The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-11-23
CUBA's HORDE OF FOES.
Forces Against Her Five Times Great
err than in Our Revolution.
Washington Special to Philadelphia Press

Washington Special to Philadelphia Press.
The inability of the tremendous Spanish
caused a good deal of admiration for the
heroism of the Cuban patriots in their
struggle for independence. A Cuban SYM
pathiZer in this city. alludng to the heavy
forces that Spain has sent into the island
makes an interesting comparison between
the struggle in Cuba and that in the Amer
lean colonies. which resulted in the indie
pendence of the United States. He says:
The population of the united colonies
timated at about 100000 The present pop
ulation of Cuba is given at about 1.5OO. 900.
As at least a half million of these are Span
iards who are either noncombatants or are
actu ally assisting Spain. ii will be seen that
the population of the colonies in rebellion
against Great Britain was about three
times the present population OF Cuba in the
rebellion against Spain.
The following extract from the CORE
spcEdence of John Adams. written in De-
cember. 1909 will he read with interest as
showing the forces against which our revo-
luticnary forefathers contended He says:
Great Britain. in our revolutionary
war never had in North America. including
the Canadas. at any one time more than
five and twenty thousand men. During
10000. but upon examining their most au-
theniic documents and memorials. l have
long settled an opinion that they never ex-
Mr.. Sparks. who takes his figures from
the State papers. gives the number more
exactly as follows: June, liz. 20.957; Au-
i7S5, 27.9ls: May i7si, 2S,l27: June l7S2 So
029. or an average of not quite 80 600 men for
each of the years named.
"Cn the other hand. / have never seen
the number of Spanish troops In Cuba
stated at less than 100000 to say nothing of
the $1,000 or 10000 Spanish-Cuban volunteers
militia. To properly appreciate, there
fore. the enormous disparity between the
number of troops sent by Great Britain to
by Spain to conquer the Cuban patriots we
should contrast the figures as follows:
Cuban patriot population -....... H. 1o 900
Spanish troops .................. ZUOOO
American patriot population ,.......S 1000
British troops -.......-..-.-.-. $3.50 "oooc
''Eut his ter ans have everywt ere con- dc d
that without the assistance of France the
American patriots would have failed in
then. would have been the outcome, had
Great Britain sent against her colonies in
beon the nmber or woud
have had to contend against, and that. too.
without the aid of France. If we contrast
the situation in Cuba to-day with that of
the American colonies during the revolu-
ton.
ut is moreover to be remembered that
the British troops were armed with flint
lock muskets in which respect they were
in no way superior to our own people.
On the other hand the Spanish infantry
of to-day are armed with the best modern
rapid-fire breech-loadng guns. to oppose
which % per cent. of the Cubans have
nothing better than the machete.
nat lfleSt IleIl, lllSlSlliuCdIl III HuIIl-
bers. poorly armed. barefooted and ragged,
are able under adverse circumstances to
put up a fight and maintain it for two
years against such unprecedented odds. is
one of the n1arvels of patriotic effort"
No official report has boon made ," tHo
State Department from the merchants in
this country regarding the decrease II
trade with Cuba, but IL Is known that
there has been a tremendous falling off
i'm business with that country.
An interesting report on exports is in
possession of the department and IL shows
that the falling off in the cane sugar in
dustry will be enormous. This report esti-
mates that the exports in that line for the
next year will be less than 400 900 tons.
During the past year ii was 392. 796. The
exports in the two previous years before
the industry felt the effect of the war were
respectively .402 tons and 1169,172 tons
The report adds:
These figures show what influence the
insurrection in Cuba has had On the sugar
industry. and this will be felt for some
time to come, even if the difficulties short
Nv cease. The Cuban production will not
quickly rise to the former figures on ac-
count of the destruction OF property"