The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-06-04
FLIGHT OF THE PACIFICO.
Weyler's Way of Maxi ng War.

Facts Cleaned at First Hand in Cuba This
Spring by a Reputable Correspondent.
| Cuban Correspondence by W. B. Stevens
| in ST. Louis Globe -Democrat.)
Gen. Weyler's policy of concentration is
bearing terrible conseq uenees. 1t has
made 100000 Gu bans homeless. 1t has
taken away from them their only means
of support. 1t has placed them where they
are entirly helpless. This that policy
has done at the worst season of the Cuban
year.
The pacitico is the peasant, the agric Ill
tural laborer of the island. He is man of
| various colors. He has been accustomed
| to live in a thatched house on q little
| piece of land rented or leased from one of
! the great estates of the island. There he
| has had his garden or modest patch of
fruit, and during the busy season has
furnished the labor on the sugar planta-
tons. The pacifico of Cuba is all that
| the name implies. He has been content
to let others do the voting and the office
holding. With his fruit and vegetables
and Chickens and with his occasional
employment on the plantations he has led
| simple, peaceful, contented life. In
the 400 years that Spain has had this is
land, not a public school has been estab-
lished, and yet many of these pacificos
| can read and write a little. In country
| where nature does SO much, it has never
occurred to the pacifico to be provident
He has laid by nothing for a bad day. So
it is that when he turns from his ruined
crops and burning thatch, he and his are
face to face with absolute want
Gen. Weyler three months ago began
the enforcement of the orders of concen-
| tration. At the time he did so he an
nounced that the Spanish officers in
| charge of the cities and towns to which
| the pacificos were driven would be in
structed to issue rations to them. Posi-
bly, the captain general had that inten-
| ton. For short time some provision
was made to distribute food, but it was
little more than farcical. Today the
| pacif1cos are receiving nothing at most of
the points of concentration. Food sup
plies are running SO short that regular
| residents of the cities and towns are not
| town of Santa Clara few days ago the
commander of the garrison sent around
detail and took possession of the flour
| IN the stores of the loyal Spanish mer-
chants, saying that he needed it for the
| troops. A recent order of Weyler's to dis
| trict commanders directs the slaughter of
all cattle. This is in line with the policy
| to starve out the instruction. That the
captain general means to enforce it was
shown by what took place while he was
| on his way through Santa Clara province
| recently. From the car window as the
train moved along Gen Weyler saw some
cattle feeding Turning to the officer in
command of the district, he asked
Didn't you receive the order to kill all
cattle in the country?"
Yes" was the reply.
''Then what does this mean"' the gen.
eral demanded.
The officer explained that he had en-
forced the order generally. but that the
cattle were being reserved for the troops,
as food was running close.
WELL" the general said, ''get in
enough of the cattle for the immediate
use of the soldiers, and kill all that re-
main"
Ii the soldiers are in straits, and the
residents of the cities and towns can with
difficulty buy the necessaries, what must
be the problem of sustenance for the
pac1f1cos? Gen. Weylers argument for
this policy is that such rigorous measures
| are demanded to crush the rebellion.
| The truth of the situation is that. of the
| insurgents, the Spanish troops, the resi-
dents OF the towns and the pacicfios, the
| first mentioned are feeling the starvation
tactics least. Weyler's destroying col
umns cannot reach the little mountain
valleys, upon the products of which the
| insurgents can subsist indefinitely There
is not much meat to be had, but the
natives who form the great majority of
the army Of liberation can exist without.
If the policy of starvation and extermina-
ton must go on, the insurgents will be
the survivors. The poor pacifcos are the
| first to go, and with the sickly season
only just beginning, they are being deci-
| mated even now.
This island, which in normal times
sells yearly to other countries SlOO, 900, 900
worth of its surplus products of the soil
so prolific is it, today is drawing food
from without. The excessive vegetation
of the uncultivated millions of acres for
merly raised and fattened great herds of
cattle. Cuba exported beef. Within a
couple of weeks contracts have been let in
Florida for the supply of thousands of
Strengthening in the towns and cities of
the island is almost at an end. The home
pastures are empty. A loyal Spaniard
serving in the volunteers returned to his
farm and found his yoke of oxen gone
He was told by neighbors that Spanish
soldiers had driven them away. Follow
ing the squad, he went to town and com
planned to the officer.
1.-THE soldiers must have meat was
| the answer.
"But 1 am loyal" he argued. "The
oxen are all I have to make my CROP
| The commander shook his head and
said he could do nothing.
Then give me a receipt that may at
least be paid for the loss" the Spanish
volunteer said.
eff you are loyal son of Spain you
country" the officer replied land that was
all the satisfaction the Spanish volunteer
received.
Only three months ago the authoritative
announcement was made from Havana
| that all owners of cattle and other proper
| ty who were able to show tax receipts
would not suffer loss at the hands of the
| Spanish troops. For time it was worth
something to be loyal to the crown and
to have contributed to the revenue. But
now the campaign of devastation has