Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1898-12-17
MILITARY RULE.
Cuba Really Without Other
Government.
SIMPLY A VAST CAMP.
Problem With Which United States
Has to Wrestie-(;reat Suffering
Among Soldiers in Manila Navy on
the MOvs-Many PrOmotiOns-New
and Mates

and Notes.
Washington, Dec, 15.-The recommen-
daton of the Cuban commission, Cen
erals Wade and Butler and Admiral
Sampson, as to the number of troops re-
quired for Cuba and the places of station,
became public yesterday, when Adjutant
General Cerhin submitted copy of it
to the house military committee. which
made 1t public with the assent of General
Corbin. 1t is dated Oct 10. and Is chiefly
interesting In connection with General
Corbin's statement that it is the basis
on which the war department has pro-
ceeded and is now proceeding. 1t is as
follows:
'As directed by .our cable of the 14th
inst. have the honor to furnish here
with II table showing my recommenda
tons az to the stations for United States
troops, with number and kinds of troops
at each on the evacuation of Spain.
The spanish troops now occupy 81 gar
risons, counting Havana and other cities
as one station each. 1t will be neither
practicable or advisable to replace all
of these garrisons. My recommended
ton is based on holding the more i'm
portant cities, seaports and railroad
centres, with sufficient force to operate
in the vicinity and furnish small gar
risons at such other points as may be-
come necessary. This, / believe. will
be the best disposition to make of our
troops when they arrive.
SHOULD this be approved, the troops
at each station should be promptly fur
nished when asked for by the evacuation
commission, so as to be at their stations
in time to relieve Spanish garrisons ami
prevent occupation by insurg, mt troop;
concentrated near most of the desig-
mated places. I consider the number
of troops named in the accompanying,
table as the smallest that should b.
in the island, not including those now in
the department of Santiago. In tixin,:
this number l have been governed by
the following considerations:
Cuba is, and for long time has been.
really q military camp, and governed
by the most arbitrary military rule.
Practically there is no civil government
or authority The Spanish forces con-
sist of about 1lS,0U0 regulars, q, 600 vol
unteers on duty, and $1,000 volunteers
armed, but not on duty. The insur-
gents claim to have about $4,000 armed
men, making Il total of $4,000. Prob
ably the military evacuation by Spain
will remove about 100000 men, leaving
considerably more than that number
who will be. or recently have been, under
arms, to Il great extent living off the
country. Many of these men will from
necessity If not from choice. be without
employment. Among these men, as
well as those who have not taken part
in the late Spanish Cuban war, exist
race feuds and political frictiOns. Many
Of these people are very ignorant, few
understand what Independence and lib
erty mean, or have fixed IDEAS as to
what the future of their country will
or should he. 1t will require tact and
force to harmonize the conflicting in
terests and insure order. If large
force occupies the, island as soon as
Spain evacuates it can, under favorable
conditions, be much reduced in. a few
months. But it will be very unfor-
tunate to begin with so small force
and be obliged to increase it,"
The table of proposed stations of the
United States troops submitted by Gen
eral Wade shows a total of $4,000 troops.
distributed as follows: Province OF
Pinar del Rio, 5000; province Of Havana.
$4,000; province of Matanzas. 10000;
province of Santa Clara, 10000: province
of Puerto Principe, 2000; prOyince of
Santiago 1000
The total shows As regiments of in
fantry and five of cavalry. There IS
also light artillery as follows: Matan-
zas, two batteries; Havana, four batter
les; total, six batteries of 1900 men.
Up to this time the officials here have
not been able to ascertain the number
Of the Spanish prisoners held by the
Filipino insurgents, but they are certain
that the estimate FROM Madrid Of 10000
is very much too high.
Admiral Dewey looked into the condi-
ton of some of these prisoners held t
Cavite early in the war, aud in response
to complaints that the insurgents were
treating the prisoners inhumanely. He
reported as to this last charge that the
prisoners We're as well treated as the
circumstances of the insurgents ad-
mitted. but gave no number. 1t is be-
lieved that the lot of Spanish soldier
prisoners, who in July numbered 1000. is
much better than that of the clerical
prisoners. meaning generally the friars
and as the latter were numerous in the
Philippines it may be that the total num-
ber of prisoners in the hands OF the in
surgents will run we'll up towards 5000.
The American peace commissioners
did not bind the United States govern
ment to accomplish the impossible in the
matter of releasing those prisoners
They did undertake to release and re-
patrate those prisoners taken by Gen
eral Otis at the fall of Manila, but so far
as the others We're concerned-those held
by the insurgents-our government can
act effectively only as our lines of Occu-
patton of the islands are extended.
Efforts have heen made on at least two
occasions by General Otis to induce the
insurgents to release their prisoners. but
he could not go beyond the exercise of
good offices and could not exercise COM
pulson. He will renew his efforts in this
direction. however. and in the changed
conditions following the cession of the
islands to the United States and the
probability held out to the insurgents
that they may obtain the control of their
home affairs. which they struggled for
1t is hoped that success may attend this
Backing for Paper Money.
-