The indicator., 1897-03-13
SPANISH ARMY FRAUDS.
Claimed That There |. Much Crookc,lncss
nj Havana.

While the officers of the Spanish army are
doubtless brave, honorable and patriotic. MS
a rule, they do no, Impress You as fayorably
as the privatcs under their command. The
stories you hear ON every side of their bru-
tallty and corruption excite your prejudice,
and you have an Irresistible temptation 10
wonder whether the handsome captain AT
the next table is stealing the pay Of his men,
or whether the imposing general on the set
tee opposite has ever cut on the head OF a
Cuban woman. The talk about these things
Is so common. The cases of brutality re
cited every where make you sludder; the
shameless corruption is SO notorious that
you cannot understand why the spanish
government does not send over "A commission
to mike nm investigation.
Tint seems the least that could be done
and Its report would silence scandal and re-
lleve the army of suspicion If the charges
were found to he untrue. They VIII tell You
In Havana that 1t costs the government OF
Spain Slo,ODO.oou month to maintain Gen
ernl Weylcr and his troops, and that at least
5000, COO OF the sum Is stolen. The corre-
spondeuts OF two Madrid newspapers un.
dertook TO expose this pecuation and were
banished from the island. Their employ
ers at home appealed To the government
Instead of making an inquiry, 10 ascertain
IL there WAS any truth in the charges, the
government simply Sustained Weyler ana
notified the newspapers that IT they printed
amy more such gossip they would be sup
pressed and the editors punished for sc-
litIon This incident Is said to have stlmu
lated nnd encouraged corruption, and If one
can believe half one hears in this city Gen
eral Wcylcr and his officers, down 10 the
cuplulHs bI cbuiDunltS. sl1t ilil'lHE AhtIi stiN-
Ice In Cuba very prolitnbie.
1t is curious fact that no less a person
than the Marquis Apezieguia the conserNa-
tive leader who ought TO have the confidence
Of the ministry at Madrid. has failed to Sc
cure an investigation. although he has open
ly charged that Weyler has NOT tried to put
down the insuIrcctiun, but las prolonged II
for the purpose of cnrichiug himself. He
has asserted that General Weyler has al
ready transmitted the sum of Si25,OOD to
Madrid and Paris as his share of Cuban
loot. HIS newspaper, El Commcrcio, only
the other day, printed paragraph announc-
Ing that General Wcylcr had rendered the
secretary of war the sum of 2,OoO,O0o pese-
tas (S4OO,OOO) as IL personal contribution To-
palgn. This which was. of
course, untrue-was intended to be satlricnl.
for everybody down here knows that Weyler
was poor man when ne came 10 .n' nnpn'
having lost II fortune gained In the Phllip-
pine islands by speculatinG In stocks.
The Marquis Apezfcguin also asserts that
the subordinate generals blackmai! citizens,
steal from the government and rob the sol
dlers There is no doubt of his loyalty.
There IL no doubt of his responsibility and
his ability to sustain any charges he makes,
receive no more attention from the author-
ties nt Madrid than those previously made
by the newspapers. They simply shrug their
shoulders md turn their backs; t.. ua,.,,
as well as In Havana. told me the other day
that he could tnkc me to n bank In this city
where the entries on the books would show
an Item of $4,000 that was paid Weyler
by the cigar manufacturers of Havana as an
inducement to issue the order forbidding the
expectation of highgrade tobacco from the
island; Contracts act made made previous to the pro; pro-
my friend said that several manufacturers
In Tampa. Key West. New York and other
cities of the United states might give In:
terestlng testimony concerning the cost of
getting contract dated back before the
proclamation was made.