, 1896-03-18

sent, but if, with the new commander,
200, 900 men Of all arms were unable 10 pre-
vent the extension of the war over the peace
full half Of the island, this small addition
seems useless to deal with it now. The
ministry, unable to get sufficient peouniary
aid at homo or abroad, is now studying the
means Of obtaining more of the sinews Of war
by taxing Cuba. This seems very much like a
drowning mans catching at StraWs. Mer-
chants and shopkeepers are not making
enough to cover their expenses, the sugar
estates ale not grinding, cattle aud so
baCoo farms are mostly abandoned, smaller
ones have as much as they can bear meeting
the exactions Of the rebels, house-owners can
not collect their rents, interest on loans IS
in allegiance, and any attempt to collect
taxes in such circumstances would seem to
be better calculated to drive the people
of Cuba one stage more upon the road to
desperation than to increase government
resources.
The Spanish element appears to be salts
fed with his reverse of policy, and confident
that their troubles VIII soon be ended.
Unless one Of those unexpected chan ges
so common in these struggles, takes place, |
agree with this view; but think the e'id Will
not be such as they expect. At present
can only see in these new measures results
which may only precipitate the final rum
Of the island, and can only hope that 80
pessimistic q view may be due 10 my W
obtuseness and not to that OF the Spanish ru-
lers. 1t is not at all improbable that a com
plets failure Of his successor may re-establlsh
Martinez Campos' reputation, and show that
with SPANS limited resources, the apparent
insuficiency of the army and the demo
radiation or the country by mlsruIe, moth
ing better could have been done. What
further aggravates the situation, if the talk
Of the troops means anything, IS the pre-,
vailing discomfort III the army due 10 o@o
pay and abuse.
In regard to military operations. II is i'm
possible to form any opinion except by read
ing bstwsen the lines of the published reports
mutilated by the "Censor"-pnttlng thus and
that together, and fnallythrowing all oonclu-
sions aside, to sum up the known results as
they are disclosed by the locality of She
different forces and the number Of new IN
surxent bands msntiened. Since Gomez start
ed upon his raid we have been reading
almost daily of the victories over him OBJ
tanned bv all the generals and colonies he
met on his march, one even gong so Tar as
to state that he had dispersed his men and
driven him back before he got half way.
Nevertheless, after five hundred miles OF
consecutive defeats, he cached the extreme
of the other end Of tie island. and is APP
parently returning very I~oisurely' In spite
of the hot pursuit claimed, ne stayed two
days in one town, and finally left some
hours after his men were on the march. 1t
is evident at least that the pursuit has not
been hot enough to burn. Meanwhile no
one seems to know where the 10. 900 troops
are that we're sent to surround him and put
an end to tais oalamitous war. Gomez, it
is believed, has sent to the other end of the
island for reinforcements, or for ammunition,
of which he probably captured less than he
expected.
Prov, ence seems to be against the army,
for there are still cases of yellow fever, al
though in normal years after the month OF
November strangers have been always con
sidered exempt. Small-p ox has also, as |
anticipated, been further disseminated, not
only by cases already existing here, but also
by those brought 10y the new troops, which,
instead of being isolated, at the seaports,
were distributed with their regiments among
the interior towns. Strange it is that any
government III this age should adopt measures
to spread a contagious disease among its
own defenders and in time Of war, but this
is nevertheless true.
All seems to point to a continuance of the
rar until SOaia'S resources are exhausted or