The record-union., 1896-04-27
CUBA IS SURELY SLIPPING
AWAY FROM SPAIN.
Methods Of Warfare Not COuntenancGd
by Civilized Nations.
Correspondents Imprisoned for Visit
ing Battlefelds


Receive Accessions, While Spanish
Troops Have No Heart in the
Fight.
NEW YORK, April 26-Some light is
thrown upon the actual situation IN
Cuba to-day by the following interview
with J. Frank Clark, staff correspond
ent of the United Press, who has just
arrived from Havana Mr.. Clark said:
These conditions force themselves
upon me as the result of five months
observation of the progress of the revo-
luton in Cuba. The insurgents are
making remarkably good fight Spain
has demonstrated her inability TO put
them down. The end is not in sight,
but Cuba is surely slipping away from
Spain, and unless some new element is
introduced she will be lost 20 the
mother country Meanwhile atrocities
are being committed and methods OF
warfare are being followed which are
not countenanced by civilized nations.
have made two trips to Cuba. The
first was at the beginning of April, 1893,
when the instruction was in its in
fancy l remained two months, return
ing to the States in June. Early in Jan
uary [ went back to Cuba, finding tha1
Gomez and Maceo, whom I left in the
mountains of the eastern district, had
marched 600 miles, carrying the wave
CT revolution westward, and were then
almost at the gates of the Capital City.
When / left Havana a week ago the
insurrection was larger, more formid-
able and apparently more promising OF
success than at any time in the four
teen months since the Cubans rose
against Spain.
Il went to Cuba, not as the represent
ative of any one newspaper with an
editorial opinion of its own, but as the
correspondent of the United Press, ar
association whose sole mission is to
obtain facts and disseminate news.
In the early part of the struggle, L.
fore the insurgents had made n Ich
progress, my reports were criticised by
Cubans as unfair to them. Now that
they have swept over the island, push
ing the troops of Spain before them
and making record that will live in
history, Spaniards say that my reports
are unfair to Spain In botls cases l
have told the truth.
Before the arrival of General Wey1er
correspondents were permitted to ac-
company Spanish columns, and in the
early stages of the war Spanish Cen
erals even permitted correspondents tC
visit the enemy's camps. Since the
enemy has grown from scattered bands
to organized and fairly well armed and
drilled columns, it is a matter of life and
death for correspondent to penetrate
the rebel lines. He would be welcomed
by the insurgents, but shot upon his re-
turn to Spanish camps / have had ex-
perience with four Captains-General-
Calleja, Campos, Marin and Weyler
The last is the only one of them who
made the life of a war correspondent
burdensome. Suave and courteous in
his talk, profuse in efforts to aid CORE
spondents in Sitting truth from error
polite in his reception of all Americans
yet he has a way of impressing upon a
correspondent, without putting it into
words, that it would conduce to his per-
sonal safety to report nothing but
Spanish official news.
"As they fail to mention a single in
surgent success from the beginning
and give out a record of Spanish vic
tories which is on paper only, the cor
respondent who accepted them at face
value beguiles his readers. If Spain
were winning battles, why not permit
accredited correspondents to accom-
pany the columns of troops and report
from personal observations? If bat
ties are fought whenever announced
officially, why are correspondents re-
fused a safe-conduct pass to enable
them to visit the battlefield when al
is over? If the affair at Guatao was q
battle and not a butchery, why were
two correspondents thrown into Moro
Castle. charged with having visited the
place, which is only twelve miles from
Havana? The Spanish correspondent
of Madrid papers, the Spanish report
ers of Havana papers, all subject TO the
press censor, and the American cor
RESPONDENTS are penned up in Havana
and every effort is made to keep the
world in darkness as to what Is being
done in Cuba Every reliable dispatch
is carefully edited before 1t can be
transmitted Everything unfavorable
TO Spain. or favorable to the Cuban
cause. is eliminated. Mails are care
f,.Ily searched to prevent news being
sent off. But in spite of all these pre-
cautions. the facts cannot be sup
messed. and every Wednesday and Sat
urday the papers of the United States
arrive in Havana, and long stories oil
Cuban victories and Spanish butcheries
which are true, are received by the
English-speaking people and translated
for the benefit of the Spaniards.
1.-THE situation in Cuba is not hard
to gauge. Spain has sent 100000
troops. and $4,000 volunteers have beer
raised in the cities. These latter are
used almost entirely for home protec-
ton. Approximately, 2o,0oo have sue
cumbed to bullets and disease during
the year; $1,000 are in the hospitals OIL
have been relieved from duty, and
about 100 600 are available for active
operations These figures are estimate:
made by an army surgeon, and arr
very near the truth. The Spanish Off.
cial loss of $500 men from all cause.
during the year is too absurd to bt
considered Fully half of the regu.
lars available for active operations are
required for garrison duty in cities ant
towns About 1000 small forts or block
houses have been built, and these are
occupied by the troops. The estimat,
of the latest trocha, that between Ma.
riel and Majana, absorbs $4,000 regu