The true northerner., 1896-01-10
SYMPATHY FOR CUBA
INTEREST IN THE REBELLION 6Y the
ADMINISTRATION AND CONGRESS.
It May He Necessary For This Govern
ment to Change Its Policy-The Span
iards Have Made Had start-Question
Of Belligerent Rights.

ment to Change Its Policy-The Span
OF Beliigerent Rights.
| WASHINGTON. Jan. Especial. THE
news from Cuba continues to attract q
| great deal of attention In Washington. Ev-
| cry movement of the armies I'm that island
| Is watched with keenest interest both by
| the administration and by the members OF
congress. 1t Is perfectly plain that great
| sympathy with the struggle for Cuban In
dependence exists here without regard TO
| political party. IL Is also true that the be-
| lief In the success of that movement Is
gaining ground. happen TO know that In
the state department., where two months
Ago 1t was thought the government would
be able to put down the rebellion speedily,
there Is now contrary view. The Span
ish minister here Senor de Lome has for
several months made the greatest efforts to
convince President Cleveland and Secre-
tary Olney that the government would sup
press the insurrection In short order after
the rainy season was over. 1t is true, as i
| know, that on Senior de Lome's pleading
| that during the wet season his government
had had no chance TO carry on military
| operations, and on his assurance that just
| as soon as the state of the country permit
ted aggressive campaigning the revolution
would be brought TO an end, the president
decided not to interfere In any way at this
time. 1t was felt TO be no more than just
that Spain should have a fair chance to
! demonstrate her ability TO rule the islands
and TO secure order and protect property.
At the same time an intimation was given
| the Spanish minister that unless his gov
ernment carried out its promise TO sup
press the revolution during the winter IL
might be necessary for this government TO
change It's policy. 1 have reasons for be-
| lieving that Senior de Lone understands
very we'll that If the winter passes without
a pretty complete success of the Spanish
| arms the United States will intervene. L
also have reasons for saying that this is
perfectly understood in Madrid and also
by General Martinez Campos in Havana.
Cuba's Chances.
All through the summer the Spanish
| government was busy making elaborate
preparations for stamping out the revolt
| Re-enforcements of troops were sent across
the Atlantic in great numbers The
| Spanish fleet In Cuban waters was In
creased Ammunition and field guns
were sent forward In vast quantities. We
were told that after the rains ceased and
|
Cubans would be driven to corner. The
| fleets were TO patrol the coast and render
the landing of expeditions and ammuni
tion for the insurgents impossible. The
| patriot columns were TO be driven TO the
eastern end of the island and there de-
stroyed, or they were TO be forced TO seek
| refuge In the mountains All this was
promised President Cleveland and Secre
tary Olney by Senior dc LONE.
Six weeks have now passed since the
state Of the weather permitted the Spanish
| troops TO assume the offensive, and what
| has occurred meanwhiles Instead of the
insurgents being driven to the mountains
and to the eas tern end Of the island, they
have made steady advances to the west
ward They have themselves assumed the
offensive and have actually approached TO
within 100 miles of the Cuban capital
| They lsve seized number of important
towns and had II in their power about two
weeks ago TO make an attack upon Havana
A Serious Matter.
II is my good fortune TO be familiar with
| the view Of the matter taken In high Off
cial circles, and this is that the Spaniards
have made a very bad start with their
winter campaign; that they have shown
lack of pluck and courage; that the revo-
luton Is apparently much more serious
than Senor de LONE has been willing to
admit that the revolutionists have been
able to secure all the supplies and ammu
| milton their funds enabled them to buy,
not a single important instance of seizure
of an expedition having come to the no.
tice of the authorities here. One of the
most serious aspects of the case, considered
from our standpoint, Is that the insurgents
| have now overrun fully one-half of the
island. They have destroyed crops and
| plantations and paralyzed commerce.
| They are not blamed for doing this, since
| Ii Is generally recognized that destruction
of the industries of the island is the most
| effective sort Of warfare they can carry on.
| But the question that Is now demanding
| attention here Is, How much longer Is the
| United States to permit this warfare and
| destruction to continue without interfer-
| ence? How much more time ought Spain
| TO have in which TO demonstrate either her
ability to cope with the difficulty or her
utter failure as the ruling power In CubaS
Question of Beiiigerent Rights.
AS nearly as / can ascertain, the view
| taken in administration circles Is that
| Spain should be permitted TO go on for
some weeks longer. IL by the first or
| middle of March she has not made great
headway with her task III suppressins the
revolution, 1 firmly believe President
| Cleveland will Intervene Senior De Lone
| said his government would crush the In
| surrecton in three months. About one
half of that period has already elapsed,
| and the revolution has grown in size and
promise. 1t is the belief of the president
that If this goes on much longer IL will be
| his duty, in the interests of humanity, TO
take some action looking TO a solution of
the problem. The president is a firm be-
lever in the theory that nations, particu-
larly the strong ones, have some response
bility for the welfare of peoples living be-
yond their own borders. Action under
this responsibility should be cautiously
and most deliberately taken, but there
may soon come a crisis in the affairs Of
| Cuba which will demand Intervention by
this government, just as the sad state of
| affairs in Armenia demanded Intervention
| by the powers of Europe
In congress the strong sympathy with
Cuba has prompted a number of resolu-
tions for recognition of the belligerent
rights of the Cubans, but the president