The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1898-03-22

were independent and Se~1-suppoiChe
before Weyler's order. They are not
beggars even now.
..of the hospitals / need not speak.
otbcrs have described their CONDITION
far better than | can. 1t is not WITHIN
the narrow limits of my vocabulary to
portray it. | went to Cuba with a
strong con eviction that the picture had
been overdrawn; that a few cases OF
starvation and suffering had INSPIRED
and stimulated the press correspondents
and they had given free play to q strong
natural and highly cultivated magma
tion. Before starting, | received through
the mail a leafet published by the CHRIS
fian Herald. with cuts of some OF the
sick and starving commentaries am
took it with me. thinking these were rare
specimens got up to make the worst
possible showing. saw plenty as bad
and worse: many that should not De
photographed and shown. | could not
believe hat out OF a population of l.
100000. two hundred thousand had
died within these Spanish forts, prac,
ticaIly prison walls, within a few months
past from actual starvation and dis
eases caused by insufficient and improper
food. My inquiries We're entirely outside
of sensational sources. They were made
Of our medical officers. of our consuls,
of city alcaldes (mayors), of rellef com"
mittecs. of leading merchants and bank
ers. physicians and lawyers. Several OF
my informant> were Spanish born, but
every time the answer was that the case
had not been Ovcrstated.
General Blanco's order of November
1871 last somewhat modlhes the Neylef
order. but is of little or no practical
benefit. Its application is limited TO
farms properly defended and the own
els are obliged to build centres of de-
Tense Its execution is completely III
the discretion Of the local military au-
thorities, and they know the terrible
military efficiency of Weyler's order il
stripping the country of all possible
shelter. food or source of information
for an insurgent, and will be slow 10
surrender his advantage. In fact.
though the order was issued four months
ago. | saw no beneticent results from 1t
worth mentioning"
Speaking of the Cuban the Senator
said:
There are. or were before the war,
| about 100000 Cubans on the island,
oOO.OUO Spaniards. (which means those
born in SPAIN. and less than hat 4
million Of negroes and mixed blood. The
percentage of cOlOrcd to white has been
steadily diminishing for more than nifty
years, and is not now over % per cent
T., of the total. In fact. the number Of
colored people has been actually dimin-
ishing for nearly that time.
"Onc thing that was new to me was
to learn the superiority of the well-to-Go
Cuban over the Spaniard in the matter
of education. Among those in good cir
cumstanccs there can be no doubt that
! the Cuban is far superior in this re-
spect.
1T is said that there are about sixty
thousand Spanish soldiers now in Cuba
fit for duty out of over 100000 that
have been sent there. The rest have
died. been sent home sick. are in the
hospitals and some have been killed,
Notwithstanding the official reports.
Having called on Governor and Cap
tain General Blanco and received his
courteous call in return, | could not with
propricty seek ommunicatiOn with in
s~ursents. | had plenty of offers of safe
conduct to Gomez's camp and was told
il | would write him, an answer would
be returned safely within ten days ut
most. / saw several who had visited the
insurgent amps. and was sought out
by an inSurgent field officer who gave me
the best information received ais to the
insurgent force. His statements were
moderate, and | was credlbly Informed
that he was entirely reliable. He claim
/ ed that the CubanS had about 10000
now in the field, some in every province
but mostly in the two western provinces
and eastern Santa Clara, and this state
mcnt was corroborated from other good
sources.
They have Il force all the time n
Havana province itself organized as -four
small brigadeS. and operating i'll small
bands. Ruiz was taken, tried and shot
within about a mile and a half of tho
railroad and about fifteen miles out CT
Havana on the road to MatanZas, a road
more travelled than any other.
"Arranguren was killed about three
miles the other side of the road and
about the same distance, fifteen or TWEEN
ty miles from havana. The insurgents
are we'll armed but very poorly suppl
ed with ammunition. They are not III
lowed to carry many cartridges; some
times not more than one or two. Tht
infantry especially are poorly clad"
Senator Proctor said the army an,
Spanish citizens do not want autonom.
: for that means government by the Gu
ban people. AS for the Cubans they sa,
that the offer of it comes too late. /
; it succeeds it can only be by armed
force.
: Il could not but conclude" said thu
!. Senator. that YOU do not nave to scratcl
al autonomist very deep to find a Gu
l ban. There is soon to be an election
but every polling place must be in
side Il fortified town. Such election:
ought to be safe for ms.
/, Il have endcavored to state i'll no
1, Incorporate mood what | saw and heard
) and to make no argument thereon, bu
: leave every one to draw his own concIu
: sions. TO me the strongest appeal is no
!. the barbarity practiced by Weyler no
:, the loss of the Maine. if our worst fear
;. should prove true, terrible as are bot
E of these incidents. but the spectacle {
: Il million and a half Of people, the entir
native population of Cuba strugglin!
T for freedom and deliverance from th
+ worst disagreement Of which | eve
j.. had knowledge. The fear that if free
i the people Of Cuba would be revolution
= airy is not so we'll founded as has bee
,,,D-O n-l a.