Eected in the first instance 20 the At
tempted exposure Of these supposed ex-
aggerations.
Mr.. President, there has undoubtedly
been much sensationalism in the jour-
nalism of the time, but - to the condi-
tion of affairs in Cuba there has been
no exaggeration, because exaggeration
has been impossible. I have read the
careful statement OF the junior senator
from Vermont (Ar. Proctor and I find
that he has anticipated me In almost
every detail. From my own personal
knowledge Of the situation, adopt ev-
cry word Of his concise, conservative,
specific presentation as my Own-Day,
more. am convinced that he has, in .
measure, understated the facts.
Cuba Il Lost to spain.
After three years of warfare and the
use OF $4,000 Spanish troops Spain
has lost control of every foot Of Cuba
not surrounded by an actual intrench-
ment and protected BY fortified picket
line.
She holds possession with her armies
OF the fortified seab0ard towns, not b.
cause the insurgents could not capture
many of them, but because they are un.
der the virtual protection Of Spanish
warships, with which the revolutionists
oaunot cope.
In the four SO called Spanish provinces
there is neither cultivation nor railway
operation except under strong Spanish
military protection or by consent Of the
revolutionists in consideration of tribute
paid.
The erevolutionists are in absolute and
almost peaceful possession of nearly
one-half of the island. including tho
eastern provinces Of Santiago do Cuba
and Puerto Principe. In those provinces
they have an established form of gov.
ernmeDt, levy and collect taxes, main
tain armies. and generally levy . tax Of
tribute upon the principal plantations
in the other provinces, and. as is oom-
monty believed, upon the entire railway
system Of the island.
Under the inhuman policy Of Weyler
not less than 400. 600 self supporting,
simple. peaceable, defenseless country
people were driven from their homes in
tho agricultural portions Of the Spanish
provinces to the cities. and imprisoned
upon the barren waste outside tho resi- |
deuce portions of these cities and with |
In the lines of intrenchment established |
. little way beyond.
Their humble homes were burned.
their fields laid waste. their implements |
OF husbandry destroyed, their live stock |
and food supplies for the most part con.
6scated. Most of these people were old
men. women and children. They were
thus placed in hopeless imprisonment,
without shelter or food.
There was NO work for them in the
cities to which they were driven. They
were left there with nothing to depend
opoo except the seanty charity Of the
Of the cities and with slow
starvation their inevitable fate.
Rsvalstieoists UnosoassrsA.
Il is conceded upon the best ascer-
tainable authority, and those Sho have
had access to the public records do not
hesitate to state. that upward of elO.-
900 Of these people have already perish
ID, all from starvation or from diseases
incident to starvation.
Spain cannot put an end to the exist
ing condition. She cannot conquer the
insurgents. She cannot re-establish her
over any considerable pof-
tion Of the interior Of the Island. The
while able to maintain
cannot drive the Spanish