Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1898-05-23

who seemed to delight in deeds of
violence and blood. In the course Of
the first fifty years after VelasQuez
settled in Cuba, the native popula-
ton of 100000 beings was swept and
exterminated. Some died under the
heavy tasks and cruelty Of their OPP
pressors, other thousands from the
diseases implanted among them by
the Spaniards, and still other thou
sands in their vain endeavors to free
themselves from the iron grip Of
Spain.
Throughout the early colonial peri
cd, Cuba was the rendezvous Of the
conquerors. Cortez organized there
his expedition that had for it's object
the conquest Of Mexico. The hackers
of Pizarro had large interests there,
and wrung from Cuban slaves much
of the wealth that enabled Pizarro to
conquer Peru. De Soto also fitted out
his last expedition in Cuba, and went
thence to discover the great Missis-
sippi. Spain has occupied Cuba for
387 years, except that it's capital, Ha-
vana, was captured by the English in
1862. The British ships engaged in
that conquest were chiefly manned by
American colonists, who were enlist
ed in the colonies of the Atlantic
seaboard, Massachusetts, Rhode Is
land, Connecticut, New York, New
Jersey, Delaware and Virginia. Many
persisted from the plague in Havana,
and the British commander finally
gave up his conquest on the payment
of large sum of money by the Span
iards.
Spain has always restricted the
commerce of the island, with a view
to reaping all it's benefits herself.
She forced the inhabitants to draw
from Spain most of their supplies of
all kinds, by imposing prohibitory
duties on the products of other ma
lions. This has been one of the most
irreconcilable grievances of the Gu
bans, as such policy was detrimental
to both labor and capital in the is
land. One instruction has followed
another since the first organized out
break against the Spanish power in
1926. In each war the Spaniards
have practised the most fiendish cru
elites on the Cubans, but never until
the present war has there been an or
gained and deliberate attempt made
to exterminate the women and chill
dren as we'll as the male residents of
the island. This remained as the
browning infamy of Butcher Weyler's
life.
The governor general of Cuba is
endowed by law with despotic power
He is even authorized to disregard
the laws of Spain which are applica-
bic to Cuba at his pleasure. In fact,
his will is the only law for the Gu
bans, and all the judges, police Off
Gals, civil officers and military are
tary force, of which a detachment is
located in every town and city of the
island, and which is known as the
civil guard has always been one of
the most corrupt and dangerous mill
tary bodies known on earth, It is
composed of the dependents and
hangers-on of the official class, and
ultra-loyal party in Cuba. Such has
always been the power of this party
and it's civil guard that no admins
tration of Spain has ever been able
to adopt any measure affecting the
government of the island without it's
consent. It's influence has been as
supreme and as sinister to the inter-
ests of the Cubans as was that Of the
Infamous military organization Of
the Janissaries or the Mamelukes in
Turkey and Egypt. To get rid of the
evils which became chronic under the
sway of these armed outlaws, Mehe-
met Ali had the Mamelukes extermi-
mated to the last man. Spain might
have preserved vestige of her good
name, and probably strengthened her
hold on Cuba, if she had applied SINH
lar treatment to the civil guard Of
Cuba years ago.