The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-12-26
Weyler'S Side Of II.

~ representative Oh tne flltSDuTS
Times who visited him December is at
his palace in Havana, and was intro
duced as an American newspaper man
desirous of telling the truth, General
Weyler said: prove what you say
tell the truth. and Spain's warmest de-
fender will make no complaint. But
always bear this in mind as you write
this is a time of war. These Cuban sub
jects of Spain have been and are in re-
volt Spaniards consider no offense
worse than that of treason,
and treat it severely. War it.
self is always severe, and its
measures harsh. They cannot, of ne
cessty, be gentle. Rebels are not treated
with gloved hands. Mutiny is quelled
only by hard knocks. You must re-
member that this is not war in the
generally accepted meaning of the term.
The insurgents do not fight in the
open; their course is rather that of the
banditti The people of the United
Safes have been misled by the false
use of such terms as patriots free
DOM Struggle for liberty 'monarchial
tyranny and other similar phrases,
which here in Cuba have no place or
meaning whatever among the insur-
gents"
This correspondent himself-Austin
Beach, the city editor of the Times and
a ict Iyln nj "a
most trustworthy in Pittsburg-was
evidently much impressed by Weyler,
and the impression for the greater part
was favorable. He writes:
Though / did not get this from General
Weyler. personally, he is represented as
having said to a friend. in a conversation
about the hullabaloo raised in the United
States over the reported murder of Ma
Geo, that the American people knew more
about governing and caring for them
selves than any other people In the world,
but that when they undertook to mix in
outside matters and pass in judgment on
the motives and aims of other nations,
their attitude was one at such wide vari-
ance with that of good sense displayed
in home matters that one could scarcely
believe they were the same people. | have
said that General Weyler was vexed over
these reports; he was and is vexed only
in so far as they reflect on the honor uf
Spain's soldiers To strike him there is
to hit tender spot, and arouse resent
ment. Othewse, he gives the impression
of being a tireless. active, keen. wide
awake man of a kindly disposition and
broad views. They do say that at heart
he Is republican, and would like to see
Spain made a republic, but he is SOL
dier, and the obligations he has assumed
as such make of him as staunch a sup
porter of the crown as there Is in all the
Kingdom. Doubtless he has his faults
and many of them. but could all those
VINO have been so free in criticising him
meet him under the circumstances | did,
much of that criticism would be dis.
armed.
The difference between General Wey-
Ter and the American people is simply
a difference in standpoint. He thinks
whatever command Spain gives should
be met by implicit obedience by
Cubans: that the latter should be will
ing without complaint to be taxed into
poverty. to be cheated by false prom
ises of governmental reform and to be
bullied and baited by rapacious horde
of insolent and arrogant Spanish Of
ficials put in authority over them
These things come natural to Weyler
He has been reared amidst such sur
rOundings and doesn't know any better
But Americans have other opinions on
the subject They do not consider that
the man who rebels from such a state
oftyranny is reality traitor, though
he may be one nOrninally under forms
of law. They cannot agree with Cen
eral Weyler that it is their duty to sit
quiet while he, as the representative
of Spain, introduces in his attempts
to quell the just revolt of the Cuban
people methods which would have
shamed the Dark Ages.
IF the Honorable John Wanamaker
wants to make a ten-strike in his
speech at Erie Monday night. let him
publicly state whether he approves or
disapproves of the hiring in his behalf
of travelling "evangelists," for the
purpose of spreading scandal against
his opponent. the Hon. Boies Penrose.
He knows that these defamers of char
acter have been busy in his interest:
that they have spent money in such
freedom as to indicate generous sup
ply Of it; and their work is not more
contemptible than has been much of
the work of his two direct lieutenants,
Leach and Van Valkenberg. in which
he has notofiously been particeps Grim
inis. Either he favors lying about