The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-03-31
SPANS PitiabIe Army.

An English writer visiting in Spain last
year gave an account OF his observations
upon the Spanish army in the United
Service Magazine. The real reason, one
patent enough. he says, TO any foreign
| resident in the peninsula, why the Span
ish army has pursued such a tagging cam
paign IN Cuba is simply that cavalry,
infantry, artillery, engineer-al branch
es of the service alike-have had no
schooling in their trade" Not a man. from
brigadier general TO private. seems TO
have grasped the rudiments of the science
of war as it is understood in other Euro
pean countries. The troops have no reg
ular drill, no practice in gunnery or any
branch OF military routine. AS a result
| they are execrable shots. and many Of the
raw recruits scarcely know how TO shoot.
Even physically" says the Englishman,
they are the wretchedest of beings. wiry
enough, but undeveloped, since nothing
is done to strengthen, diet or improve
them. 1t makes one sad to see the quail
ity Of the expeditions packed off in heart
less shoals to Cuba; boys, TO look at, of
10 to Is. who have never held a rifle till
this moment, and now are almost ignor-
ant which end it fires. Good lads-too
good to go to such uneven butchery-with
cheerful, patriotic faces, but the very an
tithesis of a soldier
OF such material not much could be ex-
pected under any circumstances The an
nual contingent Of recruits is fixed at So
600 men, and all Spaniards past the age
of 19 are liable to be drawn for the regular
army, in which they must serve three
years, when they pass into the first or
active reserve for three years, after which
they are included for six years in the
second service. On paper this scheme
would seem to be an admirable one, and
adapted to give Spain a large effective
army in a crisis. In reality, owing 10 in
efficiency of administration of the army
and also TO the fact that a payment of
$50 pesetas win purchase exemption from
service, Spain can at best mobilize a big
army of undrilled men of little efficiency
as compared with better drilled and armed
battalions. Neither officers nor men pos
sess technical knowledge of modern war
fare, and seem to rely solely upon native
daring and courage, qualities which may
readily be conceded, but are more likely
Of themselves to lead to a massacre than
battle, with a well-drilled and we'll
differed army as opponents. The army,
also. especially in Cuba, is deficient in
cavalry, and to this defect many of the
Spanish themselves are inclined to charge
their failure in the Cuban war.
Don Repazas in his military study of
THE War in Cuba" presents a picture
of Spanish military inefficiency almost as
severe as that already given. While he
claims that his countrymen in the wars
in Cuba have shown the essential quail
ties of the race to wit, courage, con-
stancy and endurance" he also tells them
their defects have appeared so terribly
exaggerated that the strongest spirit
quails on contemplating them" These
defects he summarizes as mal-administra-
ton grown TO a terrible height, want of
reflection, wretched love of money and
reward gained by whatever means This
indictment is amply justified by the rec
ord of the Weyler regime in Cuba, when
mismanagement,w waste, extortion, bribery
and treachery were the rule and but lit
tie care was taken of the shoals of un-
trained youths sent over by Spain to re-
plenish his army.
The best thing that can be said Of the
Spanish soldier OF today, differed as he
is, is that he is brave and patriotic, and
capable of endurance on smaller rations
than any other European soldier would be
made necessary by the poor quality and
character of the Spanish commissariat.
English and American troops in time of
war are the most literally fed and ex-
perience has shown that an excellent COM
missariat is one of the sources of effect
iveness in war. With Cuba devastated as
it is today and all Spanish supplies to be
shipped across the ocean, it is fortunate
for the Spanish soldier that but little
field and fatigue service is required of
him. In a contest with f1rst-class power
the Spanish soldiers would doubtless fight
worthily, under all the circumstances. but
they could not make an effective resist
ance to any army Of well-fed, well-drilled
men. 1t is owing to this great defect and
also to the fact that the Spanish soldier
is ignorant of the science and discipline
of war, of ''the craftsmanship that hits.
the steps that charge and march and ad-
vance and retreat''-in other words, ig-
norant Of the art of war-that zone of all
the brave nations is falling swiftly from
its high estate