The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-12-08
HER HORDE OF FOES.
cuBA'S STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM
COMPARED WITH OUR OWN

Forces Arrayed Against the Island Pa
triots Five Times More Numerous Than
Our Revolutionary Foes-The Tremen-
dous Discrepancy In Armies.
The inability of the tremendous Span.
ish forces in Cuba to end the revolution
has caused good deal of admiration
for the heroism of the Cuban patriots in
their struggle for independence. A Gu
ban sympathizer in Washington, allud.
ing to the heavy forces that Spain has
sent into the island, makes an interest
ing comparison between the struggle in
Cuba and that in the American colo
MES, which resulted in the independence
Of the United States He says:
''The population of the united colo
mics during the Revolutionary war has
been estimated at about 5000, 900. The
present population of Cuba is given at
about 100000. As at least 500, 900 Of
these are Spaniards. who are either nom
mbatants or are actually assisting
Spain, ii will be seen that the popula-
tion Of the colonies in rebellion against
Great Britain was about three times the
present population of Cuba in rebel
lion against Spain.
"The following extract from the cor
respondence of John Adams, written in
December, 1909, will be read with in.
terest as showing the forces against
which our Revolutionary forefathers
contended. He says:
"'Great Britain, in our Revolution.
airy war, never had in North America,
including the Canadas, at any one time
more than five and twenty Thousand
men. During some part Of the war
thought they had 100000, but upon ex
aiming their most authentic docu
ments and memorials have long set
tied an opinion that they never exceed
ed 20, 000.
"Mr. Sparks, who takes his figure
from the state papers, gives the numbe
more exactly as follows: June, 1777
20,957; August, 1878, $4,000; May
1879, 27,60S; August, 1880, 1913
May, 1881, 2S,127 June, 1882, 80, 029
or an average Of not quite 80, 900 mel
for each of the years named.
"On the other hand, l have neve
seen the number of Spanish troops il
Cuba stated at less than 200, 600, to sa,
nothing of the 10, 900 or 900 Span
ish Cuban volunteers or militia. Il
properly appreciate, therefore, the enor
nous disparity between the number
troops sent by Great Britain to subju
gate America and the number sent b
Spain to conquer the Cuban patriots W
should contrast the figures as follows:
Cuban patriot population. ............. 1,0O0,0
Spanish troops. ....................".. ZOO,U
American patriot population ......... 8,OOO,O
Brltish troops. ......'''''...'.'.'...''' oo'"
"But historians have everywhere cor
coded that without the assistance {
France the American patriots woul
have failed in their struggle for ind'
pendence. What, then, would have bee
the outcome had Great Britain sci
against her colonies in rebellion 600, OC
troops? This would have been the nun
Der our forefathers would have had
contend against, and that, too, withol
the aid of France, if we contrast II
, situation in Cuba today with that
{ the American colonies during the Rev
luton.
! at is, moreover, TO be remembers
that the British troops were armed vii
. flintlock muskets. in which respect the
t were in no way superior to our ov
r people. On the other hand, the SPANS
infantry of today are armed with Il
} best modern rapid fire, breechloadiI
$ guns. to oppose which 20 per cent
the Cubans have nothing better thu
the machete.
s THAT these men, insignificant
r numbers, poorly armed. barefooted al
I ragged, are able under such adverse CT
cumstances to put up fight al
g maintain it for two years against SUI
= unprecedented odds is one of the ms
e wells of patriotic effort. "-Philadelph
, Press