The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-01-12
SPAIN'S CUTE TRICK.

Walter Wellman, in the Times-Herald.
Semi-ofiicial advices from Cuba present
a startling picture of the condition OF at
fairs in that unhappy island The facts
which l shall recte in this dispatch are
given, not upon the authority of either
the Spanish or the insurgents, nor yet
upon newspaper reports, but are gathered
from private letters recently received in
in this city from man who Is IN the
interior of the island and in an admirable
position to know what is going on. ut
has now become war of determinations
says this gentleman The war VIII go
on for about another year, and then
Spain will be compelled to give up the
island. But there will not be much left
The population is already rapidly decreas-
ing, and death and migration Will clean
out one-third of the remainder during the
next twelve months There is no possibil-
ity of peace negotiations being successful
The Spanish will not offer the insurgents
anything which they can accept, and the
insurgents will not accept anything which
Spain can offer. 1t is q deadlock, an abb
solute deadlock. Meanwhile the Spanish
troops are butchering peaceable people
and reporting their bloody deeds to Mad
rid as victories over the rebels"
-:lI:-
The Spanish government, through Cen
eral Weyler is perpetrating a huge fraud
upon the people of Spain and upon the
world, especially upon the United States,
General Weyler has already reported bis
success in ''pacifying" the province of
Plnar del Rio Now he is ready to pa
cify" Havana and Mantanzas provinces.
But how has he paciied Pinar del Rio?
These are the facts: He found in that
province about 1000 insurgents, roaming
about in small bands. During his alleged
campaign Weyler has killed less than 200
of the insurgent troops, and has not taken
!
gagement worth speaking about. He has
made no serious effort to follow the IN
surgent bands into the hills and to meet
| them face to face. He has done practical
ly nothing of which any military com
mander could be proud. But this is what
he has done. He has Killed all the way
from 1900 to 1000 ''paciticos' or noncom-
batants, farmers and their employees.
Against these poor people he has waged
a brutal war of determination, and all
these achievements have been heralded
to Madrid as Spanish victories. Having
marched his troops up and down a few
| times, killing many innoCents and rarely
| getting even a shot DIT the armed rebels,
| Weyler returns to Havana and reports
| Pinar del Rio pacified. Yet all the 5000
armed insurgents are still in that province.
-:il:-
| This is a fair sample of the Spanish pro-
| gramme of trickery and brutality. Hdv-
says he is going to ''pacify" Havana pro
| vince and Matan2as. Heaven help the
| unarmed Cubans in those districts" wrote
| a planter to friend in this city few
| days ago. 1t is easy to see what all this
| means. 1t is all part of a deliberately
| planned programme to deceive the people
| of Spain, to deceive the people OF the
| United States and to influence the Ameri-
can congress, 1t is all done to prepare
| the way for the bogus reform scheme
which the Madrid ministry is ready to
| spring. The plan is that as soon as Wey-
| ler reports he has 'pacihed' the western
| part of the island Spain is to say to the
| insurgents: you see, we have sup
| pressed the rebellion in the west end of
| the island, Victory perches upon our BAN
| ners. We are now ready to offer home
rule to the island if you will lay down
| your arms. As conquerors we can afford
| to be magnanimeus. Then the United
States is expected to step in and help
| open up negotiations with the insurgent
| chiefs. Spain's proposed reforms are as
| gauzy as her "paCihcation'' of the west
| ern provinces. 1t is all a trick to tide
| over the winter without interference from
| the United States and without revolution
in Spain. The Canoyas ministry is fight
ing for its life. Something must be done,
and be done quickly, to make the people
believe progress is being made in Cuba.
| Wevler's farcical maneuvers in Pinar del
| Rio, and his proposed similar performance
es in the other provinces, are the means
employed for lulling public opinion TO
sleep.
-:'l:--
I would not make such serious charges
as these against the Spanish government
and the captain general of Cuba upon the
authority of the Cuban junta in this
country nor upon that of any of its agents
or sympathiZers. My information comes
from wholly trustworthy sources, and
believe ii accurately represents the situa-
tin as II Is in Cuba today. There IS gen.
eral regret here that the Cleveland ad-
mnistration has been hoodwinked by this
trick, this combination of alleged military
successes with proposed reforms which
are a mere mockery, into giving the Span
ish government its moral support For
there Is no question. and has not been
for some time, that the moral support of
the president OF the Unted States is be-
hind Spain in her efforts % force home
rule or something which 1t pleases the
Spanish ministers to call home rule upon