The Portland daily press., 1898-06-07
SPANS FIGHTING MEN,
I'aii 20 Cents Day-Every Man Must
Take Up Arms at 10.
(Erom the Chicago Record. }

Washington, May I3.-The army OF
Spain is divided into these classes:
permanent army of G, 1918 officers and ~, :
S29 men, an active reserve OF lo0'S'S
men, and a second or sedentary reserve
which on January /, 1898, was estimated
at II 1888, 595 men.
All Spaniards between the ages OF ~
and As are numbered in the second
reserve. and are liable to be called upon
for active service at any time they may DC
nesded, All of them are supposed TO nave
served at least three years in the nrst, or
active reserve, which corresponds to our
militia. Every boy, upon attaining the
age of 10. must enter either the perma.
nent army or the first reserve, and serve
three years. About 100000 come within
the provisions of that law annually, SO
that there is constant change from the
permanent army to the first reserve.
Then, after six years, when the citizen
has reached the age of rs, he goes into the
second reserve, and is subject to military
duty in time of war and after conscrip
ton. 1t may be said, therefore, that $50
ono men are constantly under arms in
Spain and it's colonies. The first reserves
are used for coast guards, coustoms in
spectors, and for police duty in the rural
districts, and are likely to be detailed fol-
service in the guarda civil, which cores
ponds to our police and the gendarmes of
France.
Voluntary service is accepted at 1Syear:
of age, but the pay is SO small. only 20
cents day, that very fsw Spaniards ever
think of enlisting until they ara COM
PEELED to do So By the payment of SIC
any person may purchase exemption from
military duty.
The 80, 900 soldiers who have been sent
to Cuba during the last three years have
been drawn mostly from the first reserve,
although the permanent army has fur
nished the larger part of the skilled artil-
Ierist who have been handling the big
guns upon the Notifications.
While it is impossible to get accurate
statistics, the military journals at Madrid
have published statements showing that
10 Generals, 10 field and staff officers,
soldiers have been sent to Cuba up to
Nov. 1897. Since then reinforcements
have been received twice, 90, 600 at one
time and 10,000 at another.
Up to March ], 1898, General, z field
officers, 50 regimental officers and 1,314
men had Reen killed in battle during the
present insurrection, which began in
April 1895, and / general, 6 field off,
GERS, SIS reginlental officers and T04 men
have died of wounds received in battle
making casualties Generals, IS field Off
GERS, 10S regim officers, and 2,O1S
men.
Upward of 40, 900 men had returned to
Spain. The same statistics showed that
3lS officers and 13, $50, men have died OF
men of other diseases making the total
morality on the Spanish side during the
insurreotion Sc, 633 officers and men.
On March l., 1898, there were supposed
to be SO, 2S7 Spanish soldiers under arms,
with So, 900 volunteers, which are the
militia of Cuba. or a total of $4,000. OF
these, when the last official reports were
made, rs, 900 were in the hospitals, leav.
ing an effective fighting force on paper OF
100, 600 men.
These statistics are made up from the
official report sent to the War Depart
ment in Madrid and published by the
recognized organs of the Minister of War
which correspond to the Army and Navy
journal and the Army and Navy Register
Of the United States, and are accepted by
Zen. Miles and Secretary Alger as Off
cial
With the expectation of meeting that
number of troops in Cuba, Gen. Miles
has fixed the army of invasion at not less
than 100, 600 men.
The Spanish reports, however, are not
to be relied upon. There army is largely
mythical Nobody knows how many poor
fellows have died in the field resisting
insurgents, and the ravages of disease are
still mora difficult to ascertain; first
because Spanish statistics in all branches
of the Government are VIGOROUSLY in
complete and inaccurate; and second, be-
cause it is for the pecuniary interest of
the officers to conceal the morality of
their men. There is no regular pay de-
partment The soldiers receive their
miserable stipend of three OF four silver
dollars a month from their regimental
officers. The Colonel of a regiment sends
in a requisition at the beginning of
very month for compensation for go
many men, and he makes the pay roll as
long as possible. When the money comes
he divides it among the Captains Of ccm-
panies. and the captains divide it among
the men. 1t is one of the easiest and
most popular methods of robbing the
Government for the officers to double the
number of men on duty and divide the
money that is forwarded for their pay.
1t is favorite saying in Cuba that when
an officer makes reports of a battle he
represents that most of his troops have
been shot while CALAMITY charging the
enemy, but they all come alive again be.
fore he makes up his pay roll 1t is well
known that since the blockade began
Gen. 5lanco has impressed into the army
every able bodied citizen within reach of
his conscript officers, and the insurgent
Sympathizer5 have enlisted in great
numbers with the expectation of being
able to ser We their cause more effectively
inside than outside of the trenches.
This class OF people, however. are not tc
be depended upon by either side.
pnpTTANn pJEp CnpDnp AmI0N,