The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-05-06
Americas Armenia,

Evidence as to the inhumanity of the
Spanish treatment of Cuban pacificos.
or non .combatants, multiplies. The
May Review of Reviews contains an
extended review of the Cuban situa-
tion by Stephen Bonsal which con-
firms current reports on this score. We
mention this contribution in particu-
lar because Mr.. Bonsal is the New York
Heralds correspondent in Cuba, and
the writer whose dispatches concern
ing Consul General Lees course in the
Ruiz case and his break with Olney
and Cleveland, although denied by the
state department at the time, were
subsequently proved true in every de-
tail. Mr.. Bonsal has had General
Lees confidence throughout the lat
ter's residence in Cuba and is a witness
who testimony is absolutely unim-
peachable. He is opposed to Cuban an
nexation and he does not say much for
the lighting qualities of the insurgents,
but he declares that Spain's attitude
toward the poor creatures whom Wey-
Ter has called into the cities, from off
is more barbarous by far than any
thing he saw in Armenia when the
massaeres there were at their height.
Testimony similar in kind comes
from anothe: source. Crittenden Mar
riott representes the Chicago Record in
Cuba and as a personal conviction
hasn't much love for the insurgents,
q 1pt
after returning from a trip through the
"pacified" province of Pinar del Rio.
he writes:
The first and most significant thing
showing the hollow nature of the pacitica-
tion IS the fact that over $1,000 Spanish
soldiers are still garrlsoned throughout
district about as large as the state Of
Connecticut, while 5000 more are patrol
ling its hills. The second striking fact is
found in the misery and starvation that
prevail. The entire farming region has
been devastated, and practically all the
rich tobacco district is non-productive. All
the peasants, or pacihcos, have been
Drought into the towns to live. Statistics
show that the population of the province
IN times o. peaCa is about 10000 whites
and C0,OD coloCed, one-fifth of which was
living in the towns at the outbreak of the
war. Putting the number of Insurgents,
uedu anu awe, IN the province at 10000,
this shows $4,000 whites and as 900 negroes
who have had their homes destroyed, ev-
erything they have in the world wiped
out and are now living IN miserable novels
in the outskirts Of the various towns, in
all degrees Of starvation. This is one
province, The three other "pacihed" pro-
vinces contained a rural population OF
over 100000, all of which has been con-
centrated. The total is appalling. Pinar
del Rio is the best place TO study the
zones OF cultivation, which have been
heralded as an aleviation OF the condi-
tion of the pacifcos. They have had over
hve months to prove their value. and 1t
Is fair to say that they have proved an
almost complete failure. Where they
have produced anything II has been plum
dered, eithor by the needy insurgents or
by the starving Spanish soldiers, who have
been left almost entirely 10 their own re-
sources by the rascality OF the commits
sary department. Some of the pachcos
have managed to raise barely enough ia
keep the breath Of life in their bodies, but
many OF them have been so discouraged,
by having everything stolen as soon as II
was ready to eat that they have given up
the hopeless task and are waiting in apa-
thy for the end.
Mr.. Marriott's conclusion is interest.
ing as that of man who writes abso.
lUtely without bias. "The rebel situa