Washington sentinel., 1898-06-18
Let Spain Beware.

Pallng statement respecting the
fighting at Guantanamo:
"An outpost oil four marines
were killed and their bodies mutt
lated baFbarously."
Were this from a less authorita-
tive source its truth would be
generally questioned, because no
body wishes to believe thing so
horrible. Yet were the report
without the unimpeachable sigma
ture of an admiral oil the Ameri-
can navy there would be nothing
inherently improbable in 1t. The,
unnamable treatment OF Cuban
women by Spain's soldiery, the
butchery OF Cuban prisoners, the
slaughter of the wounded in cap
tured hospitals, the starving of
hundreds of ofthousands ofthe recon-
centrados by WeYler and his sue
cessor-what is 10 be expected
of a race capable OF the atrocities7
Everywhere and always the Span
lard is cruel, and while boasting OF
his honor commits deeds Of which
civilized men could not be guilty.
But the Spaniard is now dealing
with a nation able to force him to
abandon barbarity in war or suffer
the consequences.
Vengeance just and terrible
ought to be taken for this desecra-
ton of the American dead.
For every body mutilated let
SPanlard be hanged on the spot.
And it this warning should
prove Intellectual, then no mercy
whatever should be shown a race
OF wretches that in mind and heart
are brothers to the red Apache on
the warpath.
No quarter to Spaniards!
Let that be the answer to more
Spanish savagery and ghOulish-
ness.
Admiral SIMPSONS news may
arouse the American people to
demand a war OF exte rmination.
Such a war would be of lasting
benefit to mankind were it waged
remorselessly to completion. But
the American Republic prefers not
to be the instrument chosen by
Divine Justice to wreak a long
deferred retribution upon a race
that has left trail OF bloody foot
prints in history.
1t is an accursed race, tagging
upon the worlds stage, worse than
suPerf1uous--a hold-over race from
the black night of the Dark Ages,
untouched by the softening influ-
ences that have raised other peo-
pies in the intellectual and moral
scale. The Spaniard ofto-day who
gluts his rage and hatred upon a
fallen foe with the rnutilating knife
is in essence the same Spaniard
who sailed with the Armada,
arrayed in knightly armor, strut
ting in pride, and who yet carried
in the holds OF his ships racks and
for use upon the
English who smashed the helmet
On his head and threw him over
board in reward for that part of his
cargo.
Our dead have been mutilated at
Guantanamo. We are dealing with
savages, who must be given the
only kind OF lessons that savages
can learn. We owe it to our brave
soldiers and sailors who are fight
ing their country's battles to pre-
serve them from torture ifcaptured,
and from the dishonoring OF their
bodies il they fall in fair 6ght. We
owe it to civilization to inflict such
penalties for Spanish crimes ofthis
hideous kind as shall end them, or
wipe from off the face OF the earth
every Spaniard now in Cuba.
AS Spain deserves so let her be
treated.
1t is civilized warfare that we are
waging against her II in return
for that she wages the warfare of
Indians, then deal with her war
riors as we dealt with the wild
beasts Of the Modoc Lava Beds
hang them.
Kindness to savages is en-
couragement 20 savagery. The
American people are humane, but
they are stern, too.
Let Spain beware.
still an Open secret.
IL tc r,Ak -,.--.-..- aL-a s