The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1896-11-26
WHAT CUBA COSTS SPAIN.
The Heavy Expense Which the Iteyo
luton Has EntaileI.
New York Tribune.

New York Tribune.
The wcll-informed and accurate
Madrid correspondent Of The London
Standard, to whom tho world is much
ind sbtcd for ncws of Spanish govern
mental dongs, gives & most interesting
account Of the strain to which tho gov
Crnmcnt is subjected on behalf Of the
Cuban campaign. The war minister,
General Azacarraga, has displayed
great energy in providing troops, but
he has been forced to resort to some
extraordinary measures. At the out
break Of the war he called in some
$4,000 men of the iirst-class reserve,
and men Of the classes Of 1894 and 1898,
and even some Of the class Of 1903, who,
after a few months OF training, had
been dismissed to their homes in order
to lessen army expenses. Then be
called for the $1,000 c0nsoripts Of 1898
some months before the usual time.
These were boys 0f less than twenty
years Of age, fine subjects for an ardu-
GUS foreign campaign in an unsanitary
country. No wonder many CG those
drafted were found to have He'd from
the country. No wonder, too, t!at no
less than IS, 100 Of those WHO remained
chose 20 pay the government a. forfeit
Of $500 each rather titan 10 dc sent to
the Antilcun slaughter pen. This
latter fact was, OF course, Il fine thing
for the wcll-nigh bankrupt Spanish
treasury. II meant 4 wiuaiail to il
OF $5,43O, 600, or enough to pay the co It
o! the war for as much as tWO on thrr"
weeks. Bat it meant u military force
OF inferior quality, the vacancies being
filled with scCOnd-rata substitutes.
Tins year there will probably be Il
similar harvest OF forfeit money. The
minister has called for the 1896 con-
s~rip pts several months in advance, aud
thousands Of them will seek release
from duty wEich means probable death.
The military census shows this year
1872, I57 "mcn '--atl lads under twenty
years of age liable tn be drafted into
service. OF these, 20,777 are exempted
for physical disability, 2, l3t are tenn
porarily exempted, GIGS are missing.
63, 053 arc bcld conditionully liable for
service, and 90,525 are actually sum-
mOned for active service. The places
Of such Of these latter AS purchase rX-
emptiOn-$3O0 from homo service and
$400 from colonial scrvicU--will be
filed from the ranks of those condi-
tionally drafted. No less than 10, ,0O0
OF these unscasonnbc lads, after two
or three months Of drill, are TO Dc sent
to Cuba, tue tirst,pf them arriving be-
fore Christmas. Such are the troops
with which Wcylcr hopes to crush
the veteran lcgions of Gomez and Ma
GEO! by suci measures Spain has
swelled her army to 300, 900 n'cn and
boys in two years. In nineteen months
she has sent lG5,55l of thcm to Cuba.
There were already hore some 1900,
and $4,000 more volunteers, max ing
a total Of 1872 .5ol. This number has
now boon reduced to less than $50, 900,
showing q fearful roll Of deaths ana
disabilities on the field and in tho hos
pital.
Besides this appalling drain upon
tho young manhood Of tho nation,
there is Il corresponding drain upon
the treasury. Nineteen months OF war
have cost fully 800, 200, ,0C0, and the
present ratio of expense is 81 900, 900 Il
month. And still the end is not in
sight. Tho insurgents arc actually
stronger than ever before, in spite Of
all the wealth and blood spent for
their suhjrction. They have, says
the correspondent, an unlimited re-
cruitinG ground in the ma jority OF the
Creole population, whites and c0lOrcd
people alike, and nn lncXhnustiblc
supply OF arms, money and ammunition
from thcir friends and sympathiZors
in the United States. That is quite
true, and thcy will doubtless continue
TO enjoy thcso advantages until the
waning resources OF Spain arc com
plotcly exhausted.