The Penn's Grove record., 1897-01-15

At the very outset l will say that every
Thing / saw and heard taught ME that Spain
is unable to cope with this Instruction.
She will never put 1t down; Spain will newer
end this war with victory to herself.
This Is also the opinion of the United
States Consul-General .Fitzhugh Lee. aud he
has heretofore expressed 1t TO Secretary OIL
ney. He mas told tine Secretary of State that
the insurrectionists, whether soon or late,
were bound to succeed. The last thing Gen.
Fitzhugh Lee said to me as 1 left Havana
was:
''Please see Secretary 0lney ard tell him
that to-day / am more firmly convinced than
ever that Spain cannot put down the insur-
r~eciion. and that every day it continues
means q loss Of life and property, without
the remotest encouragement of any final
Spanish success. As l long since told him,
the insurrection will succeed. My Judgment
to that effect ~recsives daily confirmation"
1 saw Secretary 0lney and communicated
to him General Lees message. am not
permitted, however, To make pnblic Mr..
Olney's comments.
Accompanied by General Lee. AMI with
Mr.. Drane. a clerk OF our Consulate at Hav-
ana, to act rs interpreter, l called on Cap
tain General Weyler.
The Spanish newspapers had been COM
menting Oh my W personal absence, two
days before, from Havana, and had called it
'mysterious disappearance" l had, however,
only been up the country abont thirty miles.
I mentioned my absence and the newspaper
comments to General Weyler.
81 am glad you went" he repliel. cit
will show others that such trips can be made
with safety. That is the state OF affairs. l
would like to prove to the world that the
country round about here is safe from in
surrectionists.'
The country round about, however. l will
say right here, is not safe from insurrection-
lists. They are SO close and powerful hat
to-day the nsurrectionists levy a tax on all
the fruit, vegetables, milk, corn and meat
that enter Havana from the country. 1t is
like a tariff. and goes to the height of about
25 per cent. ad yalorem. Not a mouth
full OF Cuban product is to-day eaten in
Havana thai does not pay u tariff TO the
revolution. In this indirect way, Weyler
himself is contributing to the revolution.
avery soon" said General Weyler, while
talking to me, ~ shall %nnoun that the
provinces of Pinar del Rio, Havana, MRtnn-
zas and Las Villas are paciied.' Weyler re-
peated the phrase livery soon" several times
and with emphasis.
Referring again to General Weyler's state
ment that the insurgents had practically been
driven out OF the province OF Havana, my
Information, received from several positive
and truthful sources, Is that there are several
bodies OF armed insurgents In that region.
There is General Aguirre, whose com
mand numbers 1400 men; Gtneral Ranches
with between 800 and 1000 men. and General
CantiIlas. with 500 to 1000 men. There are
also. smaller bodies. and there is no possible
show for Weyler 10 dislodge any OF them,
as the Spanish troops combine their military
operations entirely TO the beaten roads. An
insurgent force a quarter ola mile either to the
right or to the left Of the plain highway is as
safe from the Spanish troops as il they were
q thousand miles away. General Weyler
more than ouce referred to the fact that
Cleveland and olney were doing full justice
To SDaiu.