Evening star., 1897-05-15
HOKE SMITH ON CUBA
Ex-secretary of the Interior Has Investigated
the Situation There.
Expresses the Belief That the Island
Is HOpc1essly Lost to Spain
His RensOns.
Special Dispatch to The Evening Star.

Special Dispatch to The Evening Star.
ATLANTA, Ca. May Enthusiastically
OF the Interior Hoke Smith returned this
morning from. Key West, where he has
been engaged for a week on legal business
On the steamer from Tampa to Key West
and return lie spent the whole time getting
information about Cuba, and at Key West
conversed with many prominent men from
Havana. Mr.. Smith is impressed with the
belief that the time has come for the
Unite l States to interyese in thein .e.es s OF
humanity, and quotes President Cleveland
last message to that effect, saying il ap-
pics to the present situation.
Mr. Smith has given an interview as fol-
lows: Key West Is full Of people who
nave recently left Cuba, and it Is easier n;
Key West to obtain full and free express
sions from those who have been in Cuba
than IT Is in Havana. l. met men VINO talk
ed freely of conditions in Cuba, fwho while
recently in Havana were supposed there
to be In sympathy with Spain.
Il sought to obtain as accurate an esti-
mate of thei true condition. of afairsi In
CUBA as my opportunities offered and found
an unbroken opinions that Spain had ac-
complished nothing toward putting down
the 1nsurrection, that the Cubans were
more determined and more hopeful than
ever of success. -
"Indeed, might say that an ocinion of
confidence was almost everywhere cx-
pressed that this struggle would end in
Cuba s success
TIE recent course of Ire Spanish govern
ment with regard TO the bank at Havana
me abandonment of specie payments and
The failure to pay troops for a number of
months have combined to create a distrusl
in Spain, even on the part of the few VIVA
have at heart adhered to the Spanish side
and have added to the fixed expectation of
success on the part of the inSurrecticnIsts.
Il met number Of educated men who
are adherents to Spain. To my surprise
found that their hearts were with the in
surrectionists. and their supposed adher-
cnce 70 the Spanish cause while in Havana
was due to the fear of consequences which
would follow an open ayowal of their real
opinion While the atrocities charged
agar st Spain may have been overdrawn,
yet circumstantial details told by reliable
men show atrocities such as to shock the
mCst callous. =,
The poverty which has been produced
the suffering which is caused by the In
eiilclent effort of Spain to put down the
struggle for freedom by Cubans seem to
be pitiful In the extreme.
About all Spain seems to have accom-
pilshed has been TO build number of
forthcations around towns and cities and
dot the island with small forts.
Every part of Cuba except that actually
occupied by these little forts and tempo
rarily covered by Spanish troops is prac-
licaliy In control of insurrectionists for
they go where they please; moving with
practical freedom and exercising tempo
rary control wherever they go.
so far as l could learn this applies to
all parts Of the island
The real cause of the insurrectionists s.
failure to give battle to the Spanish troops
In the usual way is the lack of ammunition
and a fixed policy, which seems to have
Deen quite effective, the purpose being to
wear Spain out to exhaust her resources
and finally to force her to abandon the
island: The removal of the Spanish troops,
II Is freely claimed, has been due to the
the rank and file with the Insurgents. The
agricultural interests have been Temporal
rlly almost destroyed. and it will take
condition"