The San Francisco call., 1896-09-12
The Insurgents Have Taken the
Lead IN Everything During
the Campaign.
wEYLERs UTTER 1NCAPACITY.
Says Forty Thousand New Troops
Will Amount TO Nothing Under
Present Conditions.

NEW YORK, N. Y. Sept. 1.-THE Suns
Madrid correspondent, writing under date
OF August 28. says:
1t is little wonder that the Cubans are
not alarmed at the extraordinary increase
of the Spanish army on the island. Con-
zalo Reparez, military writer of renown,
seems to share the Cuban view as to the
probable effect of the new Spanish military
expedition to Cuba. Ina re markabIe arti-
Gle over his signature. published in the
Heraldo on August "a, he says:
81 cannot refrain from speaking when
see the enemy taking the offensive in all
parts of the island, in the neighborhood
of Bayamo, at the doors of Havana, on
the Trocha, and finally at Bahia Honda,
which is the basis of our military opera
tions on the northern coast of Pinar del
Rio.
'Ever since the beginning of the cam.
paign the insurgents have taken the lead,
as lar as strategy is concerned. When
they have wished TO attack they have at
tackled; when they have wished to fight
they have fought.
"They made collections of arms when
we did not even think there was going to
be war. They have abundant supplies
OF food for the maintenance of their army.
They invaded the western districts grad
ually just a little before our own expedi-
| tions were sent to the islands, so that
when fresh expeditions reached Cuba the
theater of war was already enlarged and
the soldiers could not improve the sltua.
ton.
''Last spring, when the whole island
was already covered with insurgents
they advanced toward Santa Clara, and
we answered their movements by thought
lessly spreading our troops throughout
the western provinces, thus permitting
them freely to carry out their second
| invasion.
"The enemy will have done, before the
10000 men who are now embarking land
| in Cuba, what they deem necessary in
order to protect themselves. If they think
we contemplate a concentration of troops
in the east and in Santa Clara 50 as to
force us TO send great part OF the new
expedition to those districts.
THUS we have to face this dilemma: If
we do as they wish we shall not be able to
break Maceo down, and If we neglect San
tiago de Cuba and Santa Clara we may
have TO suffer misfortune there.
"Such as the war is now 10, 600 men
amount to nothing. For this reason 100,-
600 should be sent at once. Gomez is be-
ginning to move again; lei US move also.
We are going TO enter upon the decisive
turn OF the war, and if we do not take ad-
vantage of experience-if we keep on with
out plan, without energy and without
knowledge of what the enemy really is
we shall never win.
Upon the arrival in Spain of General
Ochando he rendered his resignation as
chief of the staff of the Spanish army in
Cuba. He was induced to do this both
because of criticisms of his conduct and
also because funds were not supplied to
meet the demands of the campaign. He
says Spain's principal aim now should be
to prevent Maceo and his forces from leav-
ing Pinar del Rio, and should that end be
accomplished by General Weyler going
personally to the field there is no doubt
unless by sea, and that would give the in
surrection a heavy blow"