Library of Congress. :•: 1 Ch/*p.._X^ LL5L J^U X Shelf J.. ;•; 1 = -= 1 ^2?^UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. V>-3 9—167 '* ■* yfS ■ jf" ii ira— — — ■— — M ■-. E5L I £ J_E E Commodore Dewey at the Battle of Manila Bay. Frontispiece. The Rescue of Cuba A71 Episode in the Growth of Free Government By Andrew S. Draper, LL.D. President of University of Illinois Silver, Burdett and Company Boston New York Chicago MDCCCXCIX Copyright, i8qq By Silver, Burdett and Company 6596 ■ Ttbc Iftnkhcrbocfter press, Tew iporls TO THE HEROIC YOUTH OF OUR COUNTRY WHO AT THE CALL OF DUTY DO NOT HESITATE TO OFFER THEIR LIVES FOR FREEDOM AND THE FLAG. Preface THIS book lias been written for young Americans. Its purpose is twofold : it aims, first, to exhibit the war of 189S as one more step, and an important step, in the steady progress of the world towards universal liberty ; it also aims to offer such a faithful picture of the heroism and manly quality of the American soldiers and sailors who gave their lives for the rescue of their oppressed neighbors, as may help my young countrymen to realize what it costs to extend free institutions, and to appreciate what it means to be an American citizen. The story of the slow movement of the human race out from the dark ages of universal tyranny into the modern age of freedom, enlightenment, and equality has never yet been clearly taught in our schools below the universities. For the last six or seven centuries the world has been mov- ing from densest ignorance towards the era of the common school for everybody ; from continuous disorder, warfare, and robbery, to peaceful commerce and safe industry ; from the unbridled power of kings and nobles, to the security of a free, law-abiding state ; from intolerance and persecution, to freedom of thought and liberty of speech. In this steady progress the topics of our special histories are only episodes, and they can be fully understood only when the student is able to give them their proper setting as parts of the grand human movement towards liberty. This progress of the world towards emancipation has met terrible antagonism. Kings and nobles have been against it. Ignorance, intolerance, and selfishness have always been in opposition to it. It has occasioned the greatest battles of history and has brought out the most conspicuous heroes of the race. Every free land has been made free by the richest human blood shed for liberty. The battles for freedom have done more than mark the people's advance towards liberty ; these struggles have also quickened their wits, strengthened their manhood, and thus 6 PREFACE further qualified them to hold and enjoy the civil liberty they have gained. The expulsion of Spain from Cuba by the United States was only an episode in this world-wide contest for self- government. In the unselfish, neighborly, and resolute spirit which prompted it, in the magnificent heroisms which it revealed, and in the uplift which it gave to the good cause of popular liberty in all parts of the world, it was a remarkable part of the long, continuous, and not yet ended contest. The quickness and completeness with which the thing was done has been a surprise to ourselves as well as to the watching world. The explanation of this my young readers will doubtless find, to their own satisfaction, in the strangely different characters of the two races that fought. There was great bravery on both sides. The weapons and the fleets were, all things considered, not unequally matched ; if our ships were better equipped, they were no more numerous or formidable, while the Spanish army was certainly better provided and larger in numbers than ours. Our real superiority was in the traits and training of our people. On our side were hardy manhood, self-reliance, clear and accurate calculation, mechanical skill, and willing- ness to do any kind of work that necessity demanded. On the other side there was a great deal of bombast, conceit, and vanity ; there was a signal absence of good forecast and of shrewd, exact planning ; there was a sense of helpless dependence on somebody else ; there was a lack of manual skillfulness ; there was a love of ease at the wrong time, and a foolish pride that made certain kinds of labor seem unworthy. A nation's ideal of sport is closely related to its physical strength and its fighting power. On the American side the notion of sport has been the baseball diamond and the foot- ball gridiron, with their tests of physical endurance, their dangers, their honest hurts, and their manly spirit ; on the Spanish side it has been the bull-ring, with its frilled pro- fessionals, its butchery, and its depraved tastes. The contest was that of highly trained and intelligent manliness on the one hand, against uneducated pertinacity and too much vainglory on the other ; the methods of the PREFACE 7 modern expert matched against the belated habits of the mailed knights and men-at-arms of another age. The result of such a match was speedy and overwhelming. Some of the later developments of the war and some of its results are not entirely relevant to the purpose of this book. Hence, while the movement towards "expansion" is not avoided, it has purposely been given a subordinate place. I have treated the war from the point of view of its true cause, not from the point of view of all its effects. Much of what has come afterward has been an afterthought. The case is somewhat similar to that of our Civil War ; there, the wiping out of slavery was one enormous result, but the question whether the Union should be retained or dissolved was what roused the people to arms, and on that fact all judgments of that war must rest. In our war with Spain it was not national expansion that caused the clash of arms. The action of the United States was forced by the people, and the people had not the remotest consciousness of a desire for more territory. They were disinterested. It is doubtful if they would have consented to the war, even on the destruction of the Maine, if there had not been, long before, a deep and right-hearted sym- pathy with their neighbors who, in fearful distress, were reaching for American freedom. It was to rescue Cuba, not to gain Puerto Rico or the Philippines, that bound all sections and parties of our people together in a sublime demand for a resort to arms. The results are much greater than we thought, but they may be accepted in good conscience and with entire confidence. In all this there is a wealth of inspiration for our Ameri- youth. A country that will fight, not for some commer- cial interest, but because, like the good Samaritan, it feels it has a duty to its suffering neighbor who has fallen among thieves, is a country worthy of our highest pride, our lasting faith, our utmost devotion. We may confidently follow the humane impulses of such a country to their logical conclu- sions, even though the road leads through fire and blood. In the hope of making the most of these things for the good of our common citizenship, this little book is presented. University ok Illinois, 1899. Contents CHAPTER I Historic Misgovernment by Spain PAGE Spain's part in the world's contest for freedom ; Characteristics of the Spaniards ; Bravery and courtesy ; Corruption and cruelty ; Spain's original territorial importance ; Greatness of her em- pire ; Vastness of her dreams ; Her self-destructive methods ; Results of her methods upon her own people ; Loss of the Netherlands ; Loss of other European possessions ; Losses in America and the East Indies ; A (ew details of Spanish in- humanity ; Final effect of Spanish misgovernment . . 15-27 CHAPTER II Spanish Misrule in Cuba Beauty of Cuba ; Size, population, climate, and resources of Cuba ; Cuba's early histor y and SpanVsj short-sightednessj Spanish hojinnnui«-£duca^on; Series~oF~Cuban revolts ; English and jparush colonial policies compared ; Exh aus ting Cuba ; Tax- ation wi tho" f rppresfLnintirm and without benefits ; Official corruption ; Absence of personal liberty ; The " Ten Years' War-" ; Rebellion of 1S95 ; Weyler's barbarity and war upon the helpless ; Famine and death ; Making a desert and calling it " peace" ; Cuban intrepidity ; Voicg_ of the Un ited-States^ 28-39 CHAPTER III Rescue by the United States American foreign policy ; Washington's Farewell Address ; Monroe Doctrine ; Change of policy towards Cuba forced by the masses ; Case of the Virginius ; American commercial inter- ests ; Growth of popular feeling ; De^truciion_of the Maine ; Patriotic excitement ; The lights turned o7iYXea?rr |ug__tlj g truth ; Investigations and statements by Senators Proctor and 9 10 CONTENTS PAGE Thurston ; Popular demand for war ; The President's pacific yet energetic course ; $50,000,000 voted for defense by Con- gress ; Official report on the destruction of the Maine ; The President's message ; The declaration of war ; A war for humanity ; The noble pledge ; Lofty national ideal ; . 40-52 CHAPTER IV The Preparation American confidence in American ability ; Unprepared for war ; Folly of unreadiness ; Size of o ur regular_airny ; Fyrfll^iT^ — of our trained_sol diers \ iS e glecf ^f_th£^army by Co ngress; DependejfceTorrvoluntee fsT i'he^Presi d enFscall Idr^voTun^ - teers ; Character and organization of the jrolunte£fsj~Trie ~" Krag-j6rgeliseTrTMe^alTcI^ioOTeiF"powder ; Hasty prepara- tions ; The navy better prepared ; Buying vessels ; The re- serves ; Naval guns ; Accurate gunnery ; Training the navy ; The hospital ship ; Lack of dry-docks ; Making smokeless powder ; Secretary Long's foresight ; A critical situation ; Un- hesitating courage ........ 53-66 CHAPTER V Dewey's Battle in Manila Bay The first blow on the other side of the world ; The Philippine Islands and their importance ; Defenses of Manila ; The Pacific fleet starting for Manila ; A daring venture ; Confidence of victory ; Entering the harbor ; The first gun and the answer ; Waiting for closer range ; The assault at daybreak ; Gallantry of the American flagship ; Destruction of the Spanish flagship ; Spanish ships burning ; Withdrawing to examine the maga- zines and serve breakfast ; A council ; Renewal of the as- sault ; The white flag ; Complete victory ; The amazement of the world . . 67-S0 CHAPTER VI The Attack on Santiago Sailing of our Atlantic fleet ; The blockade ; First actions ; The new army ; The first army movement ; Admiral Cervera's formidable fleet arrives ; Locating Cervera at Santiago ; Lieutenant Blue's daring reconnoissance ; Lieutenant Hob- son's exploit; A "bottled" fleet ; Heroism of marines at Gu- antanamo ; Welcoming General Shafter ; Landing of troops ; "Old Glory" on Cuban soil; The advance; Spirit under great difficulties ; Boundless courage and steady progress . Si-93 CONTENTS 11 CHAPTER VII The Attack on Santiago I Continued ) ,, AGE Rapid movement of events ; Sharp fight of the "Rough Riders" and colored regulars at Guasimas; Pushing forward toward. Santiago ; Formidable obstacles ; Problem of General Shaf- ter; Fortifications at F.l Taney and San Juan; Opening of the l>attle at El Caney ; Rapid lire on both sides ; Steadii of American troops ; The creeping advance under deadly fin : A desperate charge ; Capture of El Caney ; Spanish tribute to American gallantry ; Losses at El Caney ; Opening of battle at San Juan ; Derangement of original plans ; March through narrow trail ; Sharpshooters in trees ; The war balloon ; The charge without orders ; The irresistible rush ; The private soldier ; Terrible cost of victory ; Holding the ridge ; De- mand for surrender of Spanish army ; Escape of Spanish fleet 94-113 CHAPTER VIII Destruction of Cervera's Fleet The fateful Sunday, 3rd of July ; The waiting American fleet ; The absent Admiral ; The alarm, " The enemy's ships are coming out"; The instant rally; Opening fire; The Gloucester "remembers the Maine"; Destruction of torpedo boats; Helping the enemies ; Three Spanish warships destroyed ; Captain Philip's chivalry ; The great chase of the Colon by the Brooklyn and the Oregon ; Heroes under the decks ; The five-mile shot and the Colon's surrender ; Spanish losses ; The victory of skill and discipline ; Spirit of thanksgiving for the extraordinary triumph ...... 1 14-123 CHAPTER IX The Winning of Cuba and Puerto Rico Fourth of July with the army; Anxiety followed by confidence; Sufferings of the American troops ; Depression of the Span- iards ; Parleys about surrender ; Hardship and exhaustion ; Reinforcements ; Reverence for the flag ; The generous terms offered to the enemy ; Spanish politeness and curiosity ; The capitulation of 23,000 Spaniards; Scenes on enteri Santiago ; The star-spangled banner over the palace ; Cheers from the trenches ; General Miles's expedition to Puerto Rico ; Surprise and strategy ; Welcome in Ponce ; Friendly greet- ing everywhere; Genera] Miles's proclamation; Releasing prisoners; A joyous campaign; Advance on San Juan; A battle stopped ; The end of fighting in the West Indies . \z . 12 CONTENTS CHAPTER X The Fall of Manila and the Suit for Peace PAGE Need of troops for Manila ; Admiral Dewey's long waiting ; Care- ful preparation of General Merritt's expedition ; Peculiar in- terest in this expedition ; The arrival at Manila ; The delicate problem ; Aguinaldo and the Philippine insurgents ; Trouble- some friends ; General Merritt's wisdom ; The demand for surrender ; The parley ; Arrangements for attack ; The as- sault ; The surrender ; General Merritt's tribute to his soldiers ; A real foothold gained in the East ; Spain's suit for peace ; The protocol of peace ..... 136-146 CHAPTER XI The Spirit of American Soldiers and Sailors American compassion for the oppressed ; The people's war ; Men of the army and navy worthy representatives of their country ; Spanish surprise at humane ways of Americans ; General and special heroisms of Americans ; Admiral Dewey's gallantry and wisdom ; Lieutenant Rowan in the enemy's country ; Lieutenant Hobson and the Merrimac ; General Wheeler and Colonel Roosevelt ; Patient and generous sufferers ; Lieu- tenant Ord and the two boy privates ; Young heroes on the Brooklyn ; A clever Cuban and his beast ; The daring and dutiful newspaper men ; The heroic women ; The President's moral courage and wise statesmanship ; The fury of a just indignation ......... 147-169 CHAPTER XII The Results The Peace Commission ; New methods in diplomacy ; The treaty ; Justice of American demands ; Review of reasons for the war ; Its enormous cost ; Wiser views about preparedness for war ; European surprise as to our fighting qualities ; Our surprise at smallness of aid from Cubans ; New spirit of union among the American people ; Better relations with Great Britain ; Our entrance into wider relationsand responsibilities ; Our present problem and duty for Cuba ; The acquirement of Puerto Rico ; The Philippine question ; Conflicting views ; The predomi- nant opinion ; Our future policy with the Philippines ; Addi- tions of territory and people not unusual ; Question of citizenship not immediate ; Duty to educate and develop the new peoples under our flag ; Safety in accepting national duties; Destiny of the English-speaking race; Its ability to govern ; The war an episode in the growth of freedom ; Its ends will be completely accomplished .... 170-186 List of Illustrations PAGB Commodore Dewey at the Battle of Manila Bay, Frontispiece 22 Rulers and Leaders of Spain .... A Map of the Seat of War in the West Indies A Cuban Farmer's Family before Weyler's Edict o Concentration .... Spaniards Driving in the Reconcentrados President McKinley and Famous Officials A Group of American Major-Generals Drilling the Recruits in the Volunteer Army Four Fighting Admirals A Map of the Philippine Islands The Battle of Manila Bay, May r, 1898 A Bird's-Eye View of Santiago and Vicinity A War-Map of the Santiago Campaign Charge at El Caney, July 1, 1898 Winning the Crest of San Juan Hill, July 1, 1898 On the Deck of the Gloucester, July 3, 1S98 Charge of the Brooklyn and the Oregon in the Sea-Figh of July 3, 1898 ...... Raising the Flag in Santiago, July 17, 1898 The Messenger of Peace, Puerto Rico, August 13 1898 American Volunteers Entering Manila, August 13 1898 The Merrimac Entering Santiago Harbor, June 3 1898 Colonel Roosevelt and Lieutenant Hobson Four Captains Who Fought Cervera's Fleet 13 28 34 38 44 5° 56 62 68 74 82 90 102 108 116 120 128 *34 142 *54 160 172 THE RESCUE OF CUBA CHAPTER I Historic Misgovern merit by Spain IN the world's contest for freedom Spain has played a large part ; but her part, as this chapter and the next will show, has been unhappily upon the wrong side. No other people ever had greater opportunities to attain first rank among the nations, and no other people was ever overwhelmed with greater humilia- tions or more dismal failure. The Spanish people have many admirable character- istics. They are distinguished for their grave and care- ful courtesy to strangers and for their hospitality to visitors. They preserve a marked dignity of bearing; they are intensely patriotic; they are brave to the ex- tremity of desperation. They have been in the past energetic and aggressive. But along with these qualities are others which are the opposite of admirable. A proper pride is always to be respected, but Spanish pride is so excessive that, from an Anglo-Saxon point of view, it seems to turn easily into foolish vanity ; it certainly leads the Spanish 15 16 THE RESCUE OF CUBA Courteous Manners Corruption and Cruelty people frequently to deceive themselves rather than to admit that they have been wrong; and no people can make any progress unless they are willing to acknowl- edge their failings so that they can mend them. The chivalry and courtesy, which are so highly prized by the Spaniards, seem too often to be a thin crust of outward behavior, while below these pleasant manners may be selfishness and cruel feelings. Their dignified politeness is beautiful to experience, but underneath this sweetness of temper the world has discovered sad degrees of duplicity, intrigue, vindictiveness, and inhumanity. Moreover, the Spanish character has seemed to be almost hopelessly rapacious; the poor, ignorant peasants of course have to work, but most Spaniards of the more intelligent classes consider labor to be beneath them, and too many of them have been accustomed, even to the present, to follow the custom of the old dark ages and depend for their riches upon what they could wrench from those who were weaker than themselves, or else purloin from their own Government. There are certainly many exceptions to this : there are good people in Spain, as everywhere; but corrup- tion seems to prevail among Spaniards more widely and persistently than in any other European nation ; it is the trait that has most undermined the Spanish character, and has been more effective than any other in retarding Spanish progress, while other European nations have grown more honest and humane with the progress of civilization. Corruption and cruelty have held backward a nation of splendid possibilities, and historic mi.s(io\-i:i:.\mi:.\t BY SPAIN L7 Territorial Importance Loss of Territory have led Spain to commit acts almost as unwise and atrocious as those of Turkey. The situation of the Spanish peninsula is exceedingly important. Washed by the Atlantic on one side and the Mediterranean on another, commanding the gate of Gibraltar on the great highway of the nations, and separated from the body of Europe by a mountain range which is practically impassable against spirited defense, her territorial position has been one of strong and world- wide significance. Outside of her home peninsula she has come into the possession of more territory and lost more territory than any other modern nation. Her arms and her diplomacy have, at one time or another, given her claim to do- minion over those parts of Europe now held by Austria, Holland, Belgium, Alsace and Lorraine in Germany, Italy, and Portugal; while her discoveries and con- quests gave her the greater and the richer part of North America, nearly all of South America, the West Indies, the Philippines, and other groups of rich islands in both hemispheres, as well as a large slice of Africa. But her avarice, her illiberality, her intolerance of new opinions, her antagonism to liberty, her duplicity in dealing with other nations, her repeated attempts to repress manhood through cruelties, have caused nearly all these outside lands to be taken from her by more progressive powers, or else to leave her through their own revolutions. Spain has not been without a civilization which was relatively high. She was the" Tarshish " of Scripture. 18 THE RESCUE OF CUBA Wasted Opportunities Lack of Human Sympathy Her soil is rich in vegetable and mineral wealth. The time was when she had prosperous and famous cities, when the arts and sciences were cultivated, when she was at the front and gave promise of remaining at the front of the intellectual progress of the world. But her national policy of deceitfulness and cruelty arrested the intellectual and moral development of her people. The discovery of America by Columbus, under Spain's auspices, gave her the chance to become a great empire. Her monarchs had just conquered the Moors, and had consolidated the various little Spanish king- doms into one nation. Now the limitless quantities of gold which began to be sent to her in treasure-ships from America enabled her to enter a career of Euro- pean conquest and successful enlargement which lasted for a good part of a century, until the dominions of Philip II. included, not only the entire Spanish penin- sula, but Sicily and Sardinia, a large part of Italy, and a splendid kingdom around the Rhine, besides most of the Western Hemisphere and innumerable islands in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. He was said to be the monarch of one hundred million subjects. No wonder Spain dreamed of extending her empire till it embraced the whole world. Her soldiers were the most numerous and daring, her fleets were the largest, her treasury was the richest, her opportunity was the best. Her dream of universal empire might possibly have been realized if her rule had been tinged with human sympathy or had paid respect to human HISTORIC MISGO\'Ki:\UENT BY SPAIN L9 Spanish Inquisition Confiscation of Property rights. But it was so cruel that even the ignorant and downtrodden peoples of those earlier days revolted. She had an ingenious method for keeping her people in humble submission to her throne and for bringing other nations under the same subjection ; it was the Spanish Inquisition, a system of torture and death for opinion's sake which was well calculated to strike terror to the strongest souls. This was a scheme for secretly inquiring into the thoughts of the individual, and murdering him if his thoughts were not satisfactory to the crown. Under the penalty of torture and death anyone might be re- quired to inform against his neighbor, or even against members of his own household. The inquisitors con- demned without open trial. A suspect was put upon the rack at midnight, in a dimly lighted dungeon, and his sinews stretched and his bones broken until life almost went out of the poor aching body., for the pur- pose of eliciting a confession of guilt or a charge against others. This torture might be continued at frequent intervals, sometimes for years, only to let the wretched victim perish by burning at the stake at last. The property of the condemned went to the king, and of course the possessors of wealth were early vic- tims. No man was safe. Women and children were by no means exempt. To refuse information or sup- posed information was to defy the merciless inquisitors, and to reveal any secret or alleged secret of the bloody tribunal was certain death. The deceits which were used to entrap the unwary can scarcely be believed. 20 THE RESCUE OF CUBA Persistent Cruelties Results in the Netherlands Death, in its most horrid form of lingering torture, claimed hundreds of thousands. The executions took place at stated times in the public squares and were attended by the officials of state and by the wretched people in vast crowds. Death was ordinarily by fire. Confession before the multitude purchased the poor privilege of being strangled by the garrote before the body was thrown into the flames. Such a system must necessarily accomplish one of two ends, and that very completely. It must either drive a people to revolt, or it must utterly destroy their sense of manhood. In different parts of the empire it did both. The results turned upon the character of the people. Thus, in the Spanish peninsula it stopped the wheels of progress. It drove out a million of Moors, Protes- tants, and Jews. The two former classes included the best mechanics and the cleverest artificers Spain ever had, and the Jews were her ablest bankers. To expel all these was to cut off the internal resources of national strength. The inquisitorial system also hurt those who remained in Spain by putting a premium on the arrogance of some and the subserviency of others, and thus robbed the people of much of their moral sense. But when Spain undertook to put this system in operation among her subjects in the Netherlands, it there produced a revolution, the success of which gave a wonderful energy to the life of the liberty-loving Dutch, and, through them, opened the way for the advance of civilization throughout the world. HISTORIC MISGOVERNMENT BY SPAIN 21 Dutch Revolt Our Debt t i the I >utch In 156S the Spanish Inquisition condemned the three millions of people in the Netherlands to death because of their religious and political opinions, and a proclamation of the Spanish king at once confirmed the act. William the Silent led the Dutch revolt against the oppressor. It was the world's first great battle for the liberty of the individual. It continued for forty years. In it a hundred thousand Nether- landers laid down their lives for the rights of intellect and conscience. Words would fail to tell of the ad- venturous daring, of the intrigue and deceit, or of the atrocious cruelties of the Spanish. But the desperate heroism of the Dutch finally beat them back, gained recognition for their little Republic of seven states in 1609, and established the fullest liberty of thought and freedom of worship. They celebrated their victories by setting up schools and universities, and entered upon a career of intellectual and industrial progress. They had stood during most of the war utterly alone against the most powerful nation of Europe; their energy, in- dustry, and virtue were so great that when their inde- pendence was gained they were as powerful as the English, and even more progressive; their ships were seen in every port ; there was scarcely any beggary ; and nearly every citizen could read and write. Against this spirit in the Netherlands Spain proved powerless. We Americans are debtors to these Dutch patriots and defenders of freedom who delivered their country from the Spaniards; for it was from the Dutch Republic, quite as much as from England, that our 22 THE RESCUE OF CUBA The Amtada Spanish Defeats in Europe forefathers got their ideas of liberty and popular government. But before Spain was driven out of the Netherlands the British had given her a staggering blow by defeat- ing her " Invincible Armada," which the arrogant Philip II. sent in 1588 to subjugate England. This was one of the most disastrous defeats in history ; it broke the power of Spain on the sea and gave it to England, and opened the way for colonial settlements by both the Dutch and English in America. A little later, in 1639, Spain was again humiliated by the loss of Portugal and its foreign colonies. Dur- ing the latter part of the same century Spain was beaten by France and suffered a loss of eight million more in her population. Another war (1701-1714) pared away what was left of the great Spanish Empire on every side; Gibraltar and the island of Minorca were ceded to England; Milan, Naples, Sardinia, and Belgium were given to Austria. From the mightiest nation in Europe, Spain thus sank in a little over a hundred years to a third-rate power. But she still held a lordly empire over the seas in the Western Hemisphere. From that opulent American empire she had drawn her treasure for her extravagant and foolish wars at home. She had made the American natives slaves, and had, by harsh treatment, exterminated whole races of them. She might have learned some valuable les- sons from her own terrible reverses in Europe and in- stituted a milder and juster sway in America. But her Kuler> and Leaders of Spain. King Alfonso XIII. and liis Mother, tlic Oueen-Regi-m. Captain-General Weyler. Prime Minister Sagasta HISTORIC MISGOVERNMENT BY SPAIN 23 Mistakes in America Losses in America and East Indies misrule and extortion grew heavier in her colonies, and they steadily slipped away from her. Accordingly, by the time another century had passed, Spain began to lose her vast American empire. Stimu- lated by the success of the United States in its winning of independence, the Spanish colonies followed one another in rebellion. The Argentine Republic, in- cluding Bolivia, established its independence in 1810. Chili, Venezuela, Ecuador, and New Granada achieved theirs during the next ten years. Peru won freedom in 1824. Mexico and the states of Central America broke the Spanish yoke through bloody revolutions about the same time. Florida was bought from Spain by the United States; and the Louisiana territory, in- cluding the enormous region west of the Mississippi and north as far as the British possessions, after having been ceded by Spain to France, came to us soon after- wards through diplomacy and purchase from France. Brazil had gone when Portugal was lost. Santo Do- mingo and Hayti, which had been gradually conquered by the French, won their independence. Jamaica and the Bahama Islands were taken by the British. In the West Indies, accordingly, Cuba and Puerto Rico were the only islands of importance left under the Spanish rule at the beginning of the late war. The great and rich islands of the East India group in the Pacific were properly claimed by Spain through the discoveries by Magellan; but all save the Philip- pines, the Carolines, the Ladrones, and a few other very small islands were taken from her by the English, 2 ± THE RESCUE OF CUBA Bad Methods and Cruelties Massacre of French Colonists French, and Dutch in the wars she had waged against those countries in the vain hope of broadening her empire. It would have been no dishonor to lose all of these vast possessions, had not most of the losses been occa- sioned by dishonest dealings, signal violations of human rights, and merciless cruelty. An habitual disregard of the customs of civilized administration and of the laws of civilized warfare has persistently formed the substance of Spanish policy. It was so in the home country and it has invariably been so in the territories. The details of the persecution of the men and women who thought for themselves, the narrative of the ex- pulsion of the Jews and the Moors from Spain, and the tale of the atrocities of the war in the Netherlands, are too long and too horrible to be described. We should willingly pass them by without mention if simi- lar practices had not been brought to the New World and continued into the present century. During the religious wars of France in the latter half of the 16th century, several hundred Huguenots, aided by Admiral Coligny, started a colony in Florida. It was the first attempt in America to establish a free government, where men could enjoy liberty of opinion. The famous English Admiral Hawkins visited this colony in 1565, became deeply interested in it, and has left a description of its broad and humane policy, which was extraordinary for that day. Shortly after Hawkins left, the terrible Menendez, with his Spanish soldiers, arrived, and butchered the whole company of HISTORIC MISGOVERNMENT BY SPAIN 25 Massacres in Mexico At Soto la Marina men, women, and children, seven hundred in all, ex- cept six who escaped to an English ship. Spanish official documents show that when Vene- zuela, Ecuador, and New Granada battled for freedom, eighty thousand of their people, taken prisoners of war, were hanged, shot, or otherwise murdered in cold blood by Spanish soldiers. Frequently these massacres were in spite of express agreements before capitulation that their lives and property should be secure. These crimes were not due merely to the excesses of half-savage troops, but had the specific approval of the Government of Spain. Special hostility was shown against people who could read and write, and particularly against all who were accomplished as scholars, on the ground that they " were more dangerous than insurgents in arms." In the city of Guanaxuato, in Mexico, men and women who pass a certain point in the public square still stop and cross themselves. It is where a Spanish general slaughtered thousands of defenseless men and women because they were asking for freedom ; and he was rewarded for doing it by promotion to the highest office in the territory. In the Mexican Revolution, in June, 1816, the little fort of Soto la Marina, after being bravely defended, was obliged to surrender to Spanish arms. Written articles of capitulation were agreed upon, and they were so similar to the terms granted by General Shafter to the Spanish garrison at Santiago that they are worth quoting: " I. All parties composing the garrison of 26 THE RESCUE OF CUBA At Los Remedios Four Centuries of Inhumanity the fort of Soto la Marina, as well as those that are or may have been at the bar or on the river, shall be included in the present capitulation. They shall sur- render themselves prisoners of war, everyone receiv- ing a treatment corresponding with his rank; and the officers shall be paroled. II. All private property shall be respected. III. The foreigners shall be sent to the United States, by the first opportunity. The natives of the country shall be sent to their respective homes, and their past conduct shall remain wholly un- noticed. IV. The garrison shall march out with the honors of war, and stack their arms." Notwithstand- ing this solemn agreement, most of the garrison were murdered, and such as were not shot were sent to end their lives in dungeons, a few in Mexico and the rest in Spain. The property of all was confiscated. In the same revolution, in January, 1818, the Mexi- cans surrendered the fort of Los Remedios. Here, too, the garrison was slaughtered, and the captors were not content with shooting such as were well, but they fired the hospital, which was filled with sick and wounded, and as the poor unfortunates crawled out they were thrust back into the flames or put to death with bayonets. There seems to be no end to the story of these brutali- ties. They have occurred for more than four hundred years at times when the Spanish soldiers have won the victory in battle. Four centuries ago all nations were shockingly cruel as compared with the present stand- ards, but the Spaniards at that time exceeded all other HISTORIC MISQOVERXMK.vr BY SPAIN 27 War on the Helpless Effect on Spain peoples in mcrcilessncss; and while other nations have grown humane and gentle with the advance of better civilization, the Spaniards have lagged behind, and have continued to hold sentiments so savage as often to impel them to war against helpless prisoners, women, and children with the same ferocity with which they fight against soldiers in arms. Consequently terrible assassinations and massacres have usually followed Spanish conquest. They have not been repressed, but rather encouraged and approved, by the Spanish Gov- ernment. It is not pleasant to tell this story, but it is a part of the world's history, it bears upon the course of the United States concerning the Spaniards, and it has at last settled the fate of Spain. 28 THE RESCUE OF CUBA Beautiful Cuba Size and Population CHAPTER II Spanish Misrule in Cuba THE island of Cuba was the chief discovery made by Columbus upon his first voyage. Passing by several smaller islands, he came to this one and supposed he had reached the main coast of China, the far-famed Indie " of that day. He wrote in his diary, ' : This is the most beautiful land ever beheld by human eyes." The Spaniards have called it, at different times, Juana, Fernandino, Santiago, and Ave Maria, but " Cuba," the name by which the original inhabitants called it, has survived all others. The length of Cuba is about 700 miles; it has an irregular width which varies from 21 to in miles; with several small islands along the coast, it contains about 47,000 square miles. What this means is sug- gested by a comparison. Cuba is nearly one fourth larger than Ireland, and nearly one seventh smaller than England. It is a trifle larger than Virginia or Ohio, and a trifle smaller than Pennsylvania. It has 2200 miles of coast-line. Its population in recent years has probably been about 1,600,000, of whom 950,000 were white Cubans, 500,000 colored, and the rest Spaniards. Perhaps no other place on earth has a more genial SPANISH MISKCLE IN CUBA 29 Cuba's Climate ami Resources Cuba's Early History climate, vegetation more thriving and beautiful, or fruit more delicious and abundant. The temperature ranges from 50 to 88°. Thirteen million acres of uncleared and virgin forest contain the finest cedar and mahogany in the world. Two million acres of the island's thirty- four millions are under cultivation, and nine millions are natural pasture-land. The most important products of the soil are sugar, tobacco, Indian corn, coffee, cocoa, bananas, pineapples, and cocoanuts, besides the rich woods of the forest and the copper and iron from the mines. Even in the war year of 1896 the total exports amounted to over $94,000,000. Until laid waste by war Cuba was thus a treasure-house for Spain, and it is no wonder that she was unwilling to give up so rich a spot of earth. From the beginning the history of the island has been that of bloodshed and oppression. The poor natives at first believed that their discoverers had de- scended from heaven, but they were soon disabused of this idea. Though discovered by Columbus in 1492, the conquest of the island was not undertaken seriously by the Spaniards until 151 1. The island was divided among the conquerors and the Indians were made slaves to till the land. But so ruthless were their taskmasters that in a few centuries almost the whole native population of the island had disappeared. Then negroes were imported from Africa to take their places. For the next three centuries Cuba was left by her oppressors to isolation and neglect. Her people lived 30 THE RESCUE OF CUBA Spain's Shortsightedness Hostility to Education in poverty and squalor. With extraordinary short- sightedness the Government of Spain took no steps towards the development of the country or the well- being of the people. Her centralized and inefficient administration, influ- enced by an unprogressive spirit of routine, has always looked upon proposed reforms as dangerous experi- ments. Whenever a new industry was started through private enterprise, the Government demanded a new tax, which was made heavier as the industry developed. The first important industry was tobacco: Spain im- mediately so taxed and monopolized its culture, sale, and manufacture that the planters in desperation several times rose in arms and destroyed their fields, rather than to submit to exactions which more than deprived them of their profits. The English captured Havana in 1762. During the British occupation the port was thrown open to foreign trade for the first time, and the inhabitants had the experience of its advantages. A desire for education began to be felt* and, there being no institutions in the country which could satisfy it, a few young men were sent to the United States for schooling. But Spain did not approve of education. A royal decree was issued in Madrid in 1799 that Cuban parents should be dissuaded'from continuing a practice from which they were told only evil consequences could be expected ! All Cuban youths in school in the United States were ordered back to Cuba, while those who had received an education were placed under the watch of the police. SPANISH MISRULE IX CUBA 31 Cuban Revolts England Learned by Experience Revolts against these injustices at last began; the first was in 1823, and was followed by others in 1826, [828, 1830, 1848, 1850, 1 85 1. and 1855; then came the great " ten years' war" of 1868-78, after which there was an apparent peace until the last revolution, which began in 1895. In the earlier times all the European nations were accustomed to look upon their colonial dependencies as sources of support for the home Government, and often as the legitimate objects of plunder for the home people. England learned a most useful lesson as to this kind of dealing when one of her political adminis- trations, under a king who was either crazy or simple, pursued a course which forced the Americans into their Revolution, and thus she lost her best possessions across the Atlantic. It was a course which ever since has been deeply regretted by the British statesmen and the body of the English people. Great Britain has learned to administer her colonies for their benefit rather than her own, and has found that by so doing she added to the greatness of her empire. Spain, on the other hand, has suffered a more bitter experience in the loss of colonies than any other nation, but she has seemed incapable of profiting by experience. One by one, her vast American posses- sions, from Mexico to Patagonia, revolted against her; but as these dependencies slipped away her dealings with those that remained grew but little less severe and reckless. Her colonial policy continued to be wholly for the home country, with but scanty regard 32 THE RESCUE OF CUBA Spain Learns not from Experience The Cuban Deb for the rights and interests of the colonists. She per- mitted them no government of their own, nor even effective representation in the Madrid Government, although she promised it more than once. She held them down by military force. She sent to them gov- ernors whose dishonest rule was unbearable. She taxed them beyond endurance, while her officials grew rich through unarrested corruption. Puerto Rico and the Philippines suffered similarly with Cuba; yet it seemed as if poor Cuba, because of her frequent revolts against the tyranny, as well as because of her superior wealth, was singled out for a special rigor. The " ten years' war " cost nearly a billion of dol- lars, — and Cuba was required to pay it. That war was concluded by the promises of the Spanish Govern- ment, on its word of honor, to accord various important reforms; most of these Spain never granted. Before the outbreak of the last revolution, in 1895, the debt which Spain had put upon the unhappy island was $295,707,264. This debt meant $185 to each inhabit- ant. The United States debt before 1898 meant only $24 to each person. Even the gigantic debt of France, which she incurred herself, means only $154 to each person. Before her last revolution began, Cuba's debt signified more to each inhabitant than any other debt in the world. Yet this debt was not only imposed by Spain without a word of consent from Cuba ; the money had all been spent for Spain. It was declared by the revolutionary Cubans that this enormous sum " had not contributed to build a single kilometer of highway, SPANISH MISRULE IN CUBA 33 Debts without Benefits Official Corruption nor had it built one asylum or opened one public school." What had not been embezzled, had gone chiefly to pay Spain's expense in keeping Cuba under her inflexible rule. The interest on this prodigious debt was $12,000,- 000, which Spain required Cuba to pay. She also im- posed upon the island an annual payment of §7,000,000 to support the army and navy kept there for Cuba's own repression ; and $8,000,000 more for the salaries and expenses of the civil, judicial, and other officers of Spain ; and to all this we must add a sum of from $12,000,000 to $20,OOO,00O, which the best informed men say was lost to the Cuban revenue through the purloining of officials, and had to be made good by the suffering people. In the general yearly expenditure of about $34,000,- 000, the accounts showed that only $500,000 were devoted to works of public utility, and $182,000 to education. Yet the people who endured this monstrous wrong were less in number than in many American States. They were mostly poor, and of course they were illiterate, for the trifle which was spent upon education did not apply to any except the privileged classes. They were without voice or vote concerning the taxes that were exacted, and saw no return for them in the way of public improvements. How would the people of an American State regard official misrule and exaction to this extent ? As to personal rights, there was even less of consti- tutional freedom in the island than in Spain herself. 34 THE RESCUE OF CUBA No Freedom in Cuba The Rebellion of 1895 The Governor-General ruled with unlimited powers; he had the general authority of an autocratic sovereign. At his caprice, and without trial, he could imprison persons, deport them to penal colonies, or order them to be shot; he could then confiscate their estates and reduce their families to want. It has been said that there is hardly a Cuban family in which one of the members has not suffered persecution during the last seventy years. If one ventured from home without a Government license, costing from twenty-five cents to fifty dollars, according to his means, he could be ar- rested. There was no real liberty of thought or action. Public meetings could not be held without the permis- sion of the Spanish authorities, and when they were allowed an officer was present to stop them if anything was said which he did not like. It was the policy of the Government to break the spirit of the whole Cuban people, and so to strip them of their means that they could not successfully revolt. But under these conditions they could do nothing less than revolt. The last Cuban rebellion broke out in 1895. It bore evidence of being more intelligently and effectually organized than any which had preceded it. Strong and experienced men planned and led it. Gomez, the two Maceos, Garcia, and others were noted patriots as well as men of high ability. The system of raising money for the Army of Lib- eration extended to all who naturally would sympathize with it. Every patriotic Cuban, rich and poor, gave as he was able, and those who could give nothing else — oc — > v £