The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-09-26
GEN. PANDo,s SINGING WORDS.
The whole MANAGEMENT or the Cuban War
Has Been n Colossal niuuder.

IL 0AtN~1N@ ONtLS
The whole MANAGEMENT or the Cuban war
Has Been n Colossal Biuuder.
MADRID, Sept. 9.-Following the strong denun.
citation by civilians such as Sagasta, Maura. Mo.
ret and Silvela OF the war methods practiced In
Cuba, leading Spanish Generals now come to the
front and add their testimony. Gen. Pando. a
member of the Spanish Senate'and owner Of con-
siderable property in Cuba, and Gen. Ber-
mudon Reina, q former Minister Of War, had
a long conference a few days ago with Senior
SaRasta. According TO Ell Ejercfto EspdnoL,
an army organ, Gen. Pando said:
1T Is q mistake to say that the Cuban war
differs from every other war. Only those say
so who do not know about war matters. Neither
is there any particular difficulty attached to
the Cuban war, as is pretended by those who
are unable to deal with II, despite the powerful
elements which the nation has placed at their
disposal. No; the Cuban war is neither pccu.
liar nor difficult There are three clements to
BIO considered In Cuba: tho insurgents, the neu-
trail mass, and the Spanish born. Only the
FIRST, the insurgents, were enemies Of Spain at
the beginning of the war; but those who up to
this time have directed the campaign have done
their best to ALLEVIATE from us the other two elo-
ments, and their efforts have been successful.
war Is not now made against the insur~
kS'tt' ~ 80 y "a vi oRoihot tbO hou
trails and the Spaniards, who are treated per-
hsps worse than the insurgents. Instead OF es-
tablishinR zones of cultivation, where the neu-
trails could work efficiently protected from tho
enemy. thousands Of families have been ordered
to concentrate and thus to starve, while their
properties have been destroyed and the whole
country laid waste.
"The insurgents on one side, our army on
the other. are rivals in carrying out this work
of destruction, in which no discrimination Is
made between friend and foe, between Span
lard and rebel. We do this 1t Is alleged. to
deprive the enemy Of all its rcsources.' But
those who speak thus do not sec that it is tho
friend, not the enemy, who is deprived of re-
sources, nor do they see that the result Of devas-
tation Is that our soldiers themselves cannot
get anything to cat in the country districts,
that those who are stricken with fever or
anemia do not find in the hospitals anything
but ordinary campaign rations, while, on the
other hand. the Insurgents have cattle, for their
instances Of their having stealthily sold cattle
The entire e%opntFy,' some cay, IS hostile
to US. As a rule others say, tho Inhabitants
are secessionists.' Both assertions are equally
erroneous. If we should become persuaded
voice in Spain, and IL would ask for the sban.
donment OF Cuba, for we know that nowadays
an n entire I people es cannot a1fa,6 be sd Sq ibd sd.I much lcss
ture that the Cubans have. The, truth is that
the secessionists are only a small minority of
to come and fight with U.s., They long for peace
fuse to give to them, for we are making the
war interninable and we have adopted war
methods which cannot secure their cooperation.
Either tho war has not been understood or
G En1ssnn to pnd nrsss. Cit it. II Yielding to The
long ago. II it continues it Is not because tho
cause they have strength. but because Of the
blunders and ineptitude OF those who inspire
was the opinion Of Gen. Azcarrasa also While
he was merely Minister OF War, but he has
changed his mind since he became President of
This erroneous conception of tho war has
imposed upon the nation s%acrifces which Spain
alone would have endured. 1t was believed
that soldiers were all that was needed in Cuba.
and we have, accordingly. sent there as many
as the incompetent authorities chose to send.
there they co. was Madrid's reply; and there
the men went at the expense Of our industry
and agriculture. not to fight the insurgents, but
to die OF fever. The armys contingent was
raised to 100000; no results were accomplished,
diers. never to the wrong use of the means at the
m of the Government. More and more
men were sent; but not for one moment did the
Commandcr-!n.Chief stop to think that new
methods, not new soldiers. was what the situa-
1.-THE number of our soldiers went up to
100000. and, counting all, volunteers, guer-
rillGs. and other irrogulars, the army once eK.
men had scarcely landed in Cuba when they
disappeared: For a long, long period there
the insurgents themselves provoked, often out.
numbering our men ten TO one, and thus the
insurgents, who have no trained military men
at their head, and who lack all discipline,
achieved that which our Commander in Chief
was, never able to attain, that Is TO say, nu.
merieai superiority at u certain moment and a
The moment came when it was no longer
possible to ask the country for any more men.
I do not:say soldiers, and Then war was turned
against tho soil, that war OF devastation which
l. still going on. What good has come Of iii
This policy has estransed from lis the span.
iards and the n~eutrals. upon whose aid we
could have relied. These elements may have
II things continue as they. are. they viii to-
morrow hato US. Such Is the only victory we
have been able to win after two years fight.
I'm the face Of all, this. seeing that we had
200 600 men with whom to fight $4,000. and
that the results were not proportion o to the
sacrifice: Europe could well say that we were
a great nation. but that our Government was
The Government is now preparing public
opinion 70 make new sacrifices. In my opinion
4 war that has deyoured 100000 is not going
to be finished now by sending, 20. 900 or 3o.0
nents TO Cuba would be a crime.
-lhe insurrection can be extinguished in six
month"; months put to 90 this we must do just the
eighteen months; We must first OF all attract
the country. inspire the inhabitants with conf.
dence. SO that they will see that we are the pro.
teotors, not the destroyers Of their lives and
properties. Whenever our troops 60 to the
the number Of Spain's enemies. The task OF de-
s%troying should DO left entirely to tho insur.
gents"
Gen. Azcarraga invited Gen. Pando TO explain
some or his words. and to retract others, but
n a conference which the two Generals had
this morning Pando refused to do as Azcarraga
wished, on tho ground that while he IL a soldier,
no Is also a Senator, and consequently has the
right to lot the country know his opinions. at
would be criminal" he said. mot to publicly
protest against what Is going on In Cuba. II
Is n shame that Maxine Gomez should keep our
army ut bay with scarcely $4,000 soldiers. do
not understand why my words have now
aroused the Governments wrath. have often
said the same thing to you, to CASTELAR,, Sagasta,
The Ministers all seemed TO agree with me. but
said that as long as Canovi,s upheld Weyler
The, could do nothing. Canovas lives no more
put the situation remains otherwise unchanged.
1 do not understand It,"
Many Names or . Csnteaarian.
From the Raleigh Estrs and Observer.