The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1897-04-15
NEYLER'S METHODS AIRED.
SPANISH BARBARITIES IN CUBA
EQUAL TURKISH CRUELTIES
IN CRETE.
WAR OF RUIN And DETERMINATION.
London Times Correspondent Ththks
1t the Moral Duty of the United
St.tes to Stop the Reign
of Terror.

New York, April Sc. f. Akers. who
for two years has been London Times
correspondent at Havana, has four
column letter in the World tomorrow,
in which he says Turkish cruclties in
Crete are equalled by Spanish barbara,
ties in Cuba, and that it is the moral
duty of the United States to stop the
war.
Mr.. Akers says: THE rainy season is
now at hand. and Spain has done MOTH
ing toward pacifying Cuba.
Certain gains have accrued to the
Spaniards, the death of Macco in De
cember and the capture of Ruiz Rivera
few days ago being the most notable
But at what cost has the campaign been
conducted?
"The provinces of Pinar del Rio and
| Havana and large portions of MatanZas
and Santa Clara are one staring mass
of cinders. DesolatiOn and eXterminat ton
meet the eye at every point. Ruin in
the present. famine, death and disease
in the future, are all that Cubans can
hope for while Cuba remains under Span
| ish rule.
| "Under these circumstances | do not
think the death of this or that leader
can bring victory any nearer to the Span
ish arms. Where one such man as Ri
vera is lost to the insurgents, one hun
dred spring up to take his place.
| Moreover, it must not be forgotten
| that this guerilla warfare needs not any
great military genius to conduct it. The
only object in view is to keep the country
in such a condition of unrest as to make
imperative the presence of large army
of occupation. Small parties of fifty OF
100 men scattered throughout the island
can do this more effectively than a con-
centrated force of 10000 or 10000 men
on which the Spanish commander in chief
could at once mass greater numbers
equipped with superior armament.
"Gen. Weyler's policy of determination
and devastation is the working of an ig
norant and unbalanced mind. To KEEP
people ignorant of the technicalties they
have been ordered not to leave theil
homes, and to keep people in the country
where no means of subsistence exists is
inexcusabe. To devastate the island or
the ground that by so doing all supplies
would be cut off from the enemy, indi
Gates the dense ignorance under which
the Spanish general is laboring. The
rebels can get food to live on for another
ten years, and the roaming bands of cat
tie still on the island will supply the in
surgents for couple of years at least
AS for foreigners residing on the island
they have but one feeling as to Weyler's
methods of conducting military opera
tons. They consider Weyler and his
actions as worse than those carried or
in the Middle Ages, far more severe thar
the means employed by the holy inqui
sition to attain its ends.
1.-THE object of Weyler's present policy
is to exterminate the Cuban people, d
people of some 100000 whites and ne
groes or mixed blood. To kill every man
of the country is one of Weylers meth
DDS, and to drive the women and children
into the towns to die of hunger is an
other.
mot in one single instance since Gen
Lee assumed the consul generalshp at
Havana have American prisoners been
accorded the privileges provided for un,
der existing treaties. or protocols. Gen
Lee states that his efforts to secure JUS
tice for American prisoners were inva.
riably thwarted by counter orders from
Mr.. Olney.
IF am allowed to give advice to the
American people it is to leave Armenia
and Crete to the European powers and
attend to their own Armenia, which lies
but stones throw from their own
shores"