Omaha daily bee., 1896-11-29
GIVES THE LIE TO WEYLER
Enrique Jose Varona Denies the Captain
Generals Statements,
DECLARES CUBANS ARE BOUND TO WIN
Editor oT the Juntn's OmCinl Organ In
New York says Nothing hut Alb
sulutc and Complete IndC-
prndcucc VIII 10.
.CLAREs CUBANS ARE BOUND TO WIN

NEW YORK, Nov. 2s-EnrQuc Jose
varona, editor of Patra the official organ
OF the Cuban junta in this city and exc
deputy from Havana to the Madrid Parlia-
mont, makes a detailed reply to Captain
General Weylers statement made to rep
rcscntativc Of the Associated press in Ha-
vana. Sirnor Varoaa says:
Regarding General Weyler's statement
that Macco is continually scattering his
forces in order to escape the Spanish col
umns. which he says are hunting him, the
conclusion he draws from the scattering
forces is absurd. 1t does not follow that
because the forces are scattered IL Is be
cause they seek to avoid capture. The scat
tcring Of forces by Maceo is due to pre-
concerted plan The forces are scattered
and concentrated at will by Maceo, and he
thereby makes sure OF losing as few men as
possible and OF striking blows when he Is
least expected by General Weyler to do So
Maceo cannot afford to lose as many men
as Weyler can, for Spain sends men like
droves Of sheep to the slaughter, The tao
tics of which General Weyler complains
are evidences OF MaceO's superiority as a
military tactician over Weyler.
General Weyler's promise of the early
pacincaton of the provinces of Havana, Ma
tanzas and Santa Clara Is shown to be false
by the fact that the rebels have sustained
themselves in those provinces ever since
the arrival of General Campos, Weyler's pre-
decessor Notwithstanding that the railroad
and telegraph facilities are In the hands OF
the Spaniards, the ease of approach to those
provinces from Havana and the easy trans
portation Of armies OF men and all the
resources furnished to the troops by an
established government In the face of all
this and OF the constant depletion OF the
ranks by fevers the Cubans have not been
subdued and will not be subdued in those
provinces.
GARCIA A STRONG LEADER.
His further assurances that Hoguin
Puerto Principe and Bayamo are unneCes-
sarily protected Is fallacy on its face.
He bases his claim that the rebel forces
are weak in that section on the single fact
OF the lamCnta5lC death of Jose MaCcO. APP
preciating fully the great loss which the
rebels have suffered through his death, |
maintain that as a leader his successor,
General CaliNtO Garcia, not only adds pres
tiga to the revolution but has been instru-
mental in bringing many additional follow
ers to the flag Of Free Cuba. By their To-
cation these provinces are most favorable
to the cause of the revolution. We have
most of our adherents there; the troops are
better provided for, and are easily accessible
for expeditions. The ten years war has
amply proven that the wat could be easily
carried on indefinitely from those provinces
and by holding only these provinces we
could make perpetual war on Spain"
Leaving the question Of military tactics
Signor Varona turned his attention toward
those portions OF General Weyler's state
ment in which the captain general seeks
to show that the Cubans are not such suf-
ferers from Spanish tyranny as they claim
to be. Signor Varona said
General Weyler told your correspondent
that after 1868 Spain granted ample and
numerous Cuban representation, and that
the Cubans were permitted to intervene di-
rectly In the establishment OF equal rights
with the European Spaniards in the col
oniCs. lie also told your correspondent that
the provincial and municipal laws are alike
I'm the provinces as In Spain. lie assures
your correspondent that the Cubans have
the freedom of the press, meeting and as
sociation, ana that the laws of Madrid are
1ho laws of Cuba.
'In reply to that permit me to state that
the Cuban representation of which the gem
eral boasts was, and is, a sham. for two
reasons:
l. Because the number of Cuban cleo
tors Is limited in such manner that they
represent only about per cent Of the pop
ulatOn.
ner that the resident Spaniards would al
ways have the major proportion of the rep
resentation. Up to the present time the
average membership of Cubans in the Par
ever reached being seven.
CUBANS ALMOST IGNORED.
The same state of affairs exists in the
municipal and provincial governments, so
much so that ii is n fact that in the Havana
city council it has occurred that there was
not ono single Cuban member This, not
withstanding that throughout the eatire is
land in the city and country districts, an
overwhelming majority Of the population is
native Cuban.
General Weyer talks Of the freedom of
slaves in Cuba as a Spanish achievement.
The abolition of slavery in Cuba Is entirely
due to the Cubans themselves who not
wthstanding the fact that they were slave
holders have always been abolitonists They
compelled the insertion of the clause in the
treaty of San Joan which provided for alb
solutC freedom for those colOrcd troops who
fought under the Cuban flag.
THE Spanish government was compelled
to grant this freedom and inasmuch as It
was impossible to grant the privilege of free
dom to the rebel negro and not to the loyalist
negroes who were but partial slaves II be-
came necessary to grant freedom to all.
"And finally the general hastened to as
sure your correspondent that Cuba has not
been asked to contribute toward the expenses
OF the government in crushing the rebellion.
That Is absolutely falsehOod, The main
tenance of the Spanish soldiers has been
derived entirely from the placing of hypothe-
Gated Cuban bonds, guaranteef by the Cuban
debt and revenues alone. Even now a sec
ond interior loan which Weyler has effected
has been done only after assuring the Span
ish people that as soon as possible the debt
will be thrown upon Cuba, which will have
TO pay all the expenses of the war should
Spanish victory result
This state of affairs only serves to in
crease Cuban determination and makes IL
impossible for the war to be ended by treaty
arrangement. In such an event Cuba would
be overwhelmed. plunged into an abyss of
debt from which 1t could not emerge for a
century to come.