The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-01-19
THE RISING In CUBA.
What the Spanish Army Of 1OO,-
900 Men Tried to Do.
THE PATRIOT PLAN OF CAMPAIGN
Gomez, the Maceos and Roion, the
Pole, Fight a George Washington
Did Against England.
Madrid Letter in London Standard.

to the Madrid government that he had dis
covered a widespread separatist consp,r-
acy. and that some small bands OF insur-
gents. chiefly colored people, had unfurlei
the flag OF secession in the province OF san
t.ago; and seven months have elapsed
since SPAN sent out 10 Cuba her ablest mar
shall, Don Arsenic Martinez Campos. Yet
the rebellion is still In full yigor, and the
insurgents have found themselves In a po-
s.tion TO invade those provinces in which
the royalist forces are concentrated IN
strength To understand the difficulties
which Marshal Campos has had TO cope
with during these seven months, and which
have condemned him TO remain almost con-
tnually on the defensive. much allowance
must be made for his having assumed the
command just before the beginning OF the
rainy an unhealthy season, and with total
~ inadequate forces. The Spanish govern
ment cannot be criticised for having so
long persisted In undertaking the grave i'm
port Of an instruction more formidable
than all previous risings in Cuba. when the
colonial authorities had affected, before
and after the outbreak, 10 treat lightly the
repeated warnings that they had received.
When the Instruction began only nine
hattaIons OF infantry. formed with men
drafted from the regular army n Sqaia.
<sFS sent C. Il IN March. Then ten batfalsana
ef the iine and some artillery and snginaerz
aeglnnins q April, about tie same tizne -
Marshal Martinez Campos was sent our
when the Instruction spread from the
province OF Santiago TO that % Puerto
Principe Directly the marshal reported
further development OF the Instruction "a
Las Villas Ge Santa Clara, and applied for
more reinforcements. the government Of
Senior Canovas del Castillo dispatched some
artillery and eighteen squadrons Of cavalry,
drawn from the Hussar. CaZadores and
Dragon regiments at home, in May. Prep
paratiOns were actively pushed during the
summer. and in June and August the Span
ism TRANSPLANT Steam Company carried
over seventeen battalOns OF the line, SIX
battalions of foot Cazadores, three battal-
ions OF marines, a battalion of foot artil-
lery, battalion of sappers and miners aud
some thousand drafts for the corps already
in the colony.
Draining the Resources Of spain.
The reinforcements had much reduced
the peace establishment of the Spanish
army, which is only $500 strong, 50 the
government had gradually 10 call out the
men OF the last conscriptions who had been
sent home on unlimited furlough for the
sake of economy, some 5000 young soldiers
and Is, 90 frst-ciass reserve men, many or
whom showed reluctance for colonial SER
vice, gladly as they had responded 10
previous call for service in Morocco during
the Melilla conflict in 1898. Nor was this
deemed sufficient, as the minister of war
decided TO order the conscripts Of 1888 to
come in several months earlier than usual.
and. in fact he minated that $500 men
would be summoned TO join the colors. and
very short delay allowed for buying them
selves off. Yhe finance minister has been
most agreeaoly surprised at getting an IN
crease OF f1O0, 900 in the first quarter of 1856
Sc. and an increase OF 10000 in October
besides, the proceeds of the payments made
by the families OF conscr!pts who elect TO
pay Ito in hard cash sooner than see their
sons face the deadly climate OF Cuba and
the bullets OF Mamb.ses, as the insurgents
are n:cknamed by the Spaniards and loyal
lists. With these raw materials TO I'LL the
gaps in the army of the peninsula, the
Madrid war office was able to undertake 10
forward to Cuba, between the middle OF
November and Christmas, 5000 more men
j e., twenty battalions OF the line, SIX bat
talions Of Cazadores, one strong battalion
Of marines several mountain batteries OF
foot artillery, a dozen sduadrons OF light
cavalry and four companies OF engineers.
Heavy drafts from the depots We're also
sent out to take the place Of the victims CT
the yellow fever and of the men whose
health broke down during the rainy season
m a colonial army of 1900 men that had at
one time 9.001 men in hospital With all the
Ieuf0rCemeuts in Cuba, the marshal VII
have very nearly 10000 men at his disposal.
LARGE as this force may seem TO outsiders,
il Is not deemed excessive BY those who
are acquainted with the vast territory in
which the Spaniards have 10 operate and
with the sort OF foe that confronts them,
while so many OF the inhabitants at heart
sympathize with the insurgents. Cuba IS q
very large island, l.090 kilomctcrs long,
from Cape Maisi in the Oriental depart
ment 70 Cape san Antonio in the province
of Piaar del Rio. with a breadth varying
from Al TO rs kilomoters. including the adj
jaccrt isles on It's north and south coasts,
and II has 3.lS4 kilometers of coast line.
The population Of Cuba. according TO the
latest Spanish statistics. amounted 10 1.-.>-
Co whites. 06S2 foreigners. 43S1 Asiatics.
mostly Chinese. and 4sa2i9 mul3ttoes and
negroes. This population IS more dense
ip the western and central provinces than
IN the TWO eastern.
The Plan of Campaign.
The province Of Santa Clara has an area
of 2, 80 square miles. with SEQ 90 inhaIi-
tants. and contains important towns and
ports railways and telegraph lines connecting
IL with the three rich western provinces. uu-
merous plantations and sugar mills in its
plains. while the mountains and forests Of
other parts Of the province AFFORD easy shell
ter IN this war as they did i'm the past re-
beliops. for the lnsurgent bands. pari!cu-
larry in Las Villas. n this province Mar
shall Martinez Campos established his
headquarters at Santa clara itself. and dis
trihuted ~ garTisons. outposts and hying
columns nineteen hattaions of infantry
one battalion of marines. ten squadrons Of
cavalry e. Spanish and colonial regiments
two mountain batteries. one battalion Of
foot artillery. several companies of cuE.-
ncers, and many local corps OF volunteers
In the province of Puerto Principe there
.,FE lf..sf
only 12.eo inhabitants. In this province
the towns are few and wide apart. ami
the mountains and forests are the
faNorlte resorts OF the Insurgents
who ma the majority of the peo-
pie u the rural districts very favorably
dis .Sc1 far tie cause of secession. es-
pe. sally In Che district ~ CamaEuey.
Whiel has been the headquarters &c Max
im7 Gomez, and one az the PRINCIPAL train
iEk grounds 81 the Insurgents for several
months. 10 has been thought necessary
% keep in Puerto Principe thirteen bat
talors q infantry. ten sqUa3roBs OF cav
airy, ave companies of engineers and one
mountain battery The most eastern
province. Santiago &c CUha, has an area
&C 5tt" square kii3meters. ard 23oono in
1aa.taDis 4.us proNlDce has been a.
witHlH its boundaries CeSpetes started
ih" rebellion 81 lstS-s> az N&ra, and Ar
tua4o MaHeo caused The present rss0g 10
begin az Eaire IN FEBRUARY. lSs5. Nature
seems 70 have made this province. Ike
tHar OF Puerto Principe, for guerrilla war
fare. ln which 'the Insurgents can easily
dsfy tae efforts OF regular troops in the
almost impruetrahle forest. Ia Mauleua.
as the Sr8nlarGs cali h, ana In the sierras
that cover fEe-stXfhS 90 tae whole terri
tory Within q very snort time after ire
tv@t1uiue % this rising and during thu