Worcester morning daily spy. (Worcester, Mass.) 1888-1898, 1898-03-18
CUBA'S DISTRESS.
.continued From First Page,

more freely from their liberal store
than ever before for any cause.
! when will the need for this help
end? Not until peace comes and the re-
I concentrates can go back to their coun-
/ try rebuild their homes, reclaim their
! ttllage plots and be free from danger of
molestation Until then the American
! people must in the main care for them.
The local authorities and relief commit
/ tees are trying to do something. But
the problem is beyond their means and
! capacity. Gen. Blanco's order of Nov.
10 last somewhat modifies the Weyler
/ order, but it is of little or no practical
benefit. It's execution is completely at
the discretion of the local military au-
| thorities, and they know the terrible
military efficiency of Weyler's order in
stripping the country of all possible shell
ter, food or source Of information for an
insurgent, and will be slow to surrender
this advantage, Though the order was
issued four months ago, l saw no benefi-
cent results from it worth mentioning.
Il do not impugn Gen. Blanco's mo-
tiVes, and believe that he would be glad
to relieve the condition of the reconcen-
trados if he could do so without loss of
any military advantage, but he knows
all Cubans are insurgents at heart, and
none now under military control will be
allowed to go from under it.
L lletd Dul little llIle 10 STUDY lQG race
question, and so can only give hasty i'm
pressions. 1t is said that there are near
ly 100000 Spaniards in Cuba. They live
principally in the towns and cities. Many
of them acquire property. I did not
learn that the Spanish residents had
contributed largely in blood or treasure
to suppress the instruction.
'There are or were before the war
about 1000, 900 CIlbans on the island,
nv = n Of
and mixed blood. The percentage of
colored to white has been steadily dim
inishing for more than 90 years, and is
not now over Is per cent Of the total.
The Cubans, though they are of Span
ish blood, are less eXcitable and of a
quieter temperament than the Spanish
One thing that was new to me was to
learn the superiority Of the well-to-do
Cuban over the Spaniard in the matter
of education. Among those in good cir
cumstances there can be no doubt that
the Cubans are far superior in this re-
spect. They have been educated in
England, France or in this country,
while the Spaniards have only such ed
ucation as their own country furnishes
"The colored people seem to be quite
the equal mentally and physically Of the
race in this country. Physically they
are by far the larger and stronger race
on the island. There is little or no race
prejudice.
1T is said there are about 10000
Spanish soldiers now in Cuba fit for
duty out Of over 100000 that have beAn
sent there The rest have died, been
sent home sick and to the hospitals,
and some have been killed, notwith-
standing the official reports, They are
conscrpts, many of them are very
young and generally small men They
are quiet and obedient and if yell
drilled and led, / believe would tight
fairly we'll, but not at all equal to our
men, Many persons told me that they
had never seen the soldiers drill.
1.-THE Spanish troops live in barracks
in the towns, and are seldom out for
more than a day, returning to town at
night. Having called on Capt. Gen. Blan-
co and received his courteous call in re-
turn, L could not with propriety seek
communication with insurgents. mad
plenty of offers of safe conduct to Go
mez's camp. 1 was sought out by an
insurgent field officer, who gave me the
best information. received as to the in
surgent force He claimed that the Gu
bans had about 10000 men now in the
field, mostly In the two eastern prov
inces and eastern Santa Clara. The in
surgents were well armed, but poorly
supplied with ammunition. About one
third of the Cuban army are colored.
This field officer, an American from a
southern state, spoke in the highest
terms of these colored soldiers.
'sThe dividing lines between parties IN
Cuba are the most straight and clear
cut that have ever come to my knowl-
edge. 1t is practically the eStire Gu
ban population on one side ana the
Spanish army and the Spanish citizens
on the other. There is no doubt that
Gen. Blanco is acting in good faltn,
that he desires to give the Cubans
fair measure Of autonomy, but the ar
INV and Spanish citizens do not want
genuine autonomy, for that means gov
eminent by the Cuban people.
''I inquired in regard to autonomy OF
men OF wealth and men as prominent in
business as any in the cities OF HaV-
ana, Matanzas and Sagua, bankers
merchants, lawyers and autonomlst OF
ficials. some of them Spanish-born, but
Cuban bred one prominent English
man. several of them known as au-
Economists. Some Of them told me they
were still believers in autonomy II
practicable. but without exception they
replied that 1t was "too late" for that.
tSone favored a United States pro
tectorate, some annexation, some 1ree
Cuba They were business men and
wanted peace. but said it was too late
for peace under Spanish sovereignty
They characterized Weyler's order IN
far stronger terms than L can.
1T have endeavored to state in not an
intemperate mood what L saw ana
heard. and to make no argument there
on, but leave every one to draw ms own
conel1Isions. To me the strongest APP
peal is not the barbanty practace9 py
Wevler, nor the loss OF the Maine, II our
worst fears should prove true, but the
snectacle Of a million and half OF PEG.
nle-the entire native population OF
cSlba-struggling for freedom and deliY-
erance from the worst misgoyelunent
of which / ever had knowledge.
81 am not in favor OF annexation, Pc
cause it is not wise poAcy 70 take III
any people Of foreign tongue, without
training and without a guiding Ameri-
can element. The fear that If free, the
neople of Cuba would be revolutionary,
is not SO well founded as has been sup
posel. The large number Of educated
and patriotic men, the peaceable tenn
permanent of the people, the wonderful
prosperity that would come with peace
and good home rule, the large Influx of
Americans and English immigration and
money would all be strong factors for
stable institutions
II merely speak of symptoms as
saw Them but do not undertake TO pre-
scribe. Such remedial steps as may be
required may safely be left to an Amerl-
can president and an American people,
throughout the delivery of the adj
dress there was not an interruption.
With the closest attention every person
within nearing listened to the statement.
AT its conclusion there was no demon
stration, either on the floor or in the
galleries, although senators here and
there about the chamber turned one to
another with such unusual remarks on
the senate floor as "a remarkable state
ment," "a simple, straightforward state
ment of a horrible condition Of affairs,