The herald., 1898-10-05
WON By THE COMMISSIONERS IN
PORTO RICO
THEIR WORK IS COMPLETED
The Stars and Stripes Will Fly Over
San Juan Before the Month
Ends
Associated Press Special Wire.


r.ghted, 1898, by the Associated Press.) The
American commissioners to arrange for the
evacuation of Porto Rico have been emi'
nently successful IN their dealings with the
Spanish commissioners, and it is believed
that within three weeks at the farthest the
last Of the Spanish troops will have sailed
for home and the Stars and Stripes will be
unfurled over San Juan. Their mission has
.been accomplished without frictisn. More
or less trouble was anticipated at the out
set, but our commissioners have been agree
ably surprised at the frankHess and candor
the Spanish commissioners have displayed
While General Macas and General Ortega
the second in command In the Island, and
one of the Spanish comm.ssf oners, in their
conversations with our commissioners, have
fully acknowledged the fact that the loss of
Cervera's fleet cut off all hope Of succor
from Spain, they still maintain that the
American army had a tremendous task be-
froe it in crossing the mountains. and Ma
cias contends that the army could not have
reached the gates Of San Juan without a
loss Of 10000 men. The little sktrmishes on
the south coast General Mac.as refuses to
call reverses because he claims his troops
retired by his orders to the stronger posi-
tons in the mountain passes.
A Spanish Victory
AS a matter of fact the only action OF
Importance, the bombardment of Moro
Castle by Admiral Simpsons fleet early in
May, Mac.as insists was distinct Spanish
victory. SIMPSONS guns pounded away for
three hours. They wrecked several build
;ngs IN the city, but for their effect en- the
su-fcot walls Of that old medieval fortress
the eight, ten and twelve-nch projectles
from the American warsh!ps might have
as well have been paper wads. Not gun
was d.smounted, not man killed. After
the fleet had retired-"repulsed' is the
word the Spanish used-the victory was
celebrated throughout the city. All the
military bands paraded the streets, grand
concert was given IN the plaza and the
cafes that night echoed with the cries Of
"Viva Espana.' 'Abajo Los Amer.canos.'
So it was that the military ch.eftains who
met our commissioners. met them not as
defeated soldiers to deliver up property
lost in battle, but rather as soldiers mar
tyred by the defeat Of others, to yield that
which they still claimed they might have
been able successfully to defend
General Brooke, Admiral Schley and Gen
to disturb their illusions in this respect, and
to their extreme tactfulness is due the ease
and facility with which the negotiations
were finally concluded. They decided before
the first meeting to stick to the main issue,
which was the immediate evacuation Of the
island. and to be generous to the point Of
magnanimity in miner and non-essent!al
matters.
Dodged the Issue
The Spanish commissioners, especially
General Ortega, were at first dsinclined 10
discuss the main question. They raised a
myriad of minor matters, few Of which had
anything to do with the business in hand.
All of these questions the American COM
missioners waived aside. pending the de-
cision Of the main question, the evacuation. |
But for several days they allowed General
Ortega to talk on and his colleagues were
to revert to the main issue. The /
language Of the protocol was plain. definite /
and specific. 1t provided fer the immedi- |
ate evacuation of the .slan nd. On it's text |
our commissioners stood, ard to our grat.- |
fcaton they found the Spanish commits |
sioners not only acQuescent. but seeming
Iy anxious to retire from the island at the |
earliest possible moment. The Spanish au- |
thoritieS realized that the entire popula- |
ton had become suddenly hostile to them; |
that they had been dispossessed by the high |
court Of war and We're no longer there by |
right, but by sufferance. They are already |
strangers among the people of their own |
race, blood and language. Those who had !
fawned upon the Captain-General in the |
old days no longer came to the palace. He |
had no more favors to bestow and they !
away lest associations with the |
old regime might prejudice them IN the |
Eyes of the new. This position Of the Span |
though return to Spain meant heavy reduc-
quisites. the sooner t came to an end |
the better they would Ike it.
This was the tone assumed. They were
then confronted with a new embarrassment. |,
They had no transports to convey their
troops back TO Span and were powerless to |
obtain them. They were compelled to an
swer this to the American commissioners |
Until the Madrid government should send |
they could do nothing. Our
commissioners, realizing the force Of their
argument made no attempt to force them.
although it occurred to them as il d d TO |
other Americans in SAN Juan. that trans |
ports of other countries could have been |
chartered for the purpose. Had there been
too much delay this view of the situation |
would have been presented officially
While waiting the arrival Of the trans |
ports the whole scheme for the retirement
Of the Spanish troops to San Juan was ar |
ranged. Both the Spanish AID American
authorities were being flooded with appeals
for protection. The former We're beseech-
ed by the Spanish residents living between |
the lines and within the American lines to
guard their lives and property from the |
rapac.ty of the native inhabitants, who |
we're threatening them with all sorts of
and the latter We're the sub |
Iect of the opportunities CT the rich Porto
Ricans within the Spanish lines, who feared
that the Spanish soldiers. as last act Of
cruelty. would despo!l them Of their prop |
erty and perhaps murder them. Some Of the |
appeals were frantic and hyster.cal, but
steps were Immediately taken to prevent
disorders as far as possible. IT was but
that in the transition from the con-
troll of the Spanish government to a cond:-
ton of civil liberty those who had suf- !
fered for generations at the hands of the
governing class should seek vengeance or
that private individuals should seize the
opportunity to redress private wrongs That
there were outragcs is hey ond question. The
natives burned Coata and many fine Span |
sh haciendas in various parts Of the Is
land. The Spanish troops massacred about |
ainety people IN Gales and later, in sup
wessing an incip.ent riot at Arecibo, shot
'ouT natives. A reign Of terror existed for