The Holly chieftain., 1923-05-03
olxAnasr~oee e1war~ooa

Inc dOuSe joint reSolutlOn was ordered to be en-
crossed and read q third time was read the third
time. and passed.
The SpanishAmerican Is sometimes spoken Of
as short horse, soon curried." It's true that
America did do up Spain in record time. But 1t
was an important war for all that, as will be
In what follows
Since 1895 Cuba had been In revolt against the
Spaniards. American sympathy was with the
Cubans especially after the suffering and death
caused by the reconciliation policy" of the Span
iards became known.
February 49, 1885, the Maine was blown up in
Havana harbor. That Of course meant war and
all the world knew 1t. except apparently Spain,
which seemed to think America was afraid to fight.
April 10 congress passed Joint resolution declar-
Ing the people Of Cuba to be free and independent
demanding that Spain relinquish her authority and
directing President Mckinley to use the land and
naval forces to bring about these conditions April
q the American and Spanish ambassadors got
their passports and Havana was blockaded. April
25 congress declared that state Of war had exist.
ed since April 81
May l, Dewey destroyed the Spanish fleet In
Manila bay, Philippine Islands. The Oregon be-
gan her famous race from California around South
America for the Atlantic coast Volunteers
focked to the colors. June % 5000 Americans
we're landed under General Shafter near Santiago
Cuba. The battles of Las Guasimas, Ell Caney and
San Juan Hill were won Cervera's fleet went out
of Santiago, offered battle and was wiped out to
the last ship. The Spanish surrendered Santiago
July II. General Merritt received the surrender
of the Philippines. A preliminary treaty OF peace
was made August II and fighting stopped De
cember 10 the treaty Of Paris was signed
Early In the war a feet under Admiral Samp.
gave San Juan, Porto Rico's capital, mild
bombarding. July 20 General Miles, commander
in-chief of the American forces, landed Porto
Rican expedition on the south coast He landed
at Puerta de Guanica and began march north
fhot and tp Irnr xlofa. 80
Spaniards in several skirmshes and captured
number of cities and towns. Fighting stopped
August 13 upon the signing Of the peace protocol.
October 1S the Flag was raised over San Juan.
short little and sweet Yet It was an i'm.
portant Spain thought the Yankee "pigs"
had thought beyond dollar-chasing and would
not fight Probably nest Of Europe thought the
same. At Las Guaslmas was Lieut. Arthur Lee,
British military observer-hes now Lord Lee Of
Fareham. high in the British government Lieu
tenant Lee gasped when he saw the Rough Riders
In action at Las Guasimas. "It Is magnificent but
1t Is not war;" he said. The Spaniards at Ell Caney
and San Juan Hill put the same thing differently
They complained that the Yankees did not know
the rules Of war. when we shot them down the
breastworks so that the rest should have retreat
ed" they said they came and tried to catch
us with their bare hands,"
The Spnnish-Amercan war made the United
States a world power night, with far-fung
possessions in Porto Rico and the Philippines It
destroyed the last vestige Of Spain's hold on the
Western hemisphere. 1t made Cuba free and
independent nation. 1t went far to heal the last
wounds left from Civil war and hastened the
day for the reconciliation between North and
South which the World war made complete
The Spanlsh-American war was an objectlesson
to the world that America could fight war Of
humanity for the freedom Of another people with
out selfish motives and that the American of 1893
was the same old irresistible fighting man by land
and sea.