The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1898-04-14
ton ana require food. clothing and med,sine..

u, 2.
Continuing, he says:
.'In addition to the above there are tho1sar.ss
OF families Of the better classes and formerly
well-io-do who to-day are living On one meal
a day and that very scant They have sold
or pawned furniture, jewelry, @elo;,in etc.
to exc out an existence until all is gone. Or
silence and may die of starvation. The lal,;,h-j
ters Of a former governor OF this province
were e., seer begging on the streets (incnsnitc)
me privately at my residence, asking and
praying for Gods sake to be remem bered when
this relief comes from the United ata',,s. One
people. to fully realize the terrible ies:itu
ton and misery existing in Cuba. Il is 10 be
hoped OPT that this relief from the United States
will come quickly, for hundreds are dy,.g
daily CT starvation. Conditions are dsaadful
and no RELIEF afforded by the Spanish au--
In his first communication OF the SERIES .a,cd
Nov. II Mr.. Brice stated that neither tie
s 81 or Cubans Of that section r
reforms. He noted the Issuance of the order
to municipal authorities TO issue rations and
clothing, but says that attention was paid
to 1t. In this communication he places the
death rate at over eighty persons daily, nearly
all Of whom were dying for want Of food
medicines and clothing. I-5,E-,@a =.
LAS I write this he saws ga dead negro
woman lies in the street within two hundred
yards of this consulate, starved to death She
oled some time this morning and will lie there,
I Mr.. Brice also notes the issuance of an
order allowing the reconcentrados to return to
me tt country, but he says the restrictions In
:. IRE order are such as to practically prohibit
IT they went" he says, 'what would they do
without ssnl1 money, food or sheter?'' Adding:
s''1a tn those who can obtain employment
sugar plantations can live. Insurgents say no
one Will be allowed to grind in the province
OF o. Matanzas. The situation is indeed deplora-
BILE, and I am free to say no real help ca 10
expected from the Spanish government, and
tne 1ate OF the remaining reconcentrados Is
SOW W,,+i nngering death from starvation"
WHting Ded. II Mr.. Brioe says that the re-
lief offered to reccncentrad dos and other people
by the Spanish authorities is Intellectual
,aoa nave, ne says, personally visited the
thousand rations were given out for a, few DAYS
only to 5000 persons. There are more than
1000 starving people in this city to-day: One
out or four or six receives two ounces Of rice
one-half ounce Of jerked beef and sometimes
small piece of bread per diem. Even this
ration of food has been discontinued since the
1lth inst Mr.. Brice mentions several in
stances of distress, among others the following:
In a family Of seventeen living in an old lime
kiln all were found dead except three and
they barely alive He says again that Gen.
Blancos order allowing reconcentrados to re-
turn and cultivate the crops is imperative and
OF no avail. Writing Jan. 8, he says: 1.-THE
people are shut up in the cities and towns like
rats to starve. We have fifteen or eighteen
families of American reeoncentrados who own
property in the country, and were they allowed
to go to their homes could make a good living
All these have begged and pleaded with the
authorities under Blanco's order to go and
We're In every case refused" ...
Province of Santa Clara.
Consul Barker covers the conditions existing
In Santa Clara province in a number of COM
munications beginning Nov. 20. 1897, and clos
ing March 81 last. His letters constitute one
long story of distress, Of Sickness detitution
and death, until indeed the picture as drawn in
the plain language Of official communications
is revolving. Mr.. Barker devoted comparatively
little space to political questions, but one
two. of his letters along these lines. Prob
ably the most notable of these is his commune
cation of Jan. 10, in which he volunteers some
suggestions to the department of state From
this cOmmunica ton the following extracts are
taken:
when Spain will admit defeat no mortal in
my humble Judgment, dare predict That her
plan of settlement is fai.C:e is not to be
questioned. Pending this admission on her
part thousands of human beings, guiltless of
having taken any part in the instruction. are
dying for want of sustenance. This condition
must continue to increase. The United States
in taking action relative to Cuba-which seems
Observation-Disclosures to avoid a clash with Spain.
Then let congress alter citizenship laws by
amending the Statute relative to the -decara-
ton required of persons becoming citizens by
naturalization so that the subjects or citizens
of any other government at present residing at
Cuba may go before any United States consul
in that island and make declaration of inten-
ton of becoming citizen of the United States
which shall entitle them to recognition cti-
zens until the expiration Of two years, when
they be required to reside in the United States
until five years shall have elapsed before be-
ing granted naturalization papers, With such
a privilege I confident 80 per cent Of the
resident Sran'ards. the hitherto dominant party
and taxpayers, will avail themselves Of this
opportunity of rebuking the mother country for
attempting to fo!st upon them changes in the
existing laws of the island. Such step would
cause the home subjects well the govern
ment to acquiesee without disturbance in the
loss of the island.''
Mr.. Barker then suggests that the United
States shall offer her good offices to Spain with
a view of securing arnlstice OF ninety days
duration for the purpose of discussing terms of
settlement between Spain and the insurgents,
the United States to be umpire Pending nego-
tiations he would have all troops quartered and
held in the large fortified coast towns in order
that the reconcentrados may return to the
country and employment. He adds that the
relief from the United States must be contill-
ued or the people must starve long as there
is an armed Spanish soldier in the country.
"snce these people, for fear of being muir
dered, do not go to their country homes"
narrowing Destitution.
Mr.. Barker devotes much space to the suffer-
In and mortality of the people of his province.
He places the mortality figures for six Of the
principal cities of his district for the period
beginning with Jan. 1 and ending Nov. IS,
1897, at S0,s51. He says this is the official
record and that fully IS per cent should be
added to cover deaths, OF which no record was
kept.
Enthusiastically" he says "one-half the recon
centradcs have died, and to-day Spanish SOL
diers are companion victims IF the surviving
non-combatants This appalling, death roll is
mute yet convincing proof of the terrible de-
st1nction of life of the main policy pursued
in attempting to subju;~ate the island. With
me the conviction is firmly rooted that within
sixty days 80 per cent of the populace will
reach a state of craving hunger nor do I feel
that I am speaking Numerically without in
Guiding the rank and file Of the Spanish army
The true status. viewed at present will
bear out this opinion. Tho suffering among
the troops we'll as the reconcentrados SIM
ply beggars portrayal, while discomfort ripens
daily -.
On Dec. 13 Mr.. Barker relates the particu-
lars of a visit he had made to five of the
principal railroad towns in his consular dis
trict. which tour had been undertaken to verify
the previous statements Speaking OF this trip
which covered the towns of Santa Clara
Cruces. Esperanza, Jicotea and Santa Domingo
he says: a.l- -'f.. s..-E ~ III -,
'The restitution is simply too narrowing To
reclte and must become intensified each day
Inc death rate for last month shows an in
crease OF about % per cent. In these towns
got my information from the mayors OF ga CHI
FROM them l learned that while there was an
! issue of food running from three to five DAYS
beginning on the 2Sth ult.. consisting Of three
ounces OF bacon or -jerked beef and six ounces
OF rice for adults, with half this allowance
Tor children under fourteen years, the ptttance
given was sufficient only for one-rourth To
one-tenth OF the starving. No further relief
mas been given up TO date, and the MAYORS OF
these towns are authority for stating that
the captain general had ordered the discontinue
ance OF the food to the reconcentrados
This order from the captain general was
apparently given because Of the insuficiencv
OF the food supply for the Spanish soldiers