The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-04-11

which the power of the Spanish arms was
able to reach by occupation or military
operations.
Inc peasantry, Including all dwelling
In the open Agricultural interior, were
driven i0io the garrison towns or isolatsd
places held by the troops. The raising
and movement OF provisions OF all kinds
were interdictsd. Tie iields were laid
waste dwellings unroofed and fircu, mi II ;
destroyed, and, IN short, everything that
could desolate the land and renoer 1t un
ft for human habiIation or support was
commanded by one or ths other Of the
con testing parties and executed by all the
powers at their disposal.
MISERY AND STARVA TON.
Bv the time the present administration
took office. a year ago. recoLccntratlon.
so-called, hac bseD made effective oser the
bstter part of the four central and west
ern PROVINCES, santa Clarl, Matnn zas,
Havana and Pinar Del Rio. The agriUui-
tural poi ulation TO the estimated num-
Der Of 300. COO or more, Was Lerued within
the towns aud their immediate vicinaHe,
deprived of the means or support, render
ed destitute Of shelter, left poorly clad
and exposed TO the most unsanitary con-
ditions. As tho scarcity Of food Increased
with the devastation OF tie depopulated
areas Of production, desfitution and want
tecame missry and starvation.
LONEo OF OOLIlN AllON.
Month by month the death rate increas-
Ell In an a arming ratio. by Marcn, 1897,
according to conservative estimates from
Official Spanish sources, the mortality
among the rtconcentrados, from stArva-
tion aud the diseases s. sreto incident ex-
O eied 80 Q. centuin Of their total number.
No practicef relief was aocorIel I'd the
destitute. TIE overhurdened towns. al-
70 sdy suffering from general dearth, could
- ft<. a nh mi
tivstion" estabiisheu within tre INN edi-
ate area of effectivsmilitary control about
the cities and fortifi ID camps Or oycd IL
lusory as remsdy for the srfferin &. The
unfortupates, being for the most part
women and children ana aged and help
less Iren, enfeebied bv disease and hunger,
could not havs titled the soil without
port or for the support OF the cities. Tne
reooncentration adopted Evowedly as q
war measure in oruer TO cut OH tbe re i
sources Of the insurgents, worked Its pre-
destined result. AS 1 said In my mes
sage OF last December. 1t was not civiliz-
ed warfare. 1t was extermin alton. The
only peace 1t could beget was that Of the
wilderness and the grave
Mesnwhiie, the military situation liz
the island had undergone noticeable
cnange. The extraordinary activity that
characterized the second year OF the war,
when the insurgents 1nvacer even the
hitherto unharInsd fields Of Pinnr, Del kio
ana carried havoc ana destruction mp to
the walls of the city OF Havana itsslf, had
relapsed into dogged struggle In the
central and eastern provinces
INSURGENTS HELD TdEIR.OwN.
The Spanish arms reRained measure
of control in Pinar Del rio and parts OF
Havana. but, under the existin oondi-
tions OF the rural country. with out i'm
mediate improvement of'their productive
situation. Even thus partially restrict
ed, the revolutionists held their own and
their conquest and submission put forward
by Spain as the essential and sole basis OF
peace seemed as far distant as at the out
set.
In this state OF affsirs my administra-
tion found itself confronted with a grave
problem Of its duty. My message Of last
December reviewed the situation and
narrated the steps taken with view to
relieving It's acuteness and opening the
way to some way OF honorable settle-
ment. The assassination OF the prime
minister, Canovas, led to q change CT
government In Spain. The former al
ministration pledged to subjugation
without concession gave place 20 that OF a
more liberal party, committed long In
Continued on Pago 2.