Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-04-17

tyTdnI,
and thoughts of liberty have been eradi-
Gated from his mind. He now sees that
the struggle Is one for the protection of his
home and his loved ones. He views it as a
struggle between heaven and hell!
In the fact of the friendIiness of the
country psople generally throughout Cuba
Is the secret of the unlooked-for successes
OF the rebel arms. In the early days of the
present war Spanish commanders were
complaining that they could not find the
enemy. But the latter was ever about and
inflicted sore losses time and time again
upon the government troops. The idea to
be deduced from this is that the country
people constantly kept the rebel forces
apprised of the movements of the enemy,
ard 1t was impossible for the latter to
surprise the Cubans. Campos became dcs-
perate, and issued an order that Cubans
who would not act as gui les for the differ
ent columns, leading them to the where
abouts of rebel bands, should be arrested
and imprisoned Then the commanders
il different sections of the island drafted
Cuban guides into their service but these
men, true to their country if not actually
engaged fighting for her freedom, in a
| majority of cases led the columns far
astray or into traps prepared by their COM
patriots.
Though the Spaniartls have highly priced
and thoroughly robbed Cuba for centuries.
they do not know the island. Its general
makeup is almost as strange to them as
the interior of Africa would be- The gov
eminent officials know the coast pretty
well, though. for they have paid particular
attention to the custom houses of the is
land.
Each year in the items of expenses for
Cuba would be found an immense sum for
the making of new roads and the improve
ment OF old ones. In twelve years the
government has claimed to eXpend over
thirty millions of dollars the interior
highways of Cuba. This vast sum has
gone into the pockets of corrupt officials,
and the island Is as free from roads. good
CIR bad, as it was in the days of Columbus
a InnS OF fnr ha t1.lt tt~a
general government. Had Spain honestly
expended this vast amount, or even half
of it, she would have been able to suppress
the present movement before it reached
beyond the confines of Santiago province.
The Spanish Army.
The question has often been asked me:
What Is Spain doing with her army Of
1JoOOD men in Cuba? At the present time
that immense army is principally employed
garrisoning the cities-most of them on
the coast. but few as Las Tunas, Puerto
Principe and Pinar del Rio, in the IN
terror. The Spanish claim, therefore. that
SPANS rule is proven false by the fact
that about two-thirds of the government
troops are necessary to keep the cities in
submission. If Spain believes that Havana
| is loyal why should she keep between H.
GOO and $4,000 troops constantly within
the limits, and especially as there is no
immediate danger of the rebels capturing
the Moro or the CabanaS or the Castillo
del Principe? Without artillery, of course,
it would be quite impossible for the Cubans
to take either of these fortreSses. There
fore, what use would Havana be to them?
1t would be useful to the extent that at
least onc-half the men of the city would
join the republican forces. Today they are
unable to do SO. They are penned in Ha-
vana like sheep and can go neither to
Spain, to the United States nor to join their
comrades In the field. The government is
strangely Illogical in this particular being
anxious to expel some people summarily
from Havana, while others it will not al
1t w out of its sight.
The newspaper correspondents were es-
pecially undesirable company, and sew
eral of them have returned to the United
states without waiting to be called home
by their papers
When the correspondent first arrived in
Havana he usually presented himself to
the United States consulate, to pay his re-
spects and obtain, if he could, few point
ers The so-cailed representative of the
American people at first claimed to have
no Knowledge of the war. saying his time
was SO fully occupied with cases of Ameri-
can citizens in trouble of one sort an
| othei that ne almost too busy to keep
track of public events. He maintained
strongly that he took no part in the trou-
ble-even to discussing it with his friends
SO DESTROYS was he of not mixing our gov
eminent up in the affair
Bat it would be only the matter of a
few days, or weeks at most, when the cor
respondent would plainly see that Mr.. Will
lams was not only in sympathy with the
government and against the bandits and
riggers," as he called them but was him
self nearly a full-neigei Spaniard as
one born on the American continent we'll
could be. After he was started on the
theme of the war it was quite an easy
! matter to read in his words that he had
spent fifty Years of his life in Cuba, was
married to a Spanish lady. sold slaves af-
ter the proclamation of Abraham Lincoln
and some day expected TO renounce his
american" citizenship.
WILLIAM FRANCIS MANNIX