Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-20
A BROKEN PROMISE
Collapse of Spanish Aid to the Recon-
centradoes.
The SUFFERING STILL VERY GREAT
Assistance Might Have Come From
the United States.
BLANCO ESPONS SIBLE
Copyrighted 1897. by Charles NJ Pepper)
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star


HAVANA, December 15, 1897.
The first chapter in Spain's colonial pol
Icy Is ended. This week marks the collapse
Of the aid that was to be given the recon-
centradoes. 1t is complete. In some places
the urgent pleas of the local authorities
have resulted in permission to distribute
rations few days longer if the rations
can be had, but this is not general The
appropriation of silver money, which Is at
discount of 20 per cent, has been sent out
to the provinces. Should more of it go astray
some of the reconcentradoes may see sill
yer dollar When that is gone they must
SHIFT for themselves without expecting
food from the government If cats are still
quoted at the figure the Boston sugar
planter gave, the poor people around Trim
ldad can lay in supply cf three cats
against the future, or if beef were to be
mad they might get three pounds of the
poorest quality. Beef, however, Is un-
known in many parts of the island. All
the reconcentradoes might expect to buy
would be bread or flour, rice and salt pork.
III IT mad the means and the will the gov
ernment might find the way to distribute
food so there would be enough to supply
every community with the means of sus-
tanning life. Without a general plan of
distribution a food famine in some locali-
ties was inevitable.
End of the Scheme Of Relief,
The end Of the scheme of relief from the
government, shadowy though it was, will
not come with the crushing weight of sur
prise to the country people who were in
need OF succor. They had received so lit
tie evidence of a new system being in oper-
alton that its collapse will not add ma
terially to their woes. They will suffer
from the withdrawal of the irregular sys-
tenn that was previously followed. Wretch
ed and inadequate as it was by this means
scme food reached them. But the under
standing is that this system, far as
the government Is concerned, is to be dis
continued entirely. Relief committees and
municipal authorities must depend on pri-
vate charity for the rations if they Sc
cure any to distribute. The preparation
has been ample enough for the new order.
For example, Candelaria in the province
of Pinar del Rio, had eight days given to
making the lists Of it's reconcentradoes,
during which time the distribution of food
was stop. ed The lists having been made
the rations are to be stopped for good, but
the CENSUS taken may be of some future
value, filed away in the archives of the
palace. Candelaria is one of the villages
that has had attained a sad fame, second
only to that Of Guines. Its native and con-
centrated population of 1000 has been
cut down to less than half. 1t was from
the cemetery Of Candelaria since the ad-
vent of the present administration that the
famished dogs were driven when they
we've snatching the half-buried bodies from
the graves. The village needs something
more than autonomy.
Question of Responsibility.
question may be asked as to the re-
sponsibility for the failure to accept the
succor that might have been had, not from.
the United States government, but from the
people there The explanation stares me as
l write. 1t is the official telegram, nearly
Il fortnight old, of Captain General Blanco,
saying there was no need of foreign help
TO provide for the wants Of the island or it,;
inhabitants. When the final reckoning
comes for the blunders and worse, which
may be given as the cause of Spains loss
cf Cuba, Minister de LONE will be free
from a share in one of the greatest of
them. Had not the captain general vetoed
the minister's plan of accepting relief from
without the conditions would have been
bettered. From this source something
would have been done toward filling the
economic gap caused by the lack Of eff
cient labor. A few ship loads of provisions
from the United States-1our, rice, corn
meal, Srits, salt pork, jerked beef-would
have met the emergency. 1t would not
have hurt autonomy, might even have
helped that policy. While food from the
United States would be useful for months
to come, succor from that quarter will not
now establish autonomy any more than it
will quell the insurrection. The effect
would simply be to help Cuba.
Fault With Gen. Blanco.
nf
lief of the distressed people, who are still
claimed as her subjects, causes distrust of
Spains ability or good faith in carrying
out the system of colonial self-government
the fault is with her own viceroy, the cap
tain general Of the island. The plain truth
is that the hopeful change in the policy
Of Spain toward Cuba, which impresse..
President Mckinley as a reason why the
United States should not intervene upon
humanitarian grounds, has not brought re-
suits. Instead, the humane impulses of the
American people, which prompted relief
from their own abundant resources, have
been thwarted that Spanish pride may be
spared humiliation. The rejestion of the
proffer was cruel to the Wretched popula-
tion Of Cuba. 1t may prove more cruel to
Spain herself. for it justifes harsh judg-
mentS
Painful In It's MOnOtOny.
This matter Of relief becomes painful in
its obtrusive- monotony. I had deferred
SC me further investigations into the eco
nt mic prospects in the country and re-
turned to Havana to watch the merging Of
the political elements which are to be the
manstay of the Madrid cabinet in carrying
autonomy into effect. That the other SUBJ
ject developed fresh Importance is my
apology for giving a little space to it,
The political movement has advanced far
enough to be definite, If not a deter
inmate, factor. After many conferences
the representatives of the autonomists and
the reformistos have reached basis of
union. They have been strenuously exhort-
ed to it from Madrid by the Sagasta min
istry. In the fusion the autonomists get
the name, the honor and the assurance that
their historic principles have triumphed
The reformistos get the offices and the prac-
teal execution, or administration, of the
colonial government. The autonomists have
the semhlance of an organization in most
of the towns of the island. Their commit
tees have been reorganized. The strength
of the reformistos lay in Havana and q
few other places. They were not what
would be called a numerous political party.
but they were influential through their con-
nections III Spain. The balancing of Cuban
and Spanish elements in carrying out au-
tonomy ie Of high Importance to the cab
ino of Madrid