The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-03-07
WOES OF THE SPANIARDS
FAMINE CAUSING ACUTE DISTRESS
IN SEVERAL PROVINCES,
And the, Government Worried by
pines and WeyIer's IncOmpetency.
Copyright. 1897. by the Associated Press.)

Copyright 1897 by the Associated Press)
MADRID, March GA very troubled con-
dition Of affairs prevails in Spain. The
most acute distress is being experienced;
the Carlists are showing immistakable
signs Of activity; there is further alarming
news from the Philippine islands; the gov
ernment is dsguested with the perform
ances of Captain General Weyler in Cuba,
but it dare not recall him. In this connec-
tion a startling explanation OF the inaction
of the government is hinted at. According
to the rumors circulating here, the reasons
why Weyler is not recalled is: Firstly, be-
cause he is a pronounced Republican; sec
ondly, because it is intimated, that sooner
than return to Spain in disgrace, he would
proclaim a republic in Havana.
The distress is most severe in the Bis
cayan provinces. The people of Leon are
on the verge of starvation the crops having
been practically destroyed by the recent
floods which followed the previous severe
drought, while on all sides focks and herds
dying of famine and disease. In La
Mancha the failure of the olive crop has
prevented the peasants from earning any
thing the whole winter, and large numbers
of them are barely able TO keep body and
soul together by subsisting on anything
seen a loaf of bread for months, and meat
has been far out of their reach since the
fall. The distress is not confined to the
isolated districts. All the towns and viii
lagos are afflicted more or less, and, as a
rule, the inhabitants are famishing, many
of them being compelled to subsist on
acorns. In this city, for instance, where il
might be expected that the distress due TO
crop failures would be hardly felt, over
$500 persons are daily being fed from char
liable sources. Under the circumstances it
is not astonishing that hundreds of families
are emigrating to Brazil and that thou
sands of families would do so had they the
means to leave the country.
Coupled with this great distress are ru-
more of the increasing strength of
the Carist agitation in the north
west and central parts of Spain.
This is causing the greatest anx-
iety in political circles, i'm spite of the
recent formal declarations of the Carlist
senators and deputies, that Don Carlos. the
pretender to the throne OF Spain, will not
make any attempt to disturb the peace of
the country so long as the government
has its severe colonial troubles to deal
with. The pretender is thus assuming a
patriotic attitude. which is well calculated
to win him many sympathizers, and may be
OF material use to him when his advisers
direct that the moment has arrived for him
to make another attempt to reach the
throne of Spain. That he will do so sooner
or later nobody seems to doubt, but il
would hardly be in keeping with Spanish
chivalry to take advantage at the present
time OF the sore distress of this suffering
land.
However, the local newspapers are full
of curious details of the propositions and
plans of the Carlists to take the field when
the signal is given. incidentally there
seems to have been a bad blunder COM
mtted by somebody in the Puebla and San
Miguel districts, where a band of Carl!sts
recently attempted rising, which was
promptly suppressed by the local authori-
ties. The insurgent Carlists who were
armed were arrested and imprisoned. on
their persons were found compromising
documents. When submitted 10 examina-
ton the prisoners confessed that they had
in other districts, showing that the in
structions they had received were the re-
suit of some misrule.
alarmed the government and the minister
of the interior and the minister of war
took the matter in hand. The former tele-
graphed TO the local authorities TO closely
watch the Carlists and suspected Carlists
in the northern and eastern provinces
these being most affected by Carlism, and
the latter wires to the military comma nd
ers in these provinces. instructing them to
vigorously repress any disturbances. The
government also came TO the decision
to arm the peninsular army with
Mauser rifles and to take steps
TO hold military maneuvers" in
Catalonia. This really means a quiet man.
ner Of drafting a large force of troops into
Catalonia without creating the alarm that
such a step would cause il done in the
manner usual under such conditions. But
despite the precautions OF the government
TO avoid exciting the people, the distress
prevailing, the depressing news i'm the
STa ariC Ch N0l nd he fCr rfaVn
are causing a very uneasy feeling through
out Spain.