Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-03-24

WNp@l%
the duties and necessities of American re-
| sponsibility, Christian humanity and ma
ttonal honor. I would shirk this task IL
could, but dare not. 1 cannot satisfy my
conscience except by speaking, and speak
| ing now"
Mr.. Thurston said that he had gone to
Cuba firmly believing that the condition
OF affairs on the island had been greatly
exaggerated, and that he had directed his
efforts In the first instance to the exposure
| or the supposed exaggerations. He had
concluded however, that overstatement
| OF the horrors Of the situation was i'm
possible. He was prepared, he stated, not
orly to adopt every word Of the careful.
concise and specific statement of the SEN
| ator from Vermont CMr. Proctor), but he
was even convinced that he had under
stated the facts.
Mr. Thurston then tersely summarized his
observations and conclusions as follows:
After three years of warfare and the
use of 225,eOO Spanish troops Spain has
| lost control of every foot of Cuba not sur
rounded by an actual intrenchment and
protected by fortified picket line.
She holds possession with her armies of
the fortified seaboard towns, because they
are under the virtual protection of Spanish
warships, with which the revolutionists
The revolutionists are in absolute and
almost peaceful possession Of nearly one
half Of the island, including the eastern
provinces of Santiago de Cuba and Puerto
Principe. In those provinces of Santiago
they have established form of government
levy and collect taxes, maintain armies
and generally levy tex or tribute upon
| the principal plantations in other provinces
| and, as is commonly believed, upon the
entire railway system of the island,
| In the four so-called Spanish provinces
there is neither cultivation nor railway
operation except under strong Spanish
military protection or by consent of the
revolutionists in consideration OF tribute
paid.
SufferinEs of the Country People.
Under the inhuman policy of Weyler
not less than 100000 self-supporting, sim
| PIE, peaceable, defenseless country people
were driven from their homes in the agri-
| cultural portions of the Spanish provinces
| to the cities and imprisoned upon the bar
rem waste outside the residence portions of
these cities and within the lines of in
trenchment established little way be-
yGnd. Their humble homes were burned
| their fields laid waste, their implements of
husbandry destroy ed, their live stock and
food supplies for the most part confiscated
Most of these people We're old men, women
and children. Slow starvation was their in
eVltable rate. A conservative estimate in
dicates that 210.0oe CT these people have
already persisted from starvation
The government of Spain has never con-
trbuted one dollar to house. shelter feed
or provide medic al attention for these its
own citizens. Such spectacle exceeds the
scenes OF the Inferno as painted by Dante.
There has been no amelioration of the
situation except through the charity of the
people Of the United States. There has
been no diminution in the death rate among
these reconcentrados except as the death
supply is constantly diminished. There is
| no relief and 10 hope except through the
continued charity of the American people
until peace has been fully restored in the
island.
Spain cannot put an end to the exist
ing condition. She cannot conquer the in
surgents. She cannot re-esta blsh her SOW
ereignty over any considerable portion of
the interior of the island. The revolution
lists, while able to maintain themselves,
cannot drive the Spanish army from the
fortified seacoast towns.
''rhe situation, then, is not war as we
understand it. but a chaos of devastation
and depopulation Of underlined duration,
whose end no man can see"
In detailing the incidents and recting the
facts that came under his observation, Mr.
| Thurston said he had no desire to deal in
horrors. IF | had my way" said he, IL
would shield the American public even
from the Photographic reproductions of the
awful scenes that / viewed in all their
original ghaStlinesS.
The Spanish Forces.
OF the 225,COO soldiers Spain had sent to
Cuba less than 10000 were now available
for duty. The remainder are dead, sick in
hospitals returned to Spain incapaci-
tated. 1t is currently reported that $1,000
are now sick in the hospitals on the island.
The army was in poor condition and under
lax discipline. Il do not believe" said he
that the entire Spanish army in Cuba
could stand an engagement IN the open
field against 10000 well-disciplined Ameri,
can soldiers OF the Spanish soldiers he
said that they. of all people on Garth, would
most gladly welcome any result which
would enable them to return to their homes
The pictures in the American newspapers
of the starving reconcentrados are true
They can all be duplicated by the thou
sands. Mr.. Thurston continued: II never
saw, and, please God l may never again
see. SO deplorable sight as the recon-
centrados in the suburbs of Matanzas.
I can never forget to my dying day the
hopeless anguish in their despairing eyes
Huddled about their little bark huts, they
raised no voice of appeal to US for aims as
we went among them. Men, women and
children stand silent, furnishing. Their on
ly appeal comes from their sad eyes,
through which one looks as through an
open window into their agonizing souls"
In Matanzas the people had done all they
possibly could do for the reconcentrados,
but 1t was too true that many Matanzas
people who resided in fine houses scarcely
knew where their own next meal was to
come from. The governor was willing that
the reconcentrados should repass the tro-
cha to their homes, but the great majority
were physically unable to go. Their fate
was slow death by starvation. The gov
SrHoT u MdtdHzdS, IuurstOn SAID
could see no end to this condition of affairs
and could suggest no relief except through
the United States.
The government of Spain has not and will
not appropriate one dollar to save these
people. They are now being attended and
nursed and administered to by the charity
of the United States. Think Of the specta-
Gle! We are feeding these citizens Of Spain;
we are nursing their sick: we are saving
such as can be saved, ana yet there are
those who still say 1t Is right for us to
send food, but we must keep hands on
say that the time has come when muskets
ought to go with the food.
II shall refer to these horrible things no
further. They are there. God pity me; /