The evening times., 1896-12-07
.0LNEY' 'sIRlPORT on CUBA
Vigorous Description Of the
Effort fof. independence.
PRAISES INSURGENTS SKILL
Passage of the Cubans Into Pinar
del Rio Was n Military Success of
Pronounced Character-Spain's
Excuses for Failing To Report Are
Handled without Gloves.

| the matter, II is impossible not To discern
that state of things exists at our doors
alike dangerous to good relations, destruet-
i've Of legitimate commerce, fatal to the
| internal resources of Cuba and most veNa-
tious and trying, because entailing upon
this government excessive burdens in its
| domestic administration and its outward
| relations.
This situation cannot indefinitely con-
| tinue without growing still worse, and the
| time may not be far distant when the
| Untes States must seriously consider
whether it's rights and interests, as well
| as its international duties. In view OF Its
| peculiar relations TO the island, do not call
| for some decided change in the policy
hitherto pursued.
''Tesidcs the cases growing out OF the
acts of the combatants in the interior.
complaints have not been infrequent touch
ing the course of the insular government In
| the ccnters. where the Spanish authorities
| assert poliIco-military powers. Numerous
instances OF Interference with tie persons,
property, vessels and interests of citizens
| of the United States have been brought to
| notice in the past twelve months. In
every case where the facts sufficed to i'm
| pute culpabilty or responsibility to the
agents OF the Spanish power redress has
been promptly and vigorously sought"
Under the head OF SPAIN Secretary
| Olney, in his report accompanying the
Presidents message, Which Is, OF COURSE,
| iDdorsed by the President, 81 Us in part:
AS regards the character and scope OF
the hostile operations which now affect
| the create part or Cuba, the reports OF our
| Consuls are properly confidential, and, while
| precise as To the several districts touching
| which reports have beenrecc civcd, the nature
and sources OF the information obtained are
such as to make detailed publication i'm
| practicable; SO that the department Is not in
| u position TO do more at present than state
| its general deductions TO the position
| Of the Cuntending parties.
$50 far as our Information shows, there
is not only no effective local government
| by the Insurgents III the territories they
ovcrrun, but there is not even a tangible
prctensc to establish administration any
where. Their organization, confined 10
the shifting eXigeBcies Of the military
operations OF the hour, is nOinadic, with
| out definite ccntcrs and lacking the most
elementary features or municipal govern
incnt- There nowhere appears tnc nucleus
OF statehood.
SKILL OF THE LEADERS.
Although statistics OF their military
strength are attainable with Difficulty and
| are not always trust worthy when obtained,
enough is certainly known TO show that
the revolutionisis in the field greatly ex-
coed in numbers any organization hereto
fore attempted: that VITA large acceSsions
| from the central and western districts of
| the Island. better military discipline is
| added to Increased strength. that instead
| Of mainly drawing, as here ofOre, upon
| the comparatively primitive population of
| eastern Cuba, the insurgcnt armies fairly
| represent the Intelligent aspirations OF a
large proportion of the people Of the whole
island, and they propose to wage this
contest, on these better grounds of vantage,
| to the end TO make the present struggle
Il supreme test Of the capacity of the Cuban
people % win for themselves and their
children the heritage Of sclf-gorcrImcnt.
"A nOtaOlc feature of the actual situa-
| ton is the tactical skill displa yed by its
| leaders. When the disparity OF numbers
| and the comparatively iudcfensible char
| acter OF the central and western Vega
/ country are considered. the passage of a
| considerable force into Pinar del Rio,
| followed byits successful maintcnance there
for many months. must be regarded as a
| military success of pronounced Character.
80, too, the Spanish force in the field
in garrison on the stand, or ON its way
thither from the mother country is largely
beyond any military display yet called for
by Cuban rising, thus affording an inde-
pendent measure OF the strength OF the ill.,
sUrrection.
THE DESTRUCTION WROUGHT.
The only apparent aim on either side is
to cripple the adversary by indiscrimnate
destruction of all that by any chance may
benefit him. The populous and wealthy dis
trictS of the center and the West. which
have escaped harm in former contests
are now Iavaged and laid waste by the
blind fury of the respective partisans.
The principles of civilized warfare, ac-
cOrding to the code.made sacred by the
universal acquiescense of nations, are only
too often violated with impunity by ir-
responsible subordinates, acting at a
distance from the central authority, and
able to shield themselves from Just cen
sure or punishment by false or falsified
versions of the facts.
The killing and summary execution of
non-combatantsi is frequently reported. and,
while the circumstances %: the strif, are
such as to preclude accurate or general
information in this regard, enough is known
to show that the number Of such cases is
considerable. In some instances, happily
few, American citizens have fallen vic
tins to these savage acts.
"a large part OF the correspondence of
the State Department with its agents in
Cuba has been devoted to these cases
of assault upon the rights of our citizens
In no instance has earnest remonstrance
and energetic appeal been omitted. But
the representatives of the Spanish power
often find it easily practicable to postpone
explanations and reparation on the ground
OF alleged ignorance of facts or for other
plausible reasons.
THREATENS NSOURCITIZENS
"Its effect upon7the personal security OF
our citizens in Cuba is not the only alarm
ing feature of the reign OF arbitrary an
archy OH that island. Its influence upon
the fortunes of those who have invested
| their capital and enterprise there, OIL the
assumed assurance Of respect for law and
treaty rights iSho less in point.
The report goes on to say thatan approXi-
mate statement shows that American in
| terests of the value of 500, 900 900 are
threatened. A Large proportion of these in
vestments is now exposed to otheexceptionaI
vicissitudes of the war.
A WARNING NOTE.
This government has been constrained
| to enter earnest protest against q recent
decree Of the governor general of Cuba or
| dering the registration of all aliens in the
/ island, and pronouncing all those not regis
| tered within certain time as debarred
| from appealing to the provisions of exist
| ing law.
THE treaty rights of American citi-
| zens obviously depend on their actual alIe-
| glance to their own government, not upon
| any arbitrary inscriptions as aliens by the
state wherein they may be soiourning:
and while this government is well dis
posed to admit the convenience of the pro-
posed registry as an additional evidence
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