The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1898-05-31

looked year after year upon rags. squalor
misery. degradation. starvation and woe
Longer endurance was a crime. We saw
the vulure OF royalty fattening on this
lamb. graphing IN It's vltals thirstne
Tor It's blood until cur hearts cried out
in horror. We searched the annais of
Tacitus, the luminous philosophy Of Glib
bon, all the records of mans enormitv
from the tme Of original sim and couid
md no comparison to the aRgravation of
vile principles and the ingenuity Of tor
ture inflicted upon the people Of tho fair
island Of Cuba. We saw men and wome,
penned up like wild beasts. swsrmine
with vermln, DYING OF disease and star
walton by the hundreds of thousands.
little children with limbs swollen and de-
formed by want and hunger. starved
babes on the dry breasts OF dead mothers.
and while the other nations looked ON
without concern. America said this must
not be And who is there that does not
love his country better for that declar-
alton?
do not know how many lives shan
go out. nor how much treasure shall DO
spent before Spain. that "Jackai OF Ma
tions." shah be humbled in the dust 7
destroyed nor how many ships shall find
the bottom OF the sea before this boon to
the human race shall be accomplished
But ] DO know that n it takes the last
drop Of her blood and the last dollar of
her treasure, Columbia will see TO 81 thar
that island shall no longer bc slaugh
ter house, that its people shall be- freed
from bondage. that the blood Of the In
rttfe ah al q
wrongs inflicted from the time of butcher
Alva TO butcher Cortez and to butcher
Weyler shan be avenged.
No one can tell whether q will be q long
or short war, but everyone does know
that In Gods own appointed dime Cuba
shall be free
Remembering tho Maine. that gallant
ship with her freight Of human souls.
struck down by the hand of "a mldnirht
ASSASSIN in the mysterious waters OF
Havana harbor, the spirit that moves
America In the name OF hu manity cannot
be withstood. The Lily Of France SHOULD
have a care lest Il again be trampled in
the mud. The Romonoms. the HohonzoI-
lerns and the HapsbcrRs. would better
keep hands OF II they wish their respcc-
tive governments to hold a place on the
may hl Ait NtIlhs
The survivors Of the civil war are but
handful Of the mighty host that went
out TO battle I feel like taking my hat
OF whenever ] meet one OF them. Age
Is creeping In upon them. their ranks
grow thinner, ana they gradually sue
cumb TO the process OF nature. They
scent the presnt conflict from afar and
feel the old thrill as the blood leaps I'm
their veins but it IS not for them. In
the honor and glory which they won
their sons shall bear our victorious arm,
to the Islands Of the sea. Their duty has
been well done Their place Is az home,
ana we should not walt until the soldier
IS dead TO give him the honor ana the
credit due. ] believe the surviyore are
entitled TO the substatial gratitude Of the
nation while alive. For them the war
drum throbs no longer and the battle
flags are furled." Their ranks are grow
ing thinner IN, hair Is growing whittier.
the step feebler. but IN the eye there Is
little of the old light, and the movement
is interpid still as the column marches
steadily on 10 its last camping ground.
And upon them Gods smile win fail for.
ever, and their memory will be honorod
80 long as liberty shall find a home In
this republic