Connecticut western news., 1898-03-24
PROCTOR ON CUBA.
Tells of Frightfu1 Condition of Noncon
 batants on the Island.


 batants on the Island.
 Washington, March 21.-Senator Proc tors speech giving the result of his ob- servations in Cuba is construed by most of the senators and representatives who listened to 1t as foreshadowing the rec ognition of the independence of Cuba by the administration.
 While Senator Proctor distinctly dis claimed in any way representing the president, and declared that no one but himself was responsible for anything in his speech, the senator has had two long talks with MT. Mckinley about Cuban matters since his return from the island. The last of these confer ences was Wednesday, after he had pre- pared his speech, and 1t Is assumed by senators. knowing the close relations of the Vermont senator with the adminis- tration, that he would not say anything in his speech that did not meet the full approval of the president
 The speech was plain, straightfor- ward statement of what the senator had seen snd heard in Cuba. Not for an instant did the interest of the sena- tors on the floor or the occupants of the gallery lag. He said in part:
 the great city and SsPsl of dhS tnS 
 many Cubans, all Cuba, as much as Paris Is France. But having visited It in more peaceful times and seen its sights the tomb of Columbus, the forts Cabana and Morro castle, etc.. did not care to repeat this. preferring trips in the country. Ev- erything seems to go on much as usual In Havana. Quiet prevails. and except for the frequent squads of soldiers marching to guard and police duty and their abound Ing presence In all pubic places one secs
 Outside Havana all Is changed. It Is
 A- HT lat Ion a1d aD Pigiste iistress n0 misery and starvation Ev- cry town and village Is surrounded by trocha or trench, a sort Of rifle pit, but being thrown up on the inside and barb ed wire fence on the outer side Of the trench. These trochas have at every cor ner and at frequent intervals along the sides what are called forts, but which are really small blockhouses. many of them musketry and with q guard of from two to ten soldiers In each. The purpose of these trochas Is to keep the reconcentra- out. From all the surrounding country the people have been driven into these forti- fied towns and held there to subsist as they can. They are virtually prison yards and not unlike one in general appearance, except the walls are not so nigh and strong but they suffice, where every point is in range of a soldiers rifle, to keep in the poor reconcentrado women and chill dren. Every railroad station Is within one Every train has armored freight car. ioopholed for musketry and filled with sDS sdeT and Ts sd asaa pilot engine mile or so In advance. There are frequent blockhouses inclosed by q tro- cha and with a guard along the railroad track. With this exception there Is no hu- man life or habitation between these foru- fled towns and villages, and throughout the whole of the four western provinces, ex- cept to a very limited extent among the hills where the Spaniards have not been able to go and drive the people to the towns ,aA hatrr halr duyallfnRC II hDIIGp or hut in the 400 miles of railroad rides from Pinar del Rio province in the west. 2ss tan2ss orc provinces inc and to sagua la Grande on the north shore and to Cienfuegos on the south shore of santa Clara, except domestic animals or crops on the rich fields and pastures except such as are un- der guard In the immediate vicinity of the hold in these four western provinces just what their army sits on. Every man, nal wherever their columns have reach ed Is under guard and within their so call ed fortifeations. To describe one place is peace nor war. It is .concentration, and desolation This Is the ''pacified" condition of the four western provinces.
 Senator Proctor then reviews at length the relief work instituted by the people of the United States, and has warmest praise for Miss Clara Barton  ciety. Consul General Lee and the other United States consuls are also highly complimented upon the work they are doing for the relief of the suffering re- concentrates.
 Too Late For Autonomy.
 Referring to the plan of autonomy, Senator Proctor said:
 The dividing lines between parties arc f1,a aaef GfF Fatp tpn clear have ever come to my knowledge. The division In our war was by no means so clearly defined. It is Cuban against Spaniard. It is practically the entire Cuban population on one side and the Spanish army and the Spanish citizens on the other. do not count the Autonomists in this division, as they are so far too inconsiderable in num- bers to be worth counting. General Blanco filled the civil offices with men who had been Autonomists and were still classed as such. But the march of events has convinc- ed most of them that the chance for auton- compromise would have fallen the last year or two of our war. If 1t succeeds, 1t can only be by armed force, by the tri- umph of the Spanish army and the sue cess of Spanish arms would be easier by Weylers policy and method. for in that the Spanish army and people believe. There is no doubt that General Blanco is acting in entire good faith. that he desires to give the Cubans talr measure of au- tonomy as Campos did at the close Of the ten years war. He has, Of course, few per s1nal followers, but the army and Spanish citizens do not want genuine au- tonomy, for that means government by tne Cuban people. And 1t is not strange that the Cubans say it comes too late. l fn- ouired in regard to autonomy of men of wealth and men as prominent In business as any in the cities of Havana, Matanzas and Sagua, bankers, merchants. lawyers and Autonomst officials. some of them Spanish born but Cuban bred, one promi- nent Englishman, several of them knownt as Autonomists and several Of them telling me they were still believers in autonomy If practicable, but without exception they re- Ilied that it was too late" for that. Some favored United States protectorate, some annexation. some free Cuba, not one has been counted favoring the instruction at first. They were business men and wanted peace, but said 1t too late for peace under Spanish sovereignty. They characterized Weyler's order in far stron- ger terms than I can. I could not but con clude that you do not have to scratch an Autonomist very deep to find a Cuban. There Is soon to be an election, but every polling place must be inside fortified town. Such elections ought to be safe for ''ins."
 l have endeavored to speak In not in- temperate mood of what saw and heard and to make no argument thereon, but leave every one to draw his own conclu- sions; To me the strongest appeal is not