The Van Buren press., 1897-05-08
Weyler's Failure and its Cause.

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HAVANA, Cuba, April % Military
men here who have watched the
struggle critically between the insurg-
ents and Weyler's 200. 600 soldiers say
that the insurgents still are in in arms
everywhere because the tactics pursued
have proved that the Spanish generals
are ignorant of the science of war and
have persisted in adopting and following
plans which are utterly untitled to the
task in hand. They maintain that
General Weyler S latest plan-that is,
the logged policy of concentration of
noncombatants, fortification and
devastation-will be known as one of
the great military crimes of history
Ostensibly. SPANS hope has been to
crush the rebellion and restore amicable
relations between this priceless colony
and the mother country. A sharp,
offensive campaign might have accom-
plished that end within six months of
the inception of the rebellion, but there
was no such campaign, and the COM
ment of today is that General Weyler
since he took up the task laid down by
his predecessors has not only followed
a disastrous policy, but has succeeded
in so widening the breach that there is
no hope of closing it,
The logical end of his policy is ex
termination. Short of that there is no
hope of restoring the relationship
between colony and mother country.
General Weyler has been sowing hatred
that will raise a crop of nettles for
Spain for all time to come.
The facts are these: Opposed to a
Continental army, presumably we'll
drilled and effective organization,
numbering 200 900 men, is predatory,
nomadic force of S5 900 men, scattered
through six provinces, without base
of supplies or even formidable arma
ment. In the history of recent rebel
lions with which civilized Powers have
had to deal one finds that the educated
soldier has pursued one general policy.
1t was to give an inferior force no
rest-to follow them hard and fast,
drive them from hill to hill, ravine to
ravine, until at last decisive action
was unavoidable and the rebels were
defeated or, fearing to give battle, they
scattered, and the job was finished.
Cuba presents the contrast. To crush
what Spain regards as handful of
rebels whom she despises she makes
herself bankrupt. To all intents and
purposes she has given General Weyler
carte blanche, He has defended few
railways. garrisoned a few interior
towns and dotted the country with
forts.
But the time spent in building these
forts has given the rebels time to feed
their horses; yes, more than that, to
plant vegetables, raise fodder and
establish a system of prefectures
throughout practically all of the island
except the tract Immediately along the
railways. General Weyler points with
pride to these forts, few kilometers
apart. along every railroad in Cuba.
Anyone who has traversed the country,
whether he knows anything about
military affairs or not, knows that as a
protection against an active predatory
force these blockhouses are useless.
They poorly protect a few bridges and
few villages into which reconcentrados
have been crowded which amounts to
nothing, since the rebels can truly say
that it is not worth while to waste
powder or men in taking one of them.
And were it necessary, there is not one
which company of bold. hard riding,
straight shooting men could not knock
over in a night and bury the poor
creatures who NOPE within the stone
walls.