Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-01-03

The home rebellion brought on
many shocking occurrences, some al
most beyond belief. One will suffice.
When the life of this nation called for
a draft there was a strong opposition
to it, especially among the naturaliz-
ed citizens and foreigners. a we'll
laid plot to raid the drafting quarters
and prohibit all drafting in New York
was got up in the foreign quarter,
originated and commanded by the
Tweed, Croker and Herr Most class.
On July 10, 1863, they in force attack
ed the drafting department, drove the
officers out, destroyed all books, and
amidst the cry, ''Hurrah for jeff
Davis and down with the abolitionists
and the negro the buildings were
fired and reduced to ashes. Negro
men. women and children were bru-
tally beaten, shot down, and some
hung to lamp posts. The negro or
phan asylum was sacked and burned,
the orphans fleeing into alleys and
coal bins for shelter from despera-
does who paroled the streets of New
York to beat and murder the helpless.
The militia regiments had been sent
to Gettysburg to check the confed-
crate invasion.
In 1871 Chicago had $3,2O0,0OO fire.
In 1875 congress appropriated $5,2OO,-
600 to improve the Nlississippi's south
pass, to make it navigable to sea-
going ships, into the Gulf of Mexico,
through the work of James r. Eads.
In October, 1873, the steamer Nir-
ginius. Capt. James Fry, with crew
of 81 and IT'S volunteers, was captur-
ed off Cuba and taken to Santiago
and shot to death, and retribution
came in 1898.
The first rising of the people of
Cuba against Spanish rule took place
in 1926. The names of Mckinley,
Marti. Garcia, Maceo and Gomez will
go into history as the liberators OF
the Queen of the Antilles.
On Jan. &c, 1898, the battleship
Maine was sent as a friendly safe
guard to Havana, Cuba. On the night
of Feb. Is she was blown up by an
outside mine, and two officers and
264 of her crew met their death.
On April II, 1895. President Mckin-
lev asked congress to empower him
to end hostilities in Cuba. On April
20. 1898, the president sent his ulti-
matum to Spain, demanding that the
Spanish troops should be withdrawn
from Cuba before the noon hour of
April %.
The first gun to announce to the
world that the American republic
had made war on the monarchy OF
old Spain sent its iron messengers
across the bow of the Spanish mer-
chairman, Buena Ventura, from the
gun-deck of the Nashville, on April
%. 1898 The first gun to wake the
echoes on SPANS territory was fired
off the gun-deck of the Puritan that
with its consort, the Cincinnati, bonn
barded Matanzas and silenced Spain
fortress on April p, 1898.
One of the most noted occurrences
of the past century was the entire
destruction or capture of SPANS Pa
cific fleet in Manila bay on May J.,
1895. by the American Pacific squad
ron. Commodore George Dewey IN
command, which ended Spain's rule
over the Philippine islands. On July
>. 1898. the Spanish fleet, under Com
mander Cervera, was captured or to-
tally destroyed off Santiago bay. On
July II Santiago surrendered, and
the American flag waved over Spain's
once Cuba. On Aug. 10 Dewey's fleet
opened fire on the Manila forts with
good effect and the land forces
charged on the entrenched Spaniards
and drove them into Manila, upon
which Gen. Jauderes surrendered the
city and the American flag waved on
the walls of Spain's Manila, and once
powerful Spain was defeated in every
land engagement and all her fleets of
battIeships on the North Atlantic and
on the Pacific oceans were destroyed
or captured. And she surrendered
her Philippines and West India ISL
ands to the American conquerors.
President Mckinley authorized a gen
eral election to take place in Cuba on
Sept. %. 1900. to elect delegates to
meet in Havana on the first Monday
in November, 1900, to create and
adopt a republican constitution as
nation. and on the day appointed,
amid the cry of Cuba libre.' the con-
vention proceeded to perform its duty.
The Chinese, for uncounted CEN
turtles worshiped their own God, and