Kansas City daily journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1892-1897, 1897-01-18
A TALK WITH THE SUCCESSOR OF
GENERAL MACEO.
AN APPEAL FOR AMMUNITION.
THAT is THE GREATEST NEED OF
THE CUBANs AT PRESENT.
want No More Men. but Only Guns
aud CartridEes-Havnnn May BE
Assaulted by the End OF
the Present Winter
Maceo's Army.

Navv York Ian. lS.-JThe World this morn
inr nrtnts an interview with General Ruis
Rivera. obtained in field near Cameo, near
Pinar Del Rio. In this interview, General
Rivera says:
Il do not wish to criticise our friends in
the United States, for l believe them ire
ferring to the juntD patriotic men ana
striving to do their best for Cuba, but we
here in Pinar Del Rio have been somewhat
neglected.
Great reliance was placed upon Maceo.
our beloved commander, and it was
thought that he could not only defeat the
enemy in the province, but finally make
junction with Gomez. But he knew, and
our friends should have known also, that
four or five or ten thousand men, poorly
armed and most of the time with but
scanty ammunition, could not prevail
against 5000 well-armed and well-fed
troops. One or two small expeditions land
.ed-one at Corrintes bay-but otherwise,
for nine months we have been depending
upon our strategy and knowledge of the
province TO keep us out of a pitched battle.
Speaking with reference to cannon. 1
wish it could be communicated to our
friends in the United States that cannon
are more in the way of ourselves than that
of the enemy in this province. In the first
place, they are inconvenient to take out
over the hills, through the district of
Managua and among the woods. OF course,
when we are in a position to assault Ha>
vana, heavy guns will be necessary. Do
we expect to do so? No; not very soon.
About the end of the winter, 1 hope.
There is certainly nothing to be gained
by making statements that are untrue or
that 1 do not believe in myself 1t would
be wrong for me to give our friends in the
perfectly able to take care of ourselves, no
matter what happens.
Some of my best friends may criticise
me for speaking so plainly. but l wish the
Cubans of New York, Philadelphia, Jack
sonvile and Key West to know we here in
Pima Del Rio, like our brothers of the ORR
ent, are willing TO die for Cuba or win. We
cannot fight alone with our hands, nor
even machetes, against an enemy that is
equipped. fed and drilled.
I'VE do not need men, and, above all, we
do not want foreigners to come unless they
are men of military science. 1t is not as
you know, because of any lack of apprecia-
tion for the sympathy or assistance of the
foreigner. We pray to God that the Amer
lcan nation exists and we know and ap
preeiate the great help it has been to us.
we do not want young Americans to
come to Cuba as fighters. Not one in ten
knows a word of the language of our couu-
could, since we dislike everything Spanish.
There were, perhaps, forty or fifty
Americans with Maceo when he entered the
province but / do not believe there are
half dozen of them left.
Il do not know how General Gomez feels
| in this particular, but as far as l am con-
cerned ! do not want any foreigners. There
| are plenty of Cubans in the United States
| who should be and 1 presume are, willing
| and anxious to come to the assistance of
| their fighting brethren. If men are to be
| sent, let Cubans be the men.
But, as matter of fact, we are not in
| need of men at all. The whole native pop
| ulation is with u.s. and / am confident an
| army of $1,000 could be placed in Havana
| province before the winter is over If we
| had but the arms and ammunition. Our
| Cubans are brave and patriotic and willing
| to die for republic. but they are not
| yet strong enough to face an enemys bull
| lets with empty hands. Tell the American
| people to give us rifles and a supply of
| cartridges and we will whip Weyler before
| the winter ends. We have that many men
| waiting in the province which was the last
| to take up arms.
You must not think the force with Ma
| Geo. when he entered the province, has
| been killed off by the enemy. No; his men
| are still in Pinar del Rio, and are only
! awaiting the ammunition. None have sur
! rendered. They are more in earnest than
| ever In various places throughout the
! province We have guns and machetes hid
den; perhaps there are 1000 of the former
and 1900 of the latter; but ammunition is
| wanting. and we must walt
| Gomez will enter the field with much
| larger number of men than were the COM
| Dined forces last year, and you mark me,
he will sweep Havana WE'LL