New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-04-27
THE SITUATION IN CUBA.


Continued from TuSe'
-. rous train with machetes. and generally OBJ
.o,n supplies for the next day 1t Is true they
.yod general engagements They have not the
oumunition nor the artillery 10 operate as a
fuIlv equipped army They therefore resort 10
Guerrilla warfare and Spain can make no prog
rass against them. There are many reasons
,or This In the first place, Gomez and Maceo
ora mon Of military geniusl The rank and file
If the insurgents worship their leaders and obey
orders implicitly On the other side there are
@sa,ons,es political ntrigues and personal am
billions among all grades of Spanish officers.
&c neral Weyler says that when an officer OBJ
ta,ns rank above that Of colonel In Cuba his
usefulness is gone Twelve acknowledgements
have been sent back TO Spain for incompetency'
since weyiers arrival
"The Spanish troops themselves have no heart
IN the fight. They are raw conscripts from the
peasant class of Spain. They are poorly fed,
end are driven about like cattle. They obey or
ders faithfully undergo hardship and exposure
in a climate to which they are unused, and fall
BY the wayside or die in hospitals. the victims
Of o war in which they have no interest. 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.
STATUS OF THE INSURGENTS.
'The entire interior of the island Is either in
actual possession of the insurgents or is in SYM
patty with them. In every small town the Gu
bans are doing what they can to aid the men in
me ned Food. clothing. and. II possible am
munition, are supplied to them This work Is
surrptitious In towns where Spanish garrison
exists but there are large tracts Of country In
which the colors Of red and gold do not wave.
Cuban columns never carry provision trains
and Spanish columns always do If they are 60
ing any distance. In the large cities are many
men who are thoroughly in sympathy with the
tnsurgent cause. They are men of standing IN
the community. men who have property inter-
ests wives and children 20 look after, and who
therefore remain ostensibly loyal to Spain.
an the early days of the war the better class
Of Cubans declared the rising to be premature.
They feared TO support IL. hoping that reforms
could be obtained politically and the ruin of war
avoided. Many Of them feared that the success
Of the revolution meant anarchy. or negro domina.
ton. Within three months there has been a
decided change of opinion. Sons Of leading
families and in some cases heads of families
themselves have joined the insurgents. The fear
of coniscaton Of property keeps others back.
gentleman who owns sugar plantation worth
100000 came to me recently and said he had
become convinced that Cuba must be free or
annexed to the United States, or every planter
on the island would be ruined. He pointed out
that the taxes and customs duties In the past
mad been all that the people could bear. The
taxes which would be added to pay couple
OF hundred millions added to the old debt on &C
count OF this war and the cost OF the large stand
Ing army which Spain would be compelled TO
maintain II she won would, he said. compel every
sugar planter to abandon mis- property. / have
talked with Englishmen. Frenchmen, Americans
and Cubans, and even with some Spaniards who
own property. and they take the same view. The
ONCE holding class of Spaniards and the mer-
chants who profit by Spains continuance in
power stu insist that Spain must win. even
though the island be laid in ashes, and her sod
drenched with gore
THE RECALL OF CAMPOS.
Inc raoid Spanards are the ones who forced
'ne recall OF General Martinez Campos. They
aa'e recently attacked General Weyler. accus-
ing MN OF being as lenient as Campos. The
"eherai sent word to the Editor of Leon Es-
pa"oi. an organ Of this class that IL the editor
"ou'o point out any Cubans who he believed
,.Vu'o De shot. he would accommodate him.
e ueneral was sarcastic In this instance He
ven between two fires ever since he took
49,, .~nq lie has endeavored to satisfy blood
s,"sy Spanards. and at the same time avoid
Down the wrath Of the United States
wen 80 "''' '"'''
N~ nrst butchery after his arrival was at
hAria. where seventeen prisoners taken in
"'e We're shot an hour afterward by General
Ssanella. The affair was common talk at once
-, ~ Cannella was sent back to Spain, presume
:. .0r eject at Washington. for upon his ar
Nv" AZ Madrid he was received by the Queen
se"t and enjoyed many honors There is no
~. az OF learning how many similar affairs have
49,. sa place. but cases have come to light in
Cuban hospitals have been raided and
S~"oed Insurgents killed, and the shooting
tinu.. Oh peaceful employees on estates has con-
surnsS wthout being checked since Weyler as
49, command. There were affairs at Punta
Iva Ssva and Guatao In which eighteen citizens
sutchered in their own homes and one
cansrSn made prisoner shot In the arm after
teer - snd thrown into MORO Castle with four
AIMS .n. not one Of whom had taken up
peison s@, Inst Spain This American is still in
SAich n. Inc AFFAIR on the FL Cato estate, in
~ 1n seoro Rubio the owner, was shot in his
Aursi,s way AFTER his nfteen-year-old daughter
berr1n- , na1 been cut down with sword for
ben nnns ~, me- life. is one for which man has
s. hs.tel arcs has not been dismissed because
uoosr n twelve peaceable men and one
nsnsss,o On the Cyallta estate and killed the
1as and was shot through the body