New-York tribune., 1896-11-01
THE COST or CUBA

The well-informed and accurate Madrid cor
respondent Of "Ihe London Standard. 10
whom the world Is much indebted Tor news OF
Spanish Governmental dOings, gives most IN
,orcsting account Of the strain TO which the
Government Is subjected Oh behalf OF the
Cuban campaign. The War Minister. General
Azcarraga has displayed great energy In pro-
viding troops to be- food for patriot nachcies
and Yellow Jack bur he has been forced To re-
sort 10 some extraordinary measures. Al IN"
outbreak of the war he called In some lJoOo
men of the iirst-class reserve, and men or the
classes of 1894 and 1880 and even some of the
class of 1893. who after a few months OF train
ing had been dismissed to their homes in order
10 lessen army expenses. Then he called for
the $1,000 cOnscripts OF 1895 some months be
fore the usual time. Thcse were boys of less
than twenty years of age, fine subjects for an
arluO,Is foreign campaign in an unsanitary
country, No wonder many of those drafted
were found TO have fled from the country. No
wonder too. that no less than 1S1OO OF those
who remained chose to pay the Government Il
forfeit Of $500 each rather than To bc sent To
the Antilean slaughter-pen. This latter fart
was. Of course. n fine thing for the w"llngh
bankrupt Spanish treasury. 1t meant wind
fall TO il of s. 43O, 900 or enough to pay the cost
of the war for as much as two or three weeks.
But il meant q military force Of inferior quality.
the vacancies being filed with second rate sub
stitutcs.
This year there will probably be a similar
harvest of forfeit money. The Minister has
called for the 1896 conscripts several months In
advance and thousands Of them Will seek re-
lease from duty which means probable death.
The military census shows this year 49, IJI
.'men"-al lads under twenty years Of age
| liable TO be dra ftcd into service OF these. 20
~ are exempted for physical disability. 213l
are temporarily exempted. GIGS are missing.
63.OJ3 are held cOndilionally liable for service
and 9O525 are actually summoned for active
service The places Of such Of these latter IA
| purchase exemption $500 from home service
and 800 from colonial service be filled
| from the ranks Of those conditionally drafted.
| No less than 10000 OF these unseasOned lads,
| after two or three months Of drill. are 10 he
| sent to Cuba, the first Of them arriving there
before Christmas. Such are the troops with
which Weyler hopes TO crush the veteran le-
gions OF Gomez and MaccO. BY such measures
! Spain has swclled her army to 100000 men and
| boys I'm two years. In nineteen months She
| has sent 1GJ551 Of them to Cuba. There were
| already there some 1900 and 1000 mere vol
upteers. making total of l92.5jl. This num-
bcr has now been reduced to less than 10000.
showing a fearful roll Of deaths and disabilities.
| on the field and In the hospitrl
Beside this appalling drain upon the young
| manhood Of the nation, there Is a corresponding
drain upon the treasury. Nineteen months Of
war have cost fully s9O.OOO,COO. and the pres
ent rate Of expense is 81. 100000 n month. And
still the end is not in sight The insurgents
are actually stronger than ever before, In spite
of all the wealth and blood spent for their sub
lection They have, says this correspondent,
'au unlimited recruiting ground in the ma
.iority Of the Creole population. whites and
"colored people alike, and an inexhausttble sup
"ply OF arms, money and ammunition from
"theIr friends and sympathisers In the United