Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-29

Word was not long in reaching Havana
tfat Senator Hale's susceptibilities had
been touched and that he severely repro
bated the death of Colonel Ruiz More re-
markable was the news which came by
way of Madrid. This was that Minister de
e LONE informed the ministry that in con-
sequence of the killing of Ruiz the admin
istration had decided to send the squadron
from the Gulf of Mexico to the Mediter-
ranean- The degree to which President
McKinleys administration confides its in
tentions as well as the motives which
govern its actions to the minister of for
eign power might be questioned anywhere
except in Madrid. Some of the Havana
newspapers pretended to believe the re-
port and had long editorial reflections on
its effect iii ending the Instruction. Mr.
de Lome's special organ is still moraliZing
ON the subject and telling the insurrec
ton it is dead. But the Havana public
knowing the source of the information.
puts its thumb to its nose. The death of
. Colonel Ruiz is not ending the insurrec-
81. ton; the disposition to be made of the
Atlantic squadron will not end it. Writ
ing in the midst of events ii is necessary
to tell what is happening regardless of i'm
pressons elsewhere of what it is thought
should happen or what is likely to happen.
Official Reports.
While the authorities are making the de-
crees effective far as the civil functions
of government can do it. autonomy must
be followed on the parallel line of military
operations After pacification will come
the application of the system to all the
provinces. In conflicting accounts it is
sometimes difficult to determine the real
conditions. but when Cuba is at peace the
existence of peace will make itself known
The rate of progress may be gained from
the official reports. l am going to follow
those reports as a guide. A summary of
them is made up every ten days. The lat
est one gives the following:
Insurgents killed 3O3
Insurgents taken prisoners. II
PreSentodOS with arms. ........., Il
Presentodos without arms. ........3 81
hilied -----..-. ~ NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. &c
1t will be noted that no record is made of
the insurgents wounded because the num-
Der is not known. yet where so many are
killed there must be some wounded who
subsequently die, and addition would have
to be made to the mortality among the in
surgents- In Weyler's time the proportion
of losses was one Spanish soldier for every
ten Insurgents who We're killed. and 2s7
was the favorite ten days summary of in
surgent losses. The ratio has fallen a lit
tie and now it takes 81 insurgents for
every Spanish soldier who falls. The dis
proportion between the number of the
troops killed and the number wounded
might strike a military observer, but it is
not germane to the main question. which
is the amount of the insurgent losses
With 3o3 killed. Ii taken prisoners and II
surrendcring with arms in hand. the total
Is :is1 If the insurgents are actually suf-
fering losses at this rate definite period
might be fixed for ending the war. for their
little army cannot stand a loss from its
ranks of LOO month. These official ac-
counts may be followed carefully in the
future. They will demonstrate when Spain,
by her own showing, must have annihilated
the instruction by killing. capturing and
causing the surrender of all its men. When
that is demonstrated by the official figures
no need will exist for keeping an army in
Cuba The official figuring is done by the
general staff, or "estoda mayor Its sta
tistics are the basis of the reports regularly
made to Madrid and Washington about the
approaching end of the war.
CHARLES NJ. PEPPER.