The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1898-04-30
SElF-sACR|F|CE.
What Benefit will the United
States Derive When 1t
Frees Cuba?

Wars Havoc Before Us-The
End No One Can
Predict.
In the war with Spain it is of high
interest to the American people that
their motives should be correctly under
stood by the civilized world. To what
harsh and unjust imputations we are
exposed appeared recently from an ut
terance of Prince Bismark's press organs
in Germany, which, among other very
ill.natured filings. attributed the popular
desire in the United States to put an
end to Spanish misrule in, Cuba to an
"ignoble greed for territorial aggrandize-
ment" on our part. Nothing could be
more unfair. True, we have among us
number of noisy Jingoes who have
long been 'tspoiling for fight" who de-
sire war for wars sake, and to whom a
pacific composition of the Spanish quar-
rel would therefore be most unwelcome.
There are also unsrupulous spectators
who clamor for war because they see in
it promising opportunities for enriching
themselves at the expense of the public;
politicians who think that an exhibition
of warlike patriotism will further their
interests; and journals eager to inaame
werlike excitement for the purpose of
spreading their circulation. There are
also few persons in the United States
who would annex to this republic Cuba,
or any other island in any quarter of the
globe. But it may with perfect assur-
ance be affirmed that all these classes
combined form only very small minority
of the American people, and that an
overwhelming majority of them are in
spired by motives absolutely generous
and unsel6sh. Their sympathy has
been warmed by the spectacle Of the
Cubans fighting for Independence and
liberty. Their indignation has been
aroused by the atrocities Of the Weyler
regime and by the destruction of the
Maine; and all they wish to do is to aid
the struggling, to succor the suffering
and to put down tho power of the op-
pressor. It is not too much to say that
if the government of the United States
manifested any design to annex Cuba
as result of the conflict, such declar-
alton would very seriously chill the
popular feeling for the "liberation" of
that island. How completely foreign
to that feeling any motive of self-interest
must be will at once be understood
when we soberly consider the question
who will profit and who will lose by
that war for Cuban independence?
It may seem paradoxical, but it is
nevertheless true, that the most certain
gamer will be Spain herself, because she
will lose Cuba. What is Cuba to her?
Years ago the colony was source of
revenue, a valuable financial asset. But
it has long ceased to be that. It is now
an utterly ruined province, wasted and
desolute. Instead of yielding revenue,
it causes incalculable expense. For
years past it has cost Spaine annually
millions upon millions of money. It
has cost, moreover, hundred thousand
soldiers. AS one of our contemporaries
recently expressed it, "Spanish mothers
know of Cuba as place to which their
conscript children 60, and from which
they do not return" Nor is there the
slightest prospect that to Spain the
colony of Cuba will ever become valu-
able asset again. Even under the most
favorable circumstances it would require
years to lift Cuba from her present deso-
lation into moderate state of prosperity.
And it is vain to hope that if, under
Spanish rule, another attempt were ever
tried to make Cuba again source of
large revenue to the mother. country, it
could possibly succeed. For a long
period Cuba has been the theatre OF
chronic insurrection and turmoil, and
there is not the least doubt that so long
as Spain seeks to draw any income
worth counting from Cuba, it will re-
main SO. This is probably we'll under.
stood by sensible statesmen in Spain
who would be glad to get rid of the in
cubus if they only could :let CO. with,
out irritating the national pride to their
own disadvantage. To lose Cuba in
conseq quence of a war with the United
States, which would spare that national
pride, would actually mean to Spain a
"good riddance." Neither would it in.
volve any loss of prestige, for Cuba has
long ceased to be an element of pre- tige
to Spain, having rather brought disgrace
upon her. And to be defeated in wal
by the immensely superior resources OF
this republic is thing which Spain
will never have to be ashamed of. Thus
in losing Cuba, Spain will lose nothing
of zeal value, but gain much, by being
delivered, in manner saving her ma