The morning news., 1898-10-18
HAD SPANIARDS BUT KNOWN.
ruEy WOULD NOT HAVE YIELDED
CtBA TO A DISEASED ARMY.


rbe complaints at the War Depart
.ent Have Impressed Them That
u,c American Soldier Is Unable to
staud the Hardships of Wharf.-The
1uuressiOn May Have n Bearing
,n the Peace Negotiations and the
occupancy of Cuba.
washington. Oct 1L-Information has
-.s.hed the war department that a high
oeicer of the Spanish army very recent
Iv made a statement that had the Span
,oras been aware of the condition of the
American army. its inability to withstand
The bsedships of a campaign, its lack of
medical and other supplies and general eff
6cency as told in the American papers,
,be Spaniards would not have given up
buf would have continued fighting for
long lime to come, fully believing that
,bev would have been able to prevent the
canure of Cuba by American arms.
This statement is known to have been
made to the American officers now in
cuba. and causes some uneasiness in Off
cial circles, as it may mean, that the
island under the terms of the protocol
Ii is believed by officials in Washington
that had it not been for the outcry made
regarding the army and the conduct of the.
war. there never would have been any
question raised by the Spanish peace COM
miss ioners regarding the Cuban debt 1t is
pointed OUT under the protocol the sole
question lef1 for the commission was the
settlement Of the Philippines, and that
nothing was said about the Cuban debt
or any other Cuban question.
BY those who are in position to know it
is asserted that the Madrid government
was aware when 1t asked for peace and
when negotiations were opened that it was
useless to ask that the Cuban debt be TAX
en- into consideration by any commission,
aud lhal il is only since the reports of the
bad condition of the United States army
has reached Madrid that the question has
been raised
Another matter that causes grave consid-
Grafton in the war department is the tenn
per of the spaniards in Cuba. and the
fear that the impression which now pre-
walls there may lead them to regard the
American troops of not much account and
act accordingly after the occupancy by
the United States.
The matter has. been discussed in the
war department, and it is probable that
when the troops are sent to Cuba, there
will be a force of such size and character
as to give the islanders a different i'm
preston of the United States soldiers than
they now entertain.
The impression among the Spaniards in
Cuba said an officer in position 10 know
what is going on, sis that the Americans
soldiers are weak and puny, incapable of
wilhstanding hardship and whom it will
be an easy matter to Vanquish. This feel
ing may make it difficult for the Ameri-
cans at first The impression is due to the
charges that have been made against the
war department with such virulence and
insistence during the past few months"
1t has become evident that the troops
when sent to Cuba must be isolated for
some time In their camps to AVOID the dan
ger Of Infection and the department is not
quite clear that any useful purpose win
be served by placing soldiers where their
services cannot be available. While the
Wet season has now almost reached its
end in Cuba, 1t is said that the yellow
fever is more prevalent and more danger
Gus in type just now than any time dur
ing the year. These conditions, however, |
will not continue long. A proposition is
now under consideration looking to the EN-
ployment of the Cubans as local gem
darmes it being urged that they would
be more serviceabIe in maintaining order
In the towns than American soldiers un-
acquainted with the Spanish language and
Cuban customs. The United States govern
ment in this way also would be
able by the payment of small sal
aries TO these men 10 considerably relieve |
the distress that exists on the island with
Out breeding a class of professional pau
pers or lowering the pride of the Cubans. |
Unless Gen. Lee specifically asks to be
relieved from that duty he is 10 command |
the first expedition, seconded by Gen |
Greene and Gen. Arnold"