The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-03-08
Hopeless Fignt~-Efghty ThOBBa
sand Spanish Soldiers Sacri-
feed
New York Herald Cu4a Ietter1

F"Om whatever point of view this
struggle is regarded, there seems to be
IL escape from a disastrous ending for
the Spanish arms. If the question were
to be settled by an open war, the Gu
ban Republic would soon be counted
among the things of the past; but it
must be decided by the power of en-
durance of the hostile parties. The posi-
ton is this. The Cubans possess a
small army in the field, but behind that
army are hundreds of thousands Of
sympathizers, from whom the losses by
disease and death are constantly re-
paired. As the natives do not suffer
much from diseases that are so fatal to
Europeans the principal gaps i'll the
ranks are made by the bullets of the
Spanish soldiers, but as these, accOr-
ding to their own account, never see
the enemy, even when engaged with
him, the losses, from bullets cannot be
very heavy, and are easily made good.
On the other hand, the Spanish troops
are constantly on the march, exposed to
the inclemency of the climate aud the
special diseases of the cOTHltry. How
fatal these prove, aggravated by the
fatigue undergone BY the troops, ma
be judgedfrOm the statistics furnished
me by officers Of the Fiat Major. Since
the outbreak Of the rebellion it appears
from the official record that 100, 900
men have been sent to Cuba. Of these
there remain to-day some twenty-thou-
sand at a very liberal calculation. Six
thousand officers have fallen victims to
disease and bullets in the same period.
These are not the statistics of Cuban
sym%pathizers, but have been fuFnised
to me by officers in the army, the most
determined in their resolution to sup
press the instruction. From this it
will be seen that il the power Of the in
surgents in the field has diminished,
the means at the disposal of the Gov
crnmcnt for their suppression have di-
mlnlshedtO a still greater extent. There
is another reason, also, why the chances
Of putting down the instruction are
lessened by time. In the beginning the
Cubans knew little about war, and,
though numerous, were by no means
formidable enemies; now, however, the
men III the field have acquired c0nsid-
cradle skill in the use of their arms and
the habits of obedience and control so
necessary i'll warfare. The troubles in
Spain, it is felt, will so paralyze the
government as to prevent the dispatch
OF re-lnforcements to Cuba. In view of
these difficulties it is no wonder that
ever among the Spanish officers there
is growing up n feeling that the war
will be Observation-Disclosures is, If Spain
can find the men and moneytO continue
the struggle. 1t is a strange commen-
tary on human intelligence that under
the spacious plea Of patriotism Il people
can be induced to make so great and so
appalling sacrifices in order that some
few hundred men may continue to en-
joy their Hl-gOtten wealth; for there is
no escaping from the fact that these
catacombs of Spanish dead and the
wasted millions wrung from the people
sunk in poverty and Wretchedness have
been spent in defence Of a few hundred
slave-Owners. The Spanish nation de-
rives no profit from the connection with
Cuba at most a few government en-
plOyees become rich by stealing from
the government they are supposed to
serve. These people are the veryloWE
est IN their professions of patriotism,
and all the time they are crippling their
country by putting Il no ineOnsiderablC
portion OF the revenue into their own
pockets. This is a fact so notorious
that | do not suppose the gentry in
question will even be angry at my stat
ing it. My authorities are almost every
man who has any dealings with the
Government employees. On the. ques-
ton of their righteousness there is no
second opinion. Men have told. me of
transactions in which they were them
selves engaged which appeared to me
incredible, but, coming from sources
beyond suspicion, I have no alternative
but to believe them. Of course I have
no means of verifying the allegations
made on this head, but the testimony
On the point comes from men of all par
ties and all conditions,