The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-04-27
ON The island OF UNREST
j. Frank Clark Talks on the Situation
in Cuba.
THE NEWS Is SUPPRESSED
American Core spOndents Arc Kept in
Havana and Allowed No InfOrma-
tiOu-Causc Of Failures on
Part Of Spanish Troops.


New York. April 26.-Some light is
thrown upon the actual situation in
Cuba today by the following interview
with J. Frank Clark. staff correspond
ent of the United Press, who has just
arrived from Havana. Mr.. Clark said:
"Three conclusions force themselves
upon me as the result of five months
observation of the progress of the revo-
luton in Cuba. The insurgents are
making remarkably good fight Spain
has demonstrated her inability to put
them down. The end is not in sight,
but Cuba is surely slipping away from
Spain, and unless some new element is
introduced she will be lost to the moth
er country. Meanwhile atrocities are
being committed and methods of war
fare are being followed which are not
cOuntcnanSed hy civilized nations. |
have made two trips to Cuba. The first
was at the beginning of April. 1895.
when the insurrection was in its in
fancy. i remained two months. return
ing to the states in June. Early in
January went back to Cuba, finding
that Gomez and Maceo, whom ! left in
the mountains of the eastern district,
had marched six hundred miles, carry
ing the wave of revolution westward.
and were then almost at the gates of
the capital city. When l left Havana
Il week ago, the insurrection was larger,
more formidable, and apparently more
promising of success than at any time
in the fourteen months since the
Cubans rose against Spain.
II went to Cuba, not as the repre-
sentative of any one newspaper with
a N al inl niV,tn Of httt
the correspondent of the United Press,
an association whose sole mission is to
obtain facts and disseminate news.
In the early part of the struggle.
before the insurgents had made much
progress, my reports We're criticised by
Cubans as unfair to them. Now that
they have swept over the island. push
ing the troops of Spain before them
and making a record that will live in
history, Spaniards say that my reports
are unfair to Spain. In both cases
have told the truth.
wEYLER's TACTICS.
Before the arrival of General Wey-
Ter. CORRESPONDENTS We're permitted to
accompany the Spanish columns, and
in the early stage of the war Spanish
generals even permitted correspond
ents to visit the enemy's camps. Since
enemy has grown from scattered bands
to organized to fairly well armed and
drilled columns it IL matter of life
and death for correspondent to pene-
trate the rebel lines. He would be well
coined by the insurgents, but shot upon
his return to Spanish camps. ! have
had experience with four captains gen.
eral-Calleja. Campos, Marin and Wey-
Ter. The last Is the only one of them
N M n q nj q r.
ent burdensome. Suave and courteous
in his talk. profuse in efforts to aid cor
respondents in sitting truth from error.
polite in his reception Of all Americans,
yet he had a way Of impressing upon q
correspondent without putting II into
words that it would conduce to his per-
sonal safety to report nothing but
Spanish official news.
CAS- they fail to mention single in
| surgent success from the beginning and
| are a record Of many Spanish victories
which exist on paper only. the corre-
| spOndont who accepted them at their
face value beguiles his readers. If
Spain were winning battles, why not
permit accredited correspondents to
accompany columns of troops and re-
| port from personal observations? If
battles are fought whenever announced
officially, why are correspondents re-
| fused a safe conduct pass to enable
| them to visit the battlefield when all
is over? If the affair at Guatao was a
battle and not hutchery, why were
two correspondents thrown into Morro
| Castle charged with having visited the
place. which Is only twelve miles from
| Havana?
TRUTH CRUSHED TO EARTH.
| The Spanish correspondents of Ma
drid papers, the Spanish reporters OF
Havana papers, all subject to the press
censor, and the American correspond
| ents, are penned up in Havana and ev-
cry effort is made to keep the world ir
darkness as to what Is being done IL
Cuba. Every cable dispatch is care
fully edited before 1t can be transmit
ted. Everything unfavorable to Spair
or favorable to the Cuban cause 1:
eliminated. The mails are searched t,
prevent newspaper correspondence be
ing sent off. But with all these pre-
cautions, the truth cannot be sup
/ pressed, and every wednesday, an1
Saturday the papers of the United
States arrive in Havana and long ac
counts of rebel victories and Spanish
brutalities which are true. are read b,
the English speaking residents an,
translated for the benefit Of Spaniards
1.-THE situation in Cuba Is not Difficult
to gauge.
Spain has sent 400 regulars ant
$4,000 volunteers have been raised ii
the cities of the island. The latter ar
used almost entirely for home defense
OF the regulars approximately $500
have succumbed to bullets and diseas
during the year: 5000 are in the hos
pitals or have been relieved from duty
and about 100000 are available for act
i've operations. These figures are esti
mates made by an army surgeon an,
are very near the truth. The Spanis
| official loss of $500 men from al
causes during the year Is too absurd t
be considered. Fully half of the reg,l
lars available for active operations ar
required for garrison duty in cities an
towns. About 1000 small forts or bloc
houses have been built. and these ar
occupied by the troops. The establish
ment Of the latest trocha, that betwee
Mariel and Majana, absorbs 5000
regulars for the defense Of the line
There are about 10000 regulars divide
into flying columns of 1900 to 1900 me
each operating aggressively agains
Maceo just west of the trocha in Pima
Del Rio, and in all of the other prov
inces there are not more than 15,OC
troops in the field against the enemy
General Weyler made numerous al
tempts to surround and crush Mace
and Gomez during his first month o
the island. He did not succeed II
then resorted to the well-worn SPANS
device called trocha, which had bee
abandoned by Campos and Marin q
useless.
I'm order to make 1t strong line h
has practically stopped aggressl,
operations in all the provinces excel
the western one and concentrated h
troops there. Gomez, Lacret. Jose Mt
GEO. Callxto Garcia and other insurger
leaders with large forces are unol
posed. They move from one provint
! to another, constantly recruiting, ar
spreading the flame Of rebellion. The
are gaining accessions daily from Il
better classes and their followers On