The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-03-02
IF war IS 6Ec[iRf0...
Plain Facts That Would Shape
Its Course and Results.
no NEED OF LAND OPERATIONS

IE0 NEED OF LAND OPERATIONS
| A Hlocksds Of CuSSs Ports would comps
I'll. spaniards 70 Surrender Bsesus. q
the Lack Of Food = We Would suppl
che Cubsns With IN Ample supply Q
War Materials and They Would Do th
Rest.
In case Of q war between the Unitet
States and Spain the island Of Cub,
would be freed from Spanish rule mucl
more easily than is generally imagined
This country would not need to send Z
large army to the island to fight the
Spaniards in the field. Neither would II
need to lombard Havana nor attack il
In any other way. Perhaps the wal
would end, as far as Cuba is concerned,
without the Americans firing a single
shot either by land or sea. Though these
statements may at first appear astonish-
ing, they arc merely the logical conclu-
sion to be derived from knowledge of
the real state of affairs in the struggling
island.
The Spaniards, with an army of $50,
600 men. of which not 90, 900 are regu-
lar troops, all that is left of the 900,
600 soldiers sent from Spain since 1895
and decimated by battle and sickness
control only the seaports and the strong
ly fortified towns in the interior. The
country from east to west is in the
hands Of the insurgents. The eastern
part Of the island, including Santiago
de Cuba and Puerto Principe, is held by
the Cuban Generals Calixto Garcia,
Jesus Rabi and Lope Recio Loynaz.
There the Cubans are stronger than in
any other section of the island They
have in these two provinces 90, 600 men
at least, armed and with plenty of am.
munition. There they hold the Spanish
columns in constant check, and the re-
cent defeats of General Pando in Santi-
ago de Cuba, at the entrance of the
Cauto river and of General Jimenez
Castellanos at La Esperanza, almost
within sight Of Puerto Principe city.
show conolusively what the power of
the Cubans is in the east.
The central part of the island-that is
to say, the province of Santa Clara-is
controlled by General Maxine Gomez.
The Cuban commander in chief has at
least 200 men there under his orders
with Generals Carrillo, Monteagudo,
Alvarez and several others as subordi-
nate commanders.
There are about 5000 insurgents in
the provinces Of Matanzas and Havana.
This is where the Cubans are weakest,
the Spanish fortified towns being nearer
to one another and the Spanish army
more numerous. But, nevertheless, they
have strength enough to keep up very
lively guerrilla warfare, raiding almost
daily the most important towns and
making dashing attacks on the out
skirts of Havana city itself. The recent
death of their pluoky leader, General
Aranguren, has not abated their ardor.
General Betancourt, General Alexandra
Rodriguez, General Rafael de Cardenas
and Colonies Davalos, Collazo and 9TH
ers are cutting ont great deal of work
every day for the Spanish and the guer-
rillas in Havana and Matanzas prov
inces.
Pinar del Rio province, the western
extremity, is Cuban stronghold. The
Cubans there are as strong as in Santa
Clara and hold the long and impregna-
bic chain of mountains extending
through the province. They do not allow
the Spaniards to get out Of their towns.
Generals Delgado and Ducasi are the
principal Cuban leaders in that prov
ince.
The result Of this situation is that the
Spaniards cannot exist on the products
OF the country in any part of the island.
The country near the towns was laid
waste by General Weyler, and the gaunt
specter Of famine stalks all over Cuba.
The determination of the peaceable in
habitants by hunger is going on rapid
ly. All these facts are too notorious to
be denied at this time. The reconcen-
trados, or noncom batants, starve and
die by thousands only because the coun-
try, on which they exclusively depend,
Is not producing food. The insurgents
keep zones of cultivation of their own,
WnoAo eucy IdAso NeSeJdDleS anu btOr6
their cattle, but they do not divide their
provisions with the noncombatants, nor
do they allow vegetables to be raised or
cattle kept by any one but themselves
because it is their policy to prevent the
Spanish army from obtaining any kind
of resources in the country.
The Spanish army therefore exclusive
ly depends upon the provisions imported
from abroad. Rice, beans and -four they
receive from Spain. Meat for the inhab-
itants Of the seaports they obtain from
and Florida. The 100, 600 Span
iards under arms exclusively depend
upon steamers loaded with provisions
from abroad that enter the Cuban ports.
Not potato comes into the city Of
Havana from the country. The milk is
almost all condensed and imported from
the United States Eggs and vegetables
are from Florida, and, what is still
more important, on account of the great
distress in Havana the import
ing merchants do not keep q large stock