The San Francisco call., 1896-04-27

available for active operations are required
for garrison duty in cities and towns.
About 2000 small forts or blockhouses have
been built and these are occupied by the
troops. The establishment of the latest
trocha-that between Mariel and Maiana-
absorbs $4,000 regulars for the defense of
the line. There are about 10000 regulars.
divided into flying columns of 1900 to 1000
men each, operating aggressively against
Maceo just west of the trocha in Pinar del
Rio and in all of the other provinces there
are not more than $1,000 troops in the field
against the enemy.
General Weyler made numerous at
tempts to surround and crush Maceo and
Gomez during his first month on the
island. He did not succeed. He then re-
sorted to the well-worn Spanish device
called trocha, which had been abandoned
by Campos and Marin as useless.
in order TO make it strong line he
has practically stopped aggressive opera
ton in all the provinces except the west
ern one and concentrated his troops there.
Gomez. Lacret, Jose Maceo, Calixto Garcia
and other insurgent leaders with large
forces are unopposed. They move from
one province to another constantly reyiv-
ing and spreading the fame of rebellion.
They are gaining accessions daily from the
better classes and their followers can no
longer be designated as ignorant blacks
The number of insurgents under arms is
now fully $4,000. Cubans claim anywhere
from 10000 to 75,0c0. but they include un-
armed camp-followers and men whose
only weapon is the machete.
"Spaniards say the Cubans will not fight,
but l have seen many trainloads of
wounded Spanish troops brought into Ha-
vana and other cities, and American
planters upon whose estates encounters
have taken place declare the Cubans are
absolutely reckless under fire. They go
into fight with two or three rounds OF
ammunition TO the man, knowing they
must capture cartridges or they cannot
fight on the morrow. When the last shot
is gone they charge upon a mule train
with machetes and generally obtain sup
plies for the next day.
''It is true they avoid general engage
ments. They have not the ammunition
nor the artillery to operate as fully
equipped army. They therefore resort to
guerrilla warfare, and Spain can make no
progress against them. There are many
reasons for this. In the first place, Gomez
and Maceo are men of military genius
The rank and file of the insurgents wor-
ship their leaders and obey orders i'm
phcitly. On the other side there are jeal-
ousies, political lntrigues, and personal
ambitions among all grades of Spanish
officers. General Weyler says when an
officer obtains rank above that of colonel
in Cuba his usefulness is gone. Twelve
brigadier-generals have been sent back to
Spain for incompetency since General
Weyler arrived.
1.-THE Spanish troops themselves have no
heart in the fight. They are raw con-
scripts from the peasant class of Spain.
They are poorly fed, and are driven about
like cattle. They obey orders faithfully,
undergo hardships and exposure in
climate to which they are unused, and fall
by the wayside or die in hospitals, the
victims OF war in which they have no in
terest. Their condition is pitIable indeed
In few weeks the rainy season will set in
and yellow fever will cut wider swaths in
their ranks than the bullets of the enemy
have yet done.
"The entire interior of the island is either
in actual possession of the insurgents or is
in sympathy with them. In every small
town the Cubans are doing what they can
to aid the men in the field.
1.-The ofice-holding class of Spaniards
and the merchants who profit by Spanish
continuance in power still insist that
Spain must win, even though the island be
laid in ashes and her sod drenched in gore.
The rabbid Spaniards are the ones who
forced the recall of General Martinez Cam
pos. They have recently attacked General
Weyier, accusing him of being as lenient
as Campos. Owners OF plantations-for-
eigners and Spaniards as well as Cubans-
state that the Government columns sent
out in pursuit of insurgent bands, in fail
ing to force fight, or getting the worst of
one, fall upon the peaceable, unarmed EN-.
ployes in the fields or hiding in their
houses and slaughter them without mercy.
This is followed by an official report of a
brilliant victory