The rescue of Cuba; an episode in the growth of free government

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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 moving 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 willingness 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 football 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 professionals, 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 sympathy 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 Ameriyouth. A country that will fight, not for some commercial 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 conclusions, 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.

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 empire ; 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 inhumanity ; 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 ; Taxation 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 interests ; 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

10 CONTENTS

PAGE

Thurston ; Popular demand for war ; The President's pacific yet energetic course ; $50,000,000 voted for defense by Congress ; 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 preparations ; The navy better prepared ; Buying vessels ; The reserves ; Naval guns ; Accurate gunnery ; Training the navy ; The hospital ship ; Lack of dry-docks ; Making smokeless powder ; Secretary Long's foresight ; A critical situation ; Unhesitating 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 magazines and serve breakfast ; A council ; Renewal of the assault ; 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 Hobson's exploit; A "bottled" fleet ; Heroism of marines at Guantanamo ; 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 Shafter; 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 ; Demand 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 Spaniards ; 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 greeting 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 ; Careful preparation of General Merritt's expedition ; Peculiar interest in this expedition ; The arrival at Manila ; The delicate problem ; Aguinaldo and the Philippine insurgents ; Troublesome friends ; General Merritt's wisdom ; The demand for surrender ; The parley ; Arrangements for attack ; The assault ; 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 ; Lieutenant 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 predominant opinion ; Our future policy with the Philippines ; Additions 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

Raising the Flag in Santiago, July 17, 1898

The Messenger of Peace, Puerto Rico, August 13

American Volunteers Entering Manila, August 13

The Merrimac Entering Santiago Harbor, June 3

Colonel Roosevelt and Lieutenant Hobson Four Captains Who Fought Cervera's Fleet

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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 humiliations or more dismal failure.

The Spanish people have many admirable characteristics. They are distinguished for their grave and careful 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 extremity 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

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 acknowledge 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 corruption 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 dominion over those parts of Europe now held by Austria, Holland, Belgium, Alsace and Lorraine in Germany, Italy, and Portugal; while her discoveries and conquests 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.

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 kingdoms 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 European 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 peninsula, 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 required to inform against his neighbor, or even against members of his own household. The inquisitors condemned 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 purpose 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 victims. No man was safe. Women and children were by no means exempt. To refuse information or supposed 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.

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, Protestants, 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 Netherlanders laid down their lives for the rights of intellect and conscience. Words would fail to tell of the adventurous 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, industry, and virtue were so great that when their independence 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

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 defeating 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. During 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 lessons from her own terrible reverses in Europe and instituted a milder and juster sway in America. But her

Kuler> and Leaders of Spain.

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. Stimulated by the success of the United States in its winning of independence, the Spanish colonies followed one another in rebellion. The Argentine Republic, including 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, including 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 afterwards through diplomacy and purchase from France.

Brazil had gone when Portugal was lost. Santo Domingo 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 Philippines, the Carolines, the Ladrones, and a few other very small islands were taken from her by the English,

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 occasioned 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 expulsion 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 similar practices had not been brought to the New World and continued into the present century.