Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1897-10-25
WEYLER SAILS FOR SPAIN.

General Weyley has at last sailed
for Spain and the people of Cuba must
feel relieved, as his course while on
the island was to destroy everything
that he could reach even if he could
not conquer the rebels. He has been
a scourge to the island and will take
many years for the people, even un-
der the most favorable circumstances
imaginable, to build up the ruins left
by him and to bring themselves once
more to prosperous condition. The
Spanish cabinet has done wise thing
in recalling Weyler as it will show the
Cubans as well as the people Of the
world that they do not approve of his
work there. They have sent General
Blanco, who is conceded to be more
of military expert than Weyler, and
who is a much more merciful man to
take Weyler's place as Captain Gen.
eral of the island.
General Blanco will arrive on the
paign against the Insurgents; he will
be furnished with twenty or twen-
ty-five thousand more troops and the
Spanish government has succeed
ed in raising $4,000, 900 more money
and this will be used to carry on the
war. There is considerable talk of
autonomy but it is doubtful if Spain
will be willing to give terms which
the Cubans can accept, as they say
that they will not accept anything
but independence.
If General Blanco pursues a more
humane policy the Cubans may come
to have more confidence in Spain and
the result may be that the Cubans
will accept liberal form of govern
ment, providing Spain should reach
that point that she would think it
more profitable for her to keep the
islands and let the people govern
themselves than to let them go en-
tirely. There are many rumors in re-
gard to the policy to be pursued by
this government, but it is likely chat
if the devastation which has been 60
ing on there for some time is stopped,
and American property is not harm
ed, that this government will con-
tinue as they have been going and
allow the Spanish government to go
on and try by their new methods to
bring peace to the island. When
Congress meets it may be that it will
force the President to act, but if this
happens it will be because the people
of the United States think that Span
ish misrule has been going on long
enough on the island, and that this
government should take a hand and
help the Cubans gain the freedom
that they have been working so long
and hard to gain. The English pa
pers, voicing the sense of the English
people wonder that the United States
has kept out of the struggle so long.
They say that Spain has made a reg
ular botch of their government there
and that it is the duty of this country
TO interfere and put stop to further
butcheries. Had such war been go
ing on, with England in the place of |
what policy she would have pursued. |
She would have helped the islanders
to their independence and then, when |
arrived, would have made |
them part Of her territory.
The Cuban prospects, whether they
gain their freedom or not, are rather
black, but if they are successful t
in their struggle it will not be as hard
if the money goes to build up the is
land and is therefore for their own !
good, as if.the money were to go to |
Spain to help pay the debts contract i
ed by her in putting down the Insur-