The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1898-04-08

Spain upon her subjects and yet il
this game Of negotiation, no man has
ever heard chat commissioner ha.
been sent to counsel with the insurgeni
forces to ask them what viii satisfy
them.
who raised this war; Whose flag
and whose army stand today as defiant
and more SO probably, chan ever before
in the history Of the struggle to resist
4 the efforts to sabdue themf The in.
surgents And yet the insurgents have
never been asked to participate in this
game Of negotiation. they have never
been asked What viii yoa have and
what win you agree tor
This negotiation, / viii not say is im.
beetle, butits inutility ought to have
been obvious to any man who, had
studied this great question Il was not
to be supposed that because the United
States believe that Spain had eondeded
a degree Of autonomy which should be
sufficient to satisfy the demands Of the
insurgents that the insurgents are to
have no voice in the matter? Yet, Mr.
President, as senators know, the insur-
gents have never yet been consulted
Occasionally, when an expression has
found its way into the public prints
from the Commander in Chief Gomez,
from the president OF the civil govern
ment. Or from the subordinate military
leaders. there has been uniform tone
Of determination expressed chat could
not be doubted, that independence, and
independence alone, is the goal toward
which they are struggling and with
nothing else viii they ever be satisfied
or ever lay down their arms.
Mr. President, / firmly believe chat
these men mean every single word that
they say Fourteen months ago, re-
turning from Cuba, / stated then in the
public prints that at no time would the
insurgents be satisfied with less than
complete independence. If you grant
them everything that Canada enjoys,
with friendly OF a neutral cabinet ora
hostile cabinet, they win not be salts
fed; they will not be satisfied with any
autonomy which falls short Of indepen
dence.
Let the Cubans have a prohibltiYe
tariff against the mother country, let
them have in every sense what the
British call responsible government
and yet SO long as tile yellow flag Of
Spain salutes Che blue Sky Of Cuba those
people viii never 10y down their arms
They have for more than q century
been the victims Of duplcity and treach
cry They have had agreements often
made, and as often violated They
know the value Of the pledges that they
may receive, even If guaranteed by the
American government, and these men
to a man are determined to die rather
than submit to any promise short Of in
dependence
Now Mr. President II need not be-
disputed that the insurgents have
brought about condition Of thinge
which their consent alone can help to
remedy. It may be chat they are at
fault that patience would have been
more creditable TO the oppressed than
resistance; that manhood should have
been quenchedj that Che subserUent
neck should have been bowed to receive
the yoke and the humble back barred to
receive the stripe but Mr. President
they who conceive that The Cubins are
tridling with this great question, that
they are simply amusing themselves
with 4 revolt that causes the sacrifice
Of thousands Of people for no other pur
pose than 10 secure d decree Of autono-
my little know the character Of the
people about whom they speak
recoilect shortly after my return
from Cuba a year ago received dis.
patch from a very distinguished gentle
man who participated In the ten years
war from 1868 to 1873 ID which he aid |
II beg to thank you for correctly inter
preting the temper of tie Cuban people /
Your secretary of state j. simply fooling 4
away bis time.
Hir Mason What was TIE date Of
that
ST. Money About january Il or ie.
Mr. Mason a year ago1
1r Money aout year ago
Ialluded a feH iomens ago To the
fact that the stat aenf as 70 the nuu
ber of deaths frp starvation me ie Bg 4
the honorable tors who nav pre-