Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-03-24
MOTEL loDoles. ana every place of public

L Mdly nave ftIuStu 10 DeileNt lndl a.
great government was waging a war of
| extermination. instead of a war OF
| honor yet such is an absolute fact.
visit was paid TO the orphanage
under DR.. Lesser. 1t contains now about
| fifty children. almost every one Of Ehom
| is victim OF starvation. DR.. Lesser. one
of Miss Barton's assistants, has had ex-
perience in the Armenian and Indian
| famines. but he declares that the famine
| in Cuba is worse than that in Armenia.
| 4 detailed story Of visit TO Las Focas,
! the place whore the reconcentTados daily
! assemble 10 get food, was also given. a
| Few weeks ago, when Miss Barton discov-
/ cred the place, there were 645 people lying
| on the floors, many Of them entirely nude.
! and all suffering the pangs Of starvation.
4, Much had been done by the Red Cross So
ciety TO alleviate the condition OF those
| still remaining but scores Of men,
| women, and children are get there, gaunt
/ and bony almost as n skeleton. and many
| OF them covered with sores directly trace
| able to insufficient food
| WRETCHEDNEsS EVERYWHERE.
| A vivid picture was then drawn by Mr.
| Gallinger OF trip to Matanzas. All along
| the route were wretched people in rags
| but not until the city was reached was
| the full extent of the suffering realized
1T occurred TO me-" he said las | looked
upon the scenes of suffering and horror
| that the Cuban reconcentrados might well
have adopted the words of Dante, Who
enters here leaves hope behind when
| trey were driven from the fields and herd
ed like cattle i'm the cities and towns Of
this fertile land. The truth is that Wey-
Ter devised a scheme Of human suffering
nj baf In in
the shade. and converted a contented,
prosperous people into herd of suffering,
starving unfortunates.
"Matanzas is literally a place Of beg
gary and death. Never before did my
eyes behold such suffering, and never
again do / expect TO see such havoc
wrought through a cruel and inhuman de-
cree"
HOSPITAL DESTITUTION.
visit to the Matanzas hospitals re-
vealed an even more shocking condition
than the streets. Members OF the Red
Cross Society, who had visited one of the
hospitals two weeks before, were almost
overcome upon discovering that nearly
every one OF the inmates at that time had
since died. There poverty, sorrow, and
suffering were depicted i'm their worst
forms. IF there was food i'm these hospi-
tals," said Mr. Gallinger. II did not dis
cover it. Neither were there signs of
medicine, or OF proper nursing"
The Governor OF MatanZas informed Mr..
Gallnger that the first day he occu-
pied the palace dfteen persons had died
in the courtyard. He said further, that
i'm the city 1920 had died in November
1000 in December, 700 in January, and
500 i'm February. The deathrate was de-
creasing simply because the reconcen-
trados were, by death, becoming fewer
THE number of people who have
starved I'm Cuba will never be definitely
known II is estimated that 10000 were
driven from their homes into the cities
and towns. / had it from Spanish author
ity that according to their figures. 225,0OO
already have perished, but 1t is said that
the Red Cross Society is in possession
Of figures showing that 425 coo Cubans
have died as a result Of Spanish cruelty,
from starvation, and that 100000 more
must inevitably die.
WHAT OF THE MAINE?
II have been asked many times what
Of the Maine? / do not know. This, how
ever | do know; A government that will
deliberately starye 10000 of its own peo-
pie will do pretty much anything. II the
ship was blown up from the outside,
what should our government do? Per-
haps / should forbear to discuss that
question now, but this I will venture to
say: Human life purposely taken, can
not be paid for i'm gold or silver. Mark
my words-'Purposely taken And II it
shall appear that such was the fate Of
80 brave American sailors, then Heaven
pity the guilty parties. 1t will not be a
question of arbitration, but a question
involving the dignity and honor of this
great republic"
Mr.. Gallinger said there was little real
loyalty to Spain i'm Cuba, as would be
demonstrated when the hour OF trial
should come. He did not believe that
Spain could subdue the insurgents.
TAXATION ENORMOUS.
Discussing the subject of Spanish rule, !
Mr.. Gallinger referred TO the matter OF
taxation In addition TO all direct and |
indirect taxes on real estate, there is a |
tax on every door, every window, and |
every chimney ia every house; on every |
letter, on every business sign, and on |
every name on every hotel register |
Licenses are required TO build houses |
and to paint houses. There Is a tax on |
food animals as a whole, and special /
taxes on the horns, the hoofs, and the |
hide. I'm addition 10 all this, the interest |
salaries of Spanish officials are beyond |
all reason. and the amount of money |
wrung from the Cubans to keep the |
Madrid Government from complete in
solvency is simply enormous.
"Relieion and humanity alike demand |
that this unhoy war shall cease ana |
cease il should. even though the glitter !
and glamour of military rule shall end |
and a decaying and dissOlute throne snail
pass away. never 10 return
Az To what should be done, Mr.. Gal
linger felt that sooner or later this gov
ernment would of necessity absorb CUBA
hut If annexation cannot now be accom-
plished. then let independence speedily
come.
NATIONAL QUARANTINE.
Az the conclusion of Mr.. Gallinger's
s,accb the senate resumed consideration
of the bill making further provision for
a civil government in Alaska, and at
o'clock took up the national quarantine
bin and Mr.. Caffery, of Louisiana, re-
sumed his speech begun yesterday IN
support of the bill. The speech was
purely a legal argument in favor OF the
pending bill
Mr.. Canery had not concluded at 300
F. NJ, when the Senate. on motion ot
Mr.. Chandler, OF New Hampshire "eh'
into executive session.
At d! o'clock the Senate adjourned.
EPES UNSEATED.
X. T. Thorp was to-day given the seat
from the Fourth Virginia District Sid
ley p. Epes who obtained the certificate
n election. was unseated' by a strict
Marty vote. Mr.. Thorp was given the
seat by a vote Of 15l to 100. The Repub-
,,,,,. ,vitnout n hreak voted for Thorn !