The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1871-08-11
Cuba

An intelligent writer from Cubs let
I in some light upon her present sasliti6
and future prospects as follow
SO much has been said lat v ahoEs
the style of warfare our friend IA cuba
have adopted to secure freedom .hnt
wish TO put in my little say aiost it.
Not that believe in war any nora ii, a
do in medicine, but then, swt .ayi.l Get
sick sometimes, and Cuba has. : zen v.,,v
bad for long time. Hthefe i ster.,
people that had just and slffiiuieA i.i.,.ss
for war it is the native Cubaas EAssr.,
one seems to accord this much Ia IA ,,,.s
but it is the style they complaia 81
Summer says it is guerrilla @,sFfare.
Well, so il is-that is, small WIZ s,l,.ii
as our fathers carried on with England
to secure our liberty. Not such a war
as we and the South carried on few
years ago. Let Mr.. Summer Orany one
else go through the country where this
Cuban war is going on and see if small
war is not the kind to wage successfully.
What is the use of bringing ten thousand
half-armed men up before as many well
armed men TO be shot down, when their
lives can be saved and the same end
achieved by small war.
The settlements of the whole eastern
end Of the island of Cnba are remote
from each other. The country is a will
derness nearly. The great valley of
CantO, where the war began, has but
half a dozen villages in a space of fifty
miles square. Up about the head wa
tiers of the river, north of San Jago,
there is some small space of country
where the estates are contiguous, and
the country has q cultivated aspect.
Leaving this section, and travelling
about eighty miles to the sea, there is
not single estate, and not over a dozen
acres cleared of the primeval forest.
Standing upon high peak near to Jig
uani, about twenty-five miles from Bay
amO, one can see over nearly the whole
valley of the Canto, and not a break of
the forest is visible, except a small space
about the two towns. What would be
the use of an army of one hundred thou
sand men in such country? There is
not carriage road which deserves the
name in the whole eastern department
of the island. If our Government found
difficulties in providing for our army in
Virginia, what could Cespedes and his
government do in the thickets of trOpi-
cal Cuba?
More than ten years ago, one of the
higher officers in the present Republi-
can government of Cuba told me he
could pick eighty from his own men
with whom he could hold out against
all the army of Spain for wear. No
eXaggeratiOn was in the assertion. A
gang of BandolerOes held the woods
within twenty miles of Cienfuegos for
several years against regiment of Ian
GERS.
The peeuliarities of the country de-
mand the policy of small warfare lguer-
rilla)-nO otherean be successful. Spain
has tried the massing of troops, and
what good has it done ? Has the Span
ish army gained foot of ground from
the iiberating army? If 80, only 20 hold
it while their shOetaps cover it,
1t is fit indeed they should hold the
home of the gallant leaders Ofthe move
ment toward freedom, the old town of
Bayamo. Their miserable rule since
this century came in has been fast de
populating it. The bushes have driven
the town into small compass about
the plaza; it is town amid the ruins of
a city. 1t is sad to ride through ruined
streets to get to a town in this America
Jerusalem is fiOurishing compared to
BayamO.
Must we now blame people because
tyranny has so impoverished them
that they cannot carry on great war
.-becaiIse their country is so little de
veloped that great wal cannot be con-
Quoted successfully? How much sue
cess will fill the measure of our admins
tratiOn up to the mark of recognition {?
One, two or three years of unsuccessful
combat? Shall the ample cause of Cuba,
groaning under the worst despotism on
the face of the earth, be counted as moth
ing Our fOrefathers were incensed by
paltry tax OH tea. Cubans have been
taxed upon everything, from birth to
death inclusive. = IPoodhuU and CIcf-
fins Weekly.