The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-03-17
spanish Minister lmtiInates thS Press
Reports Are Inaccurate -lmsurgc Nts
Said to Ne liands Of PIundcrcrs

Washington. March 16-The state
ment of Minister De LONE, as sent to
secretary Olney. and by him transmit
ted to the senate foreign relations COM
mittee. and read in the senate by Sena-
tor Morgan today, is dated "I.egacion
DE Espana, Washington, Jan. II, 1896" ="
and marked confidential" This COM
munication substantially reasserts the
grounds taken by the Spanish authori-
ties In other official communications as
to the lack of liked residence by the in
surgents: their non-exercise of any act
Of civil government, and other points
heretofore alluded to in discussing their
positions. TO show tina. the insurgents
occupy no part of the island permanent
ly, together with references to their al
legged guerrilla plans of warfare. etc.
Mr. Morgan also read a letter from
Secretary Olney, dated today, sending
another letter from the Spanish minis
ter saying that the situation in the
Island OF Cuba, considered i'm q military
point OF view. Is unchanged and prob
ably taking only In consideration the
final result of the war, has been bet
tered by the raid of the two Cuban
leaders. The advance of the command
or those two men to the province of
MalanZas and fiabana. and to the limits
or Pinar Del Rio, has been prepared
with the intention of producing theatr-
cal erect and to impress the public
opinion in the United States. Ii is
Wobable ALSO that as has been planned.
ana In this they have utterly failed,
with the desire of producing an upris
ing IN some OF the larger towns of the
most thickly populated part of Habana.
The reports of the press and of inter-
ested persons, he continues, have pre-
sehted the insurgents as a victorious
army. marching towards the capital of
the island and they have even con-
sidered the possibility of the investment
of Havana.
Nothing the letter asserts. is farther
from the truth. To understand the war
IN cuba. II Is necessary to bear i'm mind
the nature of the soil and the kind of
warfare that is only possible there, The
commander i'm chief of the Spanish
forces had to comply with the moral
duty OF every government to protect
as much as possible. the private prop
erty. The army has been scattered TO
garrison the sugar estates and has been
successful to IA great extent. in pre-
venting the burning of the buildings
and the destruction of the machinery.
The rest OF the forces have been i'm
constant persecution of the insurgents.
preventing them from remaining in one
place, obliging them to wander about
and succeeding In having engagements
which have never been decisive. because
the ?olicy of the enemy has been to
disband at the approach of the forces
of the Spanish army.
Not a single town or village has risen
in their favor. raising the rebel flag.
The letter continues i'm an instance
upon statements. consistent with the
facts frequently admitted by the Span
ish authorities that the rebel bands
that have been represented to the
American public as an army, have not
been near Havana. They have not
been able to attack or even to sur
round the city. and 1t seems absurd to
even consider ii. remembering that to
that present moment they have not
even tried to hold place where to es-
tablsh what they call their govern
ment. They have destroyed the rail-
roads in Matanzas. but these have been
Immediately repaired and are running
and have brought a part of the troops
by which they have been Immediately
surrounded. Should 1t be. necessary,
however, to increase the Spanish forces
to overthrow the insurrection. the as
sertion is declared that this could be
done and summing up che entire sit
uation, the letter says:
1.-The Cuban insurgents are. and rep
resent small minority of the people
of the island; they do not occupy per-
manently any town or part of the ter
ritory; the principal feature of the revo-
luton is a radical war they have not a
civil government established and no
civil and judicial Jurisdiction is exer-
cised; the revolution has been started
from abroad. Is maintained by foreign
Intervention. obtained by systematic
Misrepresentation of facts"