El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-05-28
TEN CAPTAIN GENERALS.
Those Who Hold the Highest Rank in
the Spanish Army.
st. Louis Globe Democrat

st. Louis Globe Democrat.
However deficient Spain may be In
naval officers, of whom she does not
possess q sufficient number to equip
the fleet of auxiliary cruisers which
she proposes to put into commission,
she IL certainly not lacking in field of
icers for her land forces. There are
nearly 900 Generals, some of them be-
longing to the reserve forces, but most
of them on the active list and drawing
full pay. In fact, Spain possesses q
maud the combined armies of all Eu-
rope. There are Colonies. Majors and
Captains in proportion, and, In fact
there Is no power in the world, not
ev Germany, that possesses such an
extraordinary number Of commission
ed otfic RS in relation to the size of the
army.
Al the head of the list are ten Capt
tain Generals. W hose rank is equivaleo-
to that of field marshal in other for
eign armies. In several instances this
grade is of q purely honorary charac-
r.. 1t is held by the young KING,
who is a boy only II years old, and
lik vie by his grandfather, the old
ex-Kng. DIN Frsucis of Assist, the
hus oand OF Queen Isabella. He IL q
dwarf in stature, and only q little
taller than his grandson. King Alfonso
XIII. Indeed it i- difficult to conceive
anything less warlike than the spec
tacle prese nted by King Francis, when
arrayed in the gorgeous gold-embroid-
cred II niform of Captain General, his
eqieaky falsetto voice beiog quito as
much out Of keepiog with the military
profession as Is his appearance. As
rega IDS the boy King, the Queen Re-
gent, who is a sensible woman, has
turned q deaf ear to all the sugges-
tions to the effect that he
should appear on state occasions in the
uniform of q captain general, and, in
stead, she has him always garoed In
the trim, nat y aud exceedingly simple
uniform of q cadet of the military
school of San Id,lfonso, which has not
an atom OF gold lace about 1t, the on,y
emblem of his royal rank being the
insignia of the Order of the Golden
CO lar of his tunic. Amon0 the other
or plain generals are Gen. Blauco, Mar
quis of Peua Plata, who is now in chief
command in Cuba, and who is too we'll
know to need more than passing men
ton; Martinez Csmpos, who, as one o.
his predecessors at Fl .vaua, Is equally
familiar to people in this country;
Gen. Primo de Rivera and Gen. Lopez
Domin9u'Z.
1t is Gen. Dominguez who is general
ly regarded at Berlin, Paris, Vienna
and o,her military cent-rs as the
G. ev rest and strongest OF all Spaln's
general, and who in any grave emer-
gency i, Likely to be invested with the
Oh eff command of the Spanish army, or
else with the portfolio of minister of
wa He has bsen justly described as
a M xture of the celebrated Russian
General SkObsleff and of the French
General Chanzy, and like them he is
the idol OF the rank aud file OF the ar
nv to which he belongs. he is a
nephew OF the late Marshal Serrano,
who rose from the humblest beginning
to be dictator, regent and president of
the republic of Spain. He has been
the author OF nearly all the reforms
that have taken place in the last twen-
ty years, and in consequence has com
to be looked upon as the soldiers
friend. II he has been kept in the
background of late years 1t is because
ministers and even the court dread his
popularity aud his am bition, aud fear
that the latter in q moment of crisis
might lead him to avail himself OF the
former to secure for himself come such
dic'a.orial power as that repeatedly
possessed by his uncle, Se-rano.
Infinitely less popular in the
army, but more liked at court, is
Capt. Gen. Primo de Rivera, the very
type OF the published scoundrel, who
by his smooth tongue and talent for
intrigue has managed to win to
marked degree the confidence OF the
queen. Indeed, she has apparently
forgotten the circumstances VIII ch led
him to be shot at some eight years ago
and severe wounded by one of his Of
icers, a mayor who had been subj ct
ed to persecution of the most iucre1-
ible character at the hands of the gen.
eral at the ins'igstion of a demi-mon-
dame whose anger the mayor had in
Cured, and who had the general
completely under her way. The
mayor, who was driven by des-
peration to the act, was sentenced to
death and executed. leaving a wife and
ohi'd- rem in a pennies condition while
eral was shot at and severely wounded
while in the performance fhis duty,
aud therefore, possesses q claim upo,
her good will. Even Weyler, with his
brutality, is preferable to Primo de
Rivera. for VIII le Weyler will have a
man hanged or shot, givin the order
for his execution with a gross oath or
coarse gibe. Primo de Rivera will Or
der the most iendish turtures to be
inflicted. COUGHING his instructions In
the most courteous, suave and gentle
language, smailing genially the while.
Only those who have been out in the
far east and who have knowledge of
the atrocities committed by his orders
and under the very eyes when he was
vicerov of the Philippine islands and
alize the true character of this
man
Another general who is likely to
make h name known abroad il the
present war lasts fficien'ly long is
Cassola, one of the few officers who
have never been implicated in any
pronu nciameuto. He has sometimes
bee1 called the Spanish Moltke. owing
to his ceasel. 80 and indefatigable
activity and to his remarkable silence
AID reserve. This pscalisrity in q
C u 1try where loquacity and gesticula-
tion sre the order of the day is suffi-
cient 70 cause people to look upon him
g. kind of rara avis. He is q stern
and upright so der, who, to quote one |
of his own rare remarks, wants to |
make the army loyal to it's king and |
CO ,ntrv, with its face to the enemy |
and its back turned upon poll tica
stru glers."
Csssola is 80 strict disciplin arian |
Z hot xvb I 10 isto Of ho