Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1899-04-04
Cuba's Freedom and What |
Means.

To the student of the history of the rise, pro-
gress and destiny of nations, few have offered
wider field for theory and speculation than has
and does Cuba today.
Geographically situated so adjacent to us and
our commercial relations ever being so harmon
ious and mutually profitable we, us Americans,
have very naturally grown into a feeling of
friendship for them, amounting almost to a
recognized kinship; and from, or through our
intimate trade relations and mnch commingling
of society during the past century they have
seemed to have become so thoroughly imbued
with the idea of liberty and a republican form
of government that the mother country, Spain,
with her enforced cruelty and oppression has
fonnd herself confronted by uprisings at short
intervals that have taken OH the form of or
ganlzed warfare, to the extent of causing her,
Spain, great expense and effort from time to
time.
During the last seventy-tiye years Cuba has
been the bloody battle ground of no less than
twenty wars for their freedom; these have run
their course in one to two or three years, as a
rule, excepting their memorable struggle of
1868 to 1878, that lasted fully ten years. costing
Spain more than 1000 soldiers, many of their
best officers and creating debt of more than
81 100000.
Notwithstanding tile enforced conditions of
non-education and it being criminal otfense
for a common citizen to have in his or her pos
session any sort of firearms, this seemingly in
born desire for liberty like BanQuo's ghost
would not down, and there seemed to grow with
each generation spirit of patriotism destined
to succeed in the end.
We believe the history of the world has pro-
duced no truer or nobler patriots than has Cuba
for example, the late Gen. Maceo, so cruelty
mastered by Spanish treachery last April
And he was one of nine brothers, besides their
father. that gave their lives for Cuba's freedom
their mother and an only sister also being killed
by Spanish soldiers.
Generals Gomez and Garcia, old and gray in
the service of their country, have proven them
selves of the same type of military heroes as ouI
Grant and Sherman of whom we are so justl,
proud.
When the late struggle came on three and a
| half years ago, the world for time paid but
little attention to it; but Spain soon showed evi
dence of being very tired of these oft repeated
wars, and determined upon more heroic
| measures than ever before. sending a larger
| army with more modern arms, and published
| to the world their determination of once ant
forever putting down the Cubans. Captain
General Weyler, commanding the Spanish
armies, commenced his famous system that S,
shocked the civilized world of determination
of all the Cubans as he openly declared, thos,
| he couldn't kill on the field or after taken a.
prisoners he could starye.
| This unwarranted cruelty turned the eyes o
| all humanitarans toward Cuba, and Americ;
seemingly the only natural guardian, interposed
first, by kindly offering their good will towar,
a compromise. This proposition of Presiden
Mckinley, so kindly offered, was insolently re
jected by Spain, and the proud Capt Eulate o
their best man-of-war the Niscaya, was sent Il
display his proud battleship in New Yorl
harbor. which was supposed to send thrill o
terror to every Yankee heart that would laps
us into a mood of attending to our own business
But alas! they lily reckOned with their host
| The cry of Macedonia of come and help us,
came over from Cuba and seemed to inspir
every American heart. President McKinle
moved considerably, many thought slowly. II
sent our favorite warship, the Maine, int
Havana harbOr on a friendly mission. hopin
thereby to avoid war. The Maine was blown II
and 2G4 of our soldiers and officers sent int
eternity while asleep. Every American hear
was fired; the grandest army ever organized /
so short time was soon in the field, and wer
they needed 100000 men could have been t
the front in sixty days. The struggle was shol
and decisive. Dewey destroyed the SPANS
fleet at Manila without the loss of man q
damage to a boat; Sampson and Schley annih
!. lated the entire Spanish fleet at santiago will
out damage and and the loss of but one lif,
The defiant Niscaya was at the bottom of til
ocean, Capt. Eulate prisoner, with his entiT
crew that were not killed. Santiago had falle
into our hands with 23,0O0 prisoners, making
total of more than 10000 with the nav
victories. And here strange coincident
: occurs that onr entire loss in killed during tt
war was but 1854, the exact number of those To-
, with the Maine.
The war is a thing OF the past; its results al
greater In the intetest of Christianity and III
Hanity, possibly, than of any war in the histol
of the world, viz: Spain, that for 1000 years Ii;
been n terror 10 Christianity, civilization al
-nueatieb her navies menace to commerc
and her armies dread to all Europe and u
government of her colonies the most efuei
/. the world-her navy IS entirely destroyed, IL
q army demoralized. her treasury Depicted
her colonies in the Pacific, and the west lndl
as well, wrested from her cruel clutches, ana
Is hoped Spain is forever humbled.
Cuba-poor, unfortunate, bleeding CtiDa'
long abused, steps out into the sunlight
lioertg aa4 freedom