The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-11-29
A CUBAN REPLY
To the Official Statement Of
Gen. Weyler.

New York, Nov. 2S.-Enrique Jose Va
roma, editor OF the Patria, the official or
gan of the Cuba junta in this city, and ex-
deputy from Havana to the Madrid par
lament, makes detailed reply to Cap
tain. General Weyler's statement made to
IL representative of the Associated Press
in Havana. Signor Varona said:
"Regarding General Weyier's state
ment that Maceo is continually scatter
ing his forces in order to escape the Span.
ish columns which he says are hunting
him, the conclusion he draws from the
scattering of forces is absurd. 1t does
not follow that because the forces are
scattered, it is because they seek to avoid
capture. The scattering of forces by
Maceo is due to n preconcerted plan. The
forces are scattcred and concentrated Mt
will by NIaceo and he thereby makes sure
of losing as few men rs possible and of
striking blows when he is ut least ex.
pected by Gen. Neyler to do SO. Maceo
cannot afford to lose as many men as
Weyler can, for Spain sends men like
droves of sheep TO the slaughter. The
tactics of which Gen. Weyler complains
are evidences of Macco's superiority us a
military tactician over Weyler
Gen Weyler's promise of early pacifi
cation of the provinces of Havana, Ma
tauzas, and Santa Clara, is shown to he
false by the fact that the rebels have sus-
tanned themselves in those provinces ever
since the arrival of Gen. Campos, Wey-
lcr'S predecessor, and the constant multi
plication of the rebel numbers, notwith-
standing that the railroad and telegraph
facilities are in the hands of the Span.
iards, the ease of approach to those pro-
vinces from Havana and the easy trans.
portation of armies Of men, and all the
oh tn l,n lt,-n
tablishcd government. II the face of all
this and of the constant depletion of
ranks by fevers, the Cubans have not been
subdued and will not be subdued in those
provinces.
His further assurances that IIolguin,
Puerto Principe and BayamO, are unncc-
essarily protected is fallacy in itself.
Ten years war has amply proven that
the war could be carried on Indefinitely
from those provinces and that by holding
only these provinces we could make per-
petual war on Spain"
Leaving the question of military tactics
SiGnor Varona turned his attention to-
wards chose portions of Gen. Weyler's
statement in which the Captain General
seeks to show that the Cubans are not
such sufferers from Spanish tyranny as
they claim to be: Signor Varona said
Gen. Weyler told your correspondent
that after 1868 Spain granted ample and
numerous representation and that the
| Cubans were permitted to intervene di-
| rectly in the establishment of equal rights
| with the European Spaniards in the colo
MES. He also told your correspondent
that the provincial and municipal laws
are alike in the provinces rs in Spain. He
assures your correspondent that the
Cubans have freedom of press, meeting
and "a tinp and tI,nt tho l,,vc cf +ho
Madrid are the laws OF Cuba.
In reply to that, permit me to state
that the Cuban representation of which
the general BOASTS WAS and is Il sham for
two reasons: First, because the number
of Cuban electors is limited in such IL
manner that they represent only about
three per cent of the populations Second
the law was framed in such manner
that the resident Spaniarls would always
have the major proportion OF the repre-
sentation. Up to the present time the
average membership of Cubans in the
parliament has been three, the highest
mum Der ever reached being seven. The
same state of affairs exists in the munic-
lpal and provincial governments, so much
so that it is n fact that in the Havana
city council it has occurred that there was
not one single Cuban member This,
notwithstanding that throughout the en-
tire island, in the city and country dis
tricts, overwhelming majority of the pop =
ulation is native Cubans
Gen Weylcr talks of the freedom of
slavery in Cuba as Spanish achieve
ment. The abolition of slavery in Cuba
is entirely due to the Cubans themselves
who, Notwithstanding the fact that they
were shareholders, have always been
abolitionists. They compelled the inser-
tion Of Il clause in the treaty of Ianjon,
freely all slaves gradually.