The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-09-08

and. what is more, as will be observed
he was authorized to accept the sur
render which in the interests of his
subordinates he generously declined to
do and went away leaving all the honor
to his next in rank, General Shafter.
'On the morning succeeding the first
interview, a letter was received from
General ToraI of which the following is
a literal translation:
:" Santiago de Cuba. July Il, 1885
General-in-C Chief of the American
Forces: Honored Sir-His excellency,
the genera1-in-chief of the army of the
island of Cuba, telegraphs from Havana
yesterday at p. m. the following:
g Believing the business of such inn
portance as the capitulation of that
place ought to be known and decided
upon by the government of his majesty,
I give you notice that have sent the
conditions of your telegram asking an
immediate answer and enabling you
also to show this to the general Of the
American army to see if he will agree
to await the answer of the government
which can not be as soon as the time
which he has decided, as communica-
ton by way of Bermuda is more slow
than by Key West. In the meanwhile
your honor and the general of the
American army may agree upon capt.
ulation.'
81 have the honor to transmit this
to you that in case you may consider
the foregoing satisfactory that he may
designate persons in representation OF
may agree to clauses of the capitula-
ton upon the basis of returning to
Spain, accepted already in the begin
ming by the general-in-c chief of this
army. Awaiting reply, l am, very
respectfully, your servant,
JOSE TORAL4, ETC.
Sat the meeting on the following day
General Toral stated that he was pre-
pared to surrender with the approval
of the captain general of Cuba, but 1t
would require a little time to have his
acts confirmed by the home govern
ment; that in the meantime he was
prepared to appoint commissioners TO
arrange the clauses of capitulation. Not
only this, he offered to surrender the
balance of his command which has not
been under fire during the campaign
The remarkable offer was on his own
motion and was in the nature of sur
prise to the American generals present.
However, at the conference or the Gay
previous, General Miles REMINDED Nun
that he had been rendered the most
liberal terms ever offered to an enemy
that his fleet was destroyed and tnat ne
was 900 miles from home.
s'Torars offers could be accounted Ior
in one of two ways-either that the
troops were wanted at home to meet
threatened revolution or that they
wanted to get home and regarded In1s
as the only means OF DONG so at tIe
expense of the United States. Wheth-
err Blanco and the rest of the spanish
forces in Cuba would have surrendered
on the same terms is not now, ana per-
haps may never be known.
1.-THE place of landing the Porto Rican
expedition had been so thoroughly ad-
vertised in communications sent over
the French cable and in the newspapers
of our own country, and telegrapheo TO
Madrid and from there to San Juan,
that not having received the necessary
appliances with which to dlsenpark'
General Miles decided after leaving the
Windward passage to change his course
and land on the south side of Porto Ri
co, where the Spaniards were the least
prepared and the least expecting to re-
ceive him and where he knew that the
Decentralization of the troops ana sup
plies could be most easily effected.
From the time of that disembarka-
ton, during the following nineteen DAYS
of the campaign, ne Kept the 0pania[us
guessing what the next move would be.
When they withdrew along the line OF
the great military road between romeo
and San Juan they destroyed the prog
es obstructed the roads and fortified
strong positions in the mountain pas
sage and then were surprised that one
column of his army was sweeping
around the west end of the island, while
another had passed over the mountains.
over the trail which the Spaniards had
supposed impossible, and therefore, had
not fortified or guarded it and the hrst
they knew of the march OF the Amerl-
can army was the appearance of
strong brigade within twenty miles of
the northern coast at the terminus of
the railroad connecting san Juan Win
Arecibo.
1.-The island of Porto Rico was fairly
won by the right of conquest and has
become a part of the United States. A
people who have endured the severity
of Spanish rule for four centuries hail
with 10y the protection of the great re-
public. One of the richest sections of
the country over which our flag now
floats has been added and will be of
lasting value to our nation, politically,
commercially and from military
standpoint of view. Possession of that
island has also rendered any further re-
sistence of the Spanish forces in Cuba
hopeless, and General Miles firmly be-
lieves that by fair and just treatment
the people of Cuba can be easily con-
trolled either as a friendly ally and
neighbor or to become part of our
own country as the people Of Porto RI
co.
General Miles remained in Porto RI
co as long as he deemed his presence
necessary for carrying out the wishes
of the president and now returns to the
United States bringing with him nearly
5000 men who are no longer required.
there being 900 still remaining, am
ply sufficient for all purposes. He re-
turns at once to Washington, where he
believes he can be most useful as he
considers the important need of the
hour to be immediate reduction of war
expenses and the return of a large por-
ton of those in the military service as
soon as possible to their former occupa-
lions where they are most needed.
BODY FOOD FOR HOGS.
MANS nTntiIated Remains Found in a