Evening star., 1897-06-15
STRENGTH OF INSURGENTS
OorssPonasnt stsysns Ays Estimates Have
lesstazfhstay Basis.
The Cuban Forces Fewer Than Q Yeax
Ago4n Aaserdance with Gome.'a
P0licy-Horrors o1 Concentration.

POlicy-HOrrors 01 Concentration.
Mr.. Walter B. Stevens. the correspondent
Of the st. Louis Globe-Democrat, who made
trip to Cuba for that paper and made q
thorough inspection Of war conditions
there. said to Star reporter this morning:
Estimates Of the armed strength Of the
Insurgents have no really satisfactory basis.
They depend upon hearsay. Muster rolls
are unknown. It is doubtful II Gomez can,
by several thousands, tell just how many
rifles there are In the army Of liberation.
asked Spaniards, Americans, Cubans, in
various parts Of the island for their opin-
ions of the numbers Of armed insurgents
The answers varied from 1900 to 10000
Some Of the answers were from men who
had come direct from insurgent camps"
When asked about the correctness OF
Correspondent Rea's estimate. he replied:
Mr.. Rea may be correct in his estimate
OF 1900 armed revolutionists. but an aver
age of the guesses gives . greater strength,
between 10000 and 25y0O0.
''The smallness of the insurgents armed
forces Is not q fair indication of weakness.
Il was told to me by many that Gomez
has for months discouraged recruiting. He
has measured the Spanish inefficiency, has
decided that he can wear out the army of
occupation, has adopted the plan Of woETy-
ing rather than fighting. Unless this in
formation is at fault Gomez has been pur-
posely reducing his armed strength In the
belief that he can execute his Fabian policy
with small. well-seasoned force better
than with more and raw material. MIR.
Rea must be mistaken about the number OF
presentados. An official statement Of the
number of insurgents who had surrendered
and asked amnesty was published, by au-
thorfty, from the palace shortly after he
left Cuba 1t stated that the presentados
up to that time had been ~ leaders and
1854 men,
How does the number of insurgents COM
pare with a year ago?'
There are fewer insurgents under arms
now than there were year ago, but that
does not mean the suppression CT the revo-
luton by force of arms is in sight. Gomez
has found that he can sustain a smaller
army easier and can do more damage with
men trained TO his peculiar plan iof cam
paigniEg. He doesn't look for en- early
termination of the war. He has no ex-
pectation of expelliny the Spaniards by
force. That being the case. he can make
a longer waiting war with 5000 than with
10000 armed men,"
Horrors of Herding the People.
1.-The chief exception to be taken to Mr..
Rea's statements, 1t seems to me, Is in
regard to the horrors Of concentration A
situation has been created within the past
three months, of whish Mr.. Rea has no
conception. Since he left the island that
situation has been growing worse steadily.
Mr.. McCready Of the New York Herald
joined me IN a trip through Santa Clara
and Matanzas provinces for the express
purpose of seeing the operation of the
policy Of concentration. His descriptions
OF what are found answer sufficiently the
opinions Of Mr.. Rea, which seems to be-
little the reports Of suffering and misery.
Both gentlemen are connected with the
same newspaper. but Mr.. McCready saw in
Ar,r{ nd Nov hat Dao
in February and of which he is not quail
fled to express an opinion. Mr.. Rea left
the island about the end of March. Condi-
tions were bad enough then, but they have
become desperate since. Mr.. McCready and
thought we saw in Santa Clara conditions
which demanded immediate attention from
Christian Lation only ninety miles away.
1t seemed to US that humanity would justify
interference with such barbarous treat atment
of non-comba tants. Evidently the situa-
ton has not changed for the better. A
letter just received from resident of that
province with whom we travelled says
things are ten times worse than they were
When you were here. s...
What Correspondent stevens Saw.
Mr.. Stevens " ent on to say:
''At that time 1t was possible to hear
Spanish officers on the trains calmly dis
cussing how long the war could last with
such a death rate continuing. The people
Of the United States have never known in
times of the worst epidemics. such appalling
mortality. At Santa Clara the week We
were there the number Of deaths reached
such a proportion that If 1t should be re-
peated for three years there would not be
left alive a man. woman or child Of the
present population. Weyler was in the city
at the time. The mayor-Spanish. of course
went to him, and, presenting the mortality
report, begged him to make some provision
to relieve the starvation or to allow the
poor pacificos to go out to the fields and
forage. Weyler refused. 1t was stated to
US by one OF the leading residents of the
city that when the mayor mentioned the
number of babies that had died the week
before the captain generals reply was:
Weyler's Brutal Reply.
lis that all? thought there must be
more deaths.
After the mayors futile appeal, Mr.. Nc
Cready and l called on Gen. Weyler. In
the course of the conversation we heard
from him the same defense of concentra-
tion that Mr.. Rea makes-that the pacificos
would be no better off for food if left on
their little farms; that both sides would
prey on them In all of the investigation
of the concentration horrors, which en-
braced the four pacified provinces. this de-
tense of the policy was not heard from
anybody but Weyler. Spaniards In civil
life and some even in the army condemned
1t as barbarous, as totally unjustfied, as
me antng nothing less than the suppression
of the rebellion by determination. Esti-
mates may vary as to the strength of the
insurgents Opinions may differ as to the
propriety of recognition of belligerency
There may be a question whether the Cu-
bans would be better Off with independ-
enee But of this horrible concentration
policy Weyler and George Bronson Rea
stand almost alone as defenders"
THE WHITE RIBBONERs.
Quarterly Session of the District