The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-10-01
MAsso PREDICTS rIoToRII
Ceod, Says the Leader, WilI T2lro4c {
the Spanish YOKE.

C"o0s Says the Leader, Viii ThrO4c of
the Spanish Yoke.
A correspondent visited the insurgent
headquarters two days ago and had 81 priei
interview with General Bartolomeo Mlasso
mead of the new rebel government. tDur.
ing the last war;" said General MassoJ eve
never had more than 10000 men in arms
against the Spanish Government, and NO
cuban general ever led as many as 2O0O
men into battle. And yet the struggle
lasted long years and cost Spain the lives
OF 10000 soldiers.
In the present movement we have al
ready 40, 600 men in the field, and if We had
the arms for them we could muster within
fortnight twice that many. In the PROV
lnce OF Santiago alone we have q, 900, in
Las Villas 10000 and IN Camaguay at least
ioOo. But only about half of these are well
armed; the remainder are simply equipped
Win slngle-fire rifles, shotguns, muskets,
revolyers and machetes. However, when
expeditions from abroad, which we are ex-
pecting daily, arrive, our entire forceEwill
soon be placed in fighting trim and then
active operations will commence.
-'for the present we must keep upon' the
defensive, content ourselves with harass-
Ing the enemys columns with small
guerrilla forces, and only make serious at
Jacks upon them when we have the oppor-
tunlty to seize convoy or capture an out
post where arms and munitions can be
secured. Any other tactics would for the
present be suicidal to us. We have, be-
sides, everything to gain by delay; Spain
all to lose. 1t suits our convenience to
allow Government columns to tire them
selves chasing our forces around the coun-
try. While we lose comparatively few
men IN this way, yellow fever and dysen-
terry daily claim their numerous victims
from the Spanish ranks"
General Masso has, he says, strong hopes
that, despite the vigilance that is at pres
ent displayed in the United States to pre-
vent the shipment of arms for Cuba, Pres
ldent Cleveland may still be one of the
flrst to recognize the belligerent rights of
the revolution. To-day, despite President
Cleveland's neutrality, or, more properly
speaking, the friendly disposition of the
United States toward Spain, as defined
In the policy of Secretary Olney, President
Masso says the Americans get no thanks
for 1t. On the contrary, the press of the
day in editorial attacks on the United
States, and even urges Minister Canovas
to send Spanish fleet to New York to ask
President Cleveland to explain why he has
not imprisoned Delegate Palma, Treasurer
Guerra, Secretary Quesada and other men,
bers of the Cuban junta.
''By recognizing the beIligerent rights of
the Cuban republicans" Masso continued,
'the United States would relieve herself of
the unthankful task of doing police duty
for the Spanish Government, the majority
of whose owE warships and revenue cut
tiers lie idle at anchorage i'll Cuban ports,
and all of which have so far done abso-
lutely nothing to prevent the landing of
tilibustering expeditions upon theislands,
| and delinquency once, established q Icy
| market would be ctened up to Ansrican
arms factories and American powder mills.
The United States, in brief, has nothing to
| fear from Spain and much to win from
Cuba"