The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-04-27
CUBA SLIPPING FROM SPAIN.
THE END OF THE REVOLUTION NOT
IN SIGHT.

The Insurgents Making a Remark
ably Good Fight and Spain Unable
TO Put Them DOwn-AtrOcities Be
ing Committed and Methods of
warfare Being Followed by Spain
which Are Not COuntenanced by
Civilized Nations.
New York, April 26.-Some light is
thrown upon the actual situation in Cuba
to-day by the following interview with
J. Frank Clark, stan correspondent of
The United Press, who has just arrived
from Havana. Mr.. Clark said: Three
conclusions force themselves upon me as
the result of the five months observation
Of the progress of the revolution in Cuba.
The insurgents are making a 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, andsunless some new ele-
ment is introduced she will be lost to the
mother country. Meanwhile atrocities
are being committed and methods of war
fare are being followed which are not coun-
tenanced by civilized nations. L have
made two trips to Cuba. The first was
at the beginning of April, 1895, when the
insurrecton was in its infancy. 1 re-
mained two months, returning to the states
in June. Early in January l went back
to Cuba, finding that Gomez and Maceo,
whom left in the mountains of the east
ern district, had marched 600 miles, carry
ing the wave of revolution westward and
were then almost at the gates of the cap
ital city. When ] left Havana a week ago,
the insurrecton was larger, more formi-
dahl an = Of
success than at any time in the fourteen
months since the Cubans rose against
Spain.
one newspaper with an editorial opinion
OF its own, but as correspondent of the
United Press, an association whose sole
mission is to obtain facts and disseminate
I'm the early part of the struggle, be-
fore the insurgents had made much prog
ress my reports were criticised by Gu
bans as unfair to them. Now that they
have swept over the island, pushing the
troops of Spain before them and making a
record that will live in history, Spanards
say that my reports are unfair TO Spain.
In both cases have told the truth
Before the arrival of Gen. Weyler, cor
respondents were permitted to accompa-
ny Spanish columns, and in the early
stage Of the war Spanish generals even
permitted correspondents to visit the en-
emy s camps. Since the enemy has grown
from scattered bands to organized and
fairly well armed and drilled columns, it is
matter of life and death for a CORES
pondent to penetrate the rebel lines. He
would be welcomed by the insurgents, but
shot upon his return to the Spanish camps.
have had experience with four captain
generals Calle1a, Campos, Marin and
Weyler. The last is the only one of them
who made the life of a war correspond
ent burdensome. Suave and courteous in
his talk, profuse in offers to aid CORES
pondents in sitting truth from error, po-
lite in his receptions of all Americans, yet
he has a way of impressing upon a cor
TnGnnn1nnf uifhnnf nlfftnQ 1 words
that it would conduce to his personal
safety to report nothing but Spanish Off
"As these fail to mention a single in
surgent success from the beginning, and
are a record of many Spanish victories
which exist on paper only, the correspond
ent who accepts them at face value be-
guiles his readers. If Spain were win
ming battles why not permit accredited
correspondents to accompany columns of
troops and report from personal obser-
walton. If battles are fought whenever
announced officially why are correspond
ents refused safe conduct pass to en-
able them to visit the battlefield, when
all is over?
IF the affair at Guatao was a battle
respondents thrown into Moro castle
charged with having visited the place,
which is only twelve miles from Ha-
vana?
''The Spanish correspondent of Madrid
papers, the Spanish reporters of Havana
papers, all subject to the press censor,
anu tnd american correspondents 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
cable dispatch is carefully edited before
1t can be transmitted Fvervthine 11nfaVorS
able to Spain or favorable to the Cuban
cause eliminated. The mails are searched
10 prevent newspaper correspondence be-
ing sent off. But with all these precau-
tons the truth cannot be suppressed,
and every Wednesday and Saturday the
papers of the United States arrive in
havana long 0f naI vic,
tories and Spanish brutalities, which are
true are read by the English speaking
residents and translated for the benefit
of Spaniards
The situation in Cuba is not difficult to
gauge Spain has sent 10000 regulars and
$1,000 volunteers have been raised in the
cities Of the island. The latter are used
almost entirely for home defense. OF the
regulars approximately 25,0o0 have sue
cumDed to bullets and disease during the
year; l5,OOO are in the hospitals, or have
been relieved from duty, and about 100000
are aValable for active operations. These
ngures are estimates made by an army
surgeon, and are very near the truth.
Inc Spanish official loss of $500 men from
an a. causes during the year is too absurd
70 De considered. Fully half of the regu-
Iars available for active operations are
required for garrison duty in cities and
owns About 1000 small forts or block
houses nave been built and these are oc-
c9pled by the troops. The establishment
u the latest trocha, that between Mariel
ana Majana, absorbs 10000 regulars for
1000 regulars divided into flying columns
Vi 1,5OO to 1000 men each, operating ag-
gressively against Maceo just west of the
u0cha in Pinar del Rio, and in all of the
Olner provinces there are not more than
1o,V9J troops in the field against the enemy.
zen. Weyler made numerous attempts
70 surround and crush Maceo and Gomez
quflng his first month on the island.
ne did not succeed. He resorted to the
WeH-worn Spanish device called a trocha,
when had been abandoned by Campos
oHq Marin as useless.
In order to make 1t strong line he has
pracucally stopped aggressive operations
III al the provinces except the western one
aiia i coneen trated his troops there
~ Gomez, Lacret, Jose Maceo, Calixto
Garcla and other insurgents leaders with
tfaIse forces are unopposed. They move
rom one province to another constantly
tefIultlng, and spreading the fame of re-
Ie4Ilon. They are gaining accessions dali
y from the better classes, and their fol-
1oNers can no longer be designated as ig-
MoIant blacks. The number of insurgents
eiHqer arms is now fully 1900. Cubans
lain anywhere from $1,000 to 5000. but
mlsy include unarmed camp followers and
men whose only weapon is the machete
g. opahiards say that Cubans will not
nsul, put have seen many train loads of
f,Ounded Spanish soldiers brought into