The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-06-19
THE THREECAUSES
OF SPANISH WAR
An Interview with Member Of the
War Board.

w di DOol W.
WASHINGTON. June Eff it had
not been for two things" said a member
OF the war board standing outside the
| Capitol the other evening and permitting
| himself a minute Of gossip, "the Span
ish war would never have occurred
1.-THE war can be laid to two things
more than all others put together. one
was the death OF General Antonio Ma
Geo. who was killed by treachery Decem-
Der 4. 1896. and the other was the blow
ing mp OF the Maine.
"The day after Maceos death or when
the news reached this country, Congress
could hardly be restrained from taking
/ definite action on the Cuban question.
and mass meetings FOR coincidence for the
Cubaus ana sympathy for cuba were
held in Chicago. ST. Louis. san Fran
cisco. New Orleans and New York.
so hot was tine fever for cuban recog-
milton hore i'm washington that masses
OF people mot on the corners. and there
was almost a riot when Congress adj
jOurncd without taking action. Such
men as Charles A. Dana. Bourke Coch-
ran, Senator Jones and Senator Cannon.
! made speeches openly In favor Of Cuba,
and for a. while it looked as though the
/ Spanish war was upon us.
with the new year OF 30. the excite
| mcnt died down and 10 is possible that
we might have escaped war had ~ not
been Tor am event which took place
fourteen months after the death Of Cen
cral MIcc0 This WAS the blowing mp
of the United states battleshiD Maine
in Havana harbor February a. ls9>. in
which li6 American lives were lost AID
after that there was no holding back
the people II Spain had Immediately
sent over her check for 100000 and
had paid indemnity for the lives of tho
sailors. perhaps an would have been
well and We might after an have al
lowed her 10 get on with Cuba the best
she could: but Spain did nothing Of the
sort On the contrary. her board of
inquiry reported n month after the blow
ing mp Of the Maine that IL was due
wholly 20 an accident Of internal disar-
rangemont-probab To tho careless
methods employed hy American sailors
I'm handling their ships.
THAT was the last straw and on April
18th, the President prepared an ultima
tum 20 Spain demanding the evacuation
or Cuba within three days. That was
practically declaration Of war
THE BEGINNING.
1.-THE Cuban trouble began so gradually
and so quietly that many were unaware
OF it until # had been brewing over
year. ln February 1898. a little more
than three years ago, an instruction
broke out I'm three Of the six provinces
Of cuba. For years Cubans have re-
holled against Spain. but matters had
been comparatively quiet untu then. on
February 18Th. the insurgents drove the
Spaniards ont Of three provinces and
Governor General Cajella cabled over
o Madrid for 400 additional Spanish
troops. These We're sent 20 Cuba and
We're put under the leadership Of Gener-
al Caiclla. He gathered them I'm one
vast army and started ont 10 subdue the
insurgents when 10 his surprise he found
an immense insurgont army facing him.
General Antonio Naceo was COM
maudcr of the insurgent army and Flor
COmbet and General Ruiz Rivera werB
in command of other divisions General
Cafella was rcDuIsed so severely by the
insurgents that the Spanish cabinet de-
mandod his recall and ON April 1fth.
1885, General Campos came over 10 take
his place.
Scarcely had Clmpos arrived on
Spanish soil than he gathered an his
troops and. Ike his predecessor. made
charge upon the provinces occupied by
the insurgents with the intent to dis
perse them for all time. Bat hardly had
be got well ont OF Havana before he
found O body OF men under General Co
moz. ana the two armies fought The his
t0ric battle OF Guantanamo with the
result that fno Spanish soldiers We're kill
ed while Gomez ala not lose man. II
was another Manila. with Gomez as the
Dewey.
FIRST HARD FIGHTING
"Eut am was not plain sailing for The
insurgents and O. few DAYS later. Just
three years ago this month, Jose Maru
was killed and his regiment cut 10
pieces Tho following day General Co
mez ana zoo horsemen were repu.-ed so
severely that the old general did not
collect the remnant of his troops
"But Naceo was hard by IT Santa
Clara and hearing tho noise OF the guns
came mp with 1870 mon ami defeated
5000 Spanish troops. C1mpos. who had
occupied position in the rear now
took 1900 men and marched again upon
Gomez. who meanwhile had recalled his
army. with the result that CampOs was
driven back with terrible loss.
"rhc beginning Of the year 1896 found
Campos back I'm Spain i'm disgrace. He
had been defeated by Gomez and de-
feated by Maceo. Ruiz had driven him
back and Marti I'm the last fatal strug-
gle had hurt the Spanish severely. Plain
lv CampOs was not the man 10 put down
the struggle I'm CUBA.
Accordingly on January 18th General
Butcher WeyIer was sent over 20 take
the place or Campos. Weyler arrived
there in so much pomp and was so puff
cd no with pride that he would not con-
descend to confer with Campos and for
q few DAYS both Weyler and CampOs
were In the palace Of Havana. neither
speaking 20 nor planning with each
other. Finally CampOs set sail for Mad
rld and Weylcr took sway over the
struggling Island or Cuba. He had
brought over with him 10000 Spanish
troops. and these he sent out into the
field.
"On February r.. 1896. Weyler issued
HIS famous recOncentradOs proclamation.
The rec0ncentrados proclamation was
that am Cuban born people outside OF the
cities should be brought into the cities
TO dwell They were called concentra-
dos. A few days later he ordered that
they be confined 20 certain streets. and
then they were named reconcentrados.
They had been reconcentrated into
smaller quarters This proclamation
started the Weyler reign Of terror IN
cuba. and began the great starving sys-
tenn by which the butcher intended TO
exterminate the Cuban race.
BUTCHER WEYLER.
Meanwhile Weyler was not idle in
the field. He sent out his army In all
directions and informed the insurgents
that they must surrender or retreat. To
retreat meant practically 10 surrender
FOR the sea lay back of them and on every
side OF them, and were they 70 retreat