The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-03-18

two. The infantry are poorly clad. TWO
small squads of prisoners which L saw.
however, one of half a dozen in the
streets of Havana. and one or two in
the cars, We're better clothed than the
average Spanish soldier. Each Of the
prisoners. though surrounded by guards,
was bound by the arms and wrists by
cords, and they were all tied together
by cord running along the line,
specimen of the amenities of their war
fare. About one-third of the Cuban
army are colored, mostly in the infan-
try. as the cavalry furnishes their own
horses.
Cuban Against spaniard.
I'm the political situation, the divid-
ing lines between parties are the most
straight and clear cut that have ever
come TO my knowledge. The division
in our war was by no means SO clearly
defined. 1t is Cuban against Spaniard-
1t is practically the entire Cuban popu-
Iation on one side and the Spanish army
and the Spanish citizens on the other.
do not count the autonomists in this d.
vision, as they are so far too inconsid-
cradle in numbers to be worth counting.
General Blanco filed the civil officers
with men who had been autonomists.
and were still classed as such. But the
march of events has satisfied most OF
them that the chance for autonomy
came too late. 1t falls as talk of COM
promise would have fallen the last year
or two of our war. If il succeeds, 1t
can only be by armed force, by the trl-
umph of the Spanish army. and the sue
cess of Spanish arms would be easier
by Weyler's policy and method, for in
that the Spanish army and people be-
lieve There is no doubt that General
Blanco is acting in entire good faith;
that he desires to give the Cubans
! fair measure of autonomy, as Campos
ut hn
He has, of course, few personal fol-
| lowers, but the army and Spanish citi-
| Zens do not want genuine autonomy,
| for that means government by the Gu
| ban people.
And it is not strange that the Gu
/ bans say it comes too late. j have
never had any communication, direct or
| indirect with the Cuban junta in this
| country or any of it's members, nor did
I have with any of the junta which ex-
| lists in every city and large town of
| Cuba. None of the calls | made We're
| upon parties of whose sympathies
| had the least knowledge, except knew
some of them were classed as auton-
! omists. Most of my informants We're
/ business men who had no sides and
rarely expressed themselves l had no
| means of guessing in advance what
their answers would be, and was, in
| most cases, greatly surprised at their
! tonomy of men of wealth and men as
prominent IN business as any in the
| city of Havana, MatanZas and Sagua;
bankers, merchants. lawyers and au-
| tonomists officials, some of the Span
| ish born, but Cuban bred; one promi-
| nent Englishman, several OF them
| known as autonomists and several of
them telling me they were still be-
| levers in autonomy. if practicable, but
| without exception they replied that it
was too late for that. Some favored
| United States protectorate, some an
nexation. some free Cuba. not one had
been counted as favoring the insurrec-
ton at first. They were business men
and wanted peace, but said it was too
late for peace under Spanish sover-
| eighty. They characterized Weyler' s
order in far stronger terms than j can.
| could not but conclude 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 a fortified town. Such
elections ought to be safe for the ms
Struggling for Freedom.
II have endeavored to state in not
Incorporate mood what / saw and
heard to make no argument thereon
but leave everyone to draw his own
conclusions. To me, the strongest APP
peal is not the barbarity practiced By
| w
our worst fears should prove true, ter
rible as are both these incidents, but
the spectacle of million and half o.
people, the entire native population OF
Cuba, struggling for freedom and de-
liverance from the worst government
of which l ever have known. Whether
our action ought not to be influenced
by any one of all those things, and i
So how far, is another question. / an
/ in fax nf not hRcal1Ei
would apprehend any particular
trouble from it, but because it is not {
wise policy to take in any people o
foreign tongue and training withou
any strong guiding American element
The fear that, il free, the people o
Cuba would be revolutionary is not 81
well founded as has been supposed, AM
the conditions for good self government
are far more favorable. The larg
number of educated and patriotic men
the great sacrifices they have endured
the peaceable temperament OF the PEG
pie, white or black. the wonderful
prosperity that would come surely wit
peace and good home rule, the larg
J influx of Americans, would all b
strong factors for stable institutions
But it is not my purpose at this time
nor do I consider it my province, I
suggest any plan. / merely speak Q
the symptoms as I saw them, but q
not undertake to prescribe. Such re
i, medal steps as may be required ma
safely be left to an American presiden
. and the American people.
) No Demonstration.
) Throughout the delivery of the ad
: dress there was not an interruption. A
the conclusion there was no demon
stration either on the floor, or in tn
galleries. although senators here an
; there about the chamber turned one I
another with such unusual remarks o.
! the senate floor as: "A remarkaol
statement" "A simple, straightforward
, statement of a horrible condition Q
!, affairs" and similar comments.
Mr.. Proctor left the senate chamoe
soon after he had finished his address
but not before he had been heartily con
graduated by many of his colleagues
|, During the morning session the To-