The herald., 1898-05-04
ISOLATION OF AMERICA

Christendom has been slow to recog-
nize the awful conditions that long since
obtained in Cuba, and against which the
American conscience finally revolted.
From out Christian Spain has up to this
day come no expressions Of sorrow or of
regret that innocent women and children,
to the number Of tens of thousands,
have been starved to death, by the
adoption and enforcement of policy as
unnecessary and inexcusable as 1t was
| brutal and debasing. Christian Italy
has entered no protest against state Of
affairs that would disgrace the govern
ment OF the Fiji islands. Christian Rus
STA has, throughout all the months and
years Of anguish in the Gem Of the An
titles, remained complacently wrapped
In the furs Of her traditional national
selfishness, unmoved by the walls of the
suffering or the shrieks Of the dying.
Even England, so sensitive to the mis-
fortunes of the Armenians, has been
slow to recognize the truth regarding
Cuba.
| And Weyler, the direct author of all
this misery, displays no signs of repent
over the frightful results of his saw
agery, and to regret only that he was in
| terrupted in his brutal plan Of depop-
ulating Cuba. Only yesterday this heart
less assassin of women and children de-
| Tended himself after this fashion:
I am old-fashioned enough to think
myself merciful. I was rigorous. just
and resolute. had problem to solve
| by the rules of military science. l
| have earned the hatred and provoked
| the curses of the sworn enemies of
| Spain, but 1t will never cause me a bad
| nights sleep.
Americans are not wholly blameless.
| The crimes that have at last revolted the
conscience Of the nation have been known
| to us In an unofficial way for long time.
The administration has had official
knowledge Of them from their inception,
and stubbornly withheld the facts from
the people, under one pretext or another,
until their value had been minimized by
the testimony Of senators and members
Of congress, who went down into the OPP
pressed land and witnessed the effects
of Spanish policy with their own eyes.
We might not as nation, and with
prudence, have taken earlier action.
But had the president been less Jealous
of the information in his possession, the
world might not today be in such igno-
rance Of the underlying cause Of our in
PREVENTION, so tardily undertaken. Our
inspired motives would not be so gener-
ally misinterpreted. Sympathy with our
cause would have taken broader scope.
We should not today be upon the de-
fensive We should not now be tortured
with apprehension lest other nations, but
meagerly informed regarding the true
status of affairs in Cuba, and the inspira-
ton of our interference, shall interpose
between us and our antagonist and pre-
vent the full consummation of our plans.
This menace eliminated, we may in time,
and possibly before long, completely vim
dictate ourselves before the world and in
the sight of heaven, by carrying out in
good faith and without hating or waver-
ing, the declared purpose Of driving the
Spaniards from Cuba and handing the
island over to it's rightful possessors. We
can annex neither Cuba, Porto Rico nor
the Philippines. The president in his
message, and congress by its joint reso-
lutions have in the most solemn and
dignified way declared that territorial
ACKNOWLEDGMENT Is farthest from the
American purpose. The most we can do.
and the most we are likely to do, after
Cuba is placed in the full enjoyment of
free government chosen by her own
people, is to hold other conquered terri
tory as security for such indemnity as
the government in it's wisdom may deem
just, for the destruction Of the Maine.