Omaha daily bee., 1896-02-11
WEYLER WELCOME TO GOMEZ
Insurgent Chief Processes to Be Glad Of
the Change in Spanish Leaders.
CRUELTY WILL HELP THE REBEL CAUSE
Severity I'm the cities VIII Drive
Men Into the InsurEent Armies
and WeyIer Must lie Cruel
or Leave Cuba.

NEW YORK, Feb. 10.-(Specal Tele
gram.)-Syvester Scovel. young resident
of Ohio and a student at the University
Of Michigan, who is now colonel attached
to General Gomez's staff in Cuba, wher,
he went in search of adventure, has sen
lengthy interview which he claims t
have had with General Gomez to the New
York World. General Gomez is reported t
have said in answer to the question:: "Hov
will the substitution of General Weyler fol
General Campos affect the Cuban chances p
"The change will benefit the Cuban cause
We have lost a most powerful enemy IL
Martinez Campos His strong character ant
personal influence have held to Spain many
of the most Influential and richest Cuban!
that otherwise would have followed theii
natural inclinations to assist in freeing theii
country. He is without doubt the first gen.
eral in Spain. The troops Of the line idol
lied him. and with his departure they are
left without leader in whom they have
confidence. | regard these good soldiers as
being in the same state in which the grand
army of France found, or rather lost, It.
self upon the departure of Napoleon /.
regard General Weyler as an honorable, but
cruel soldier. In his military ability, how.
ever, | do not think he can for a moment
be compared with General Campos. In the
last war the movements OF his commands
were not brilliant, and he was noted only fol
his unrelenting cruelty toward defenseless
noncombatants, which he now claims was
In obedience to superior authority.
General Weyler comes here in answer
to the demands of Spaniards in Cuba, or.
ganized and known as the conservative party
They are the government officials and mer.
chants who have grown fat by authorized
Speculation and high prices maintained by
unjust import laws. He has not the high
oh, ,tn ,fap, p,.s,E
to be dismissed rather than carry out q
policy he abhorred.
SOME PROBABLE EFFECTS.
The policy was outlined and demanded
of the government by the conservatives
and now comes Weyler, presumably to obey
orders, as he did in the last war. He says
he does not contemplate the establishment
of a reign Of terror in the cities of Cuba
If he means this and acts accordingly he
will quickly be superseded by another-by
Polavieja, for instance, for the conservative
party in power will not hesitate to bring
to Cuba a man of a reputation so unsavory
that even the Spanish public cannot stom.
ach 1t. Atrocities in the towns will not
likely begin until it is discovered that the
change Of generals has produced no more
and perhaps fewer victories in the field.
If the offer of the free pardon Is still
held out to all insurgents who present
themselves and their arms, many of the
men lately recruited will avail themselves
of 1t, under the belief that the Spanish ac
tivty in the towns means more slililfuily
and vigorously conducted campaign in the
field But, / think that when these men
discover that events in the field show fewer
victories for the Spanish arms, they will
rejoin the Cuban forces, this time for coed
as to return again would be to be shot
Many Cubans suppose that If the Spanish
policy in the cities is severe the numb5r
of deserters will decrease. / know in the
.th nf Mr. tl,nr ln-ir t1a,,,
selvs to the authorities of town in which
they knew their own father was put to
death the night before. But l believe the
number of deserters consequent upon Span
ish activity In the cities will be more
than offset by the number of men Of these
cities who will take the field as a choice
between two evils. However, both this class
and the deserters are of little use to the
Cuban cause, and our fighting strength In
the future will depend principally upon re-
cruits from the country
THE Spanish regular soldier Is brave to
fault and implicitly obedient. He is pa
tient, does not eat much and carries weight
like mule-in sort, / consider the Spanish
regular troops armed with the Mauser rife,
the best in the world today
CUT OFF SPANISH REVENUE.
"The government of the republic of Cuba
has been loath to order me to destroy the
cane Of American estates. In fact, 1t did
not like to have to destroy any property, but
1t waa deemed necessary to strike a blow at
the finances of Spain. This has been sue
cessful and our enemy will not receive the
$1S.00O,000 with which to carry on her war
with us that she would have received as
import duties upon articles brought into Cuba
in exchange for the sugar crop had we al
lowed the same to be made. Only enough
cane has been burned to stop the operat on
of the mills. All the plantations have been
treated alike-American, German, Spanish
even those owned by patriotic Cubans have
been prevented from making sugar this year
The buildings and machinery have In no
been only temporarily stopped. because 1t
yields the most revenue to Spain"