The Portland daily press., 1898-10-04
A SPANISH VICTORY.
Macias Claims SamDSOn'S Fleet Was
RepulSed.
REFUSES TO CALL SKIRMISHES ON
SOUTH COAST REVERSEs.

Declares 1t Would Have Cost Americans
Juan's Gates-Americau Flag VIII Be
Flying Over.san Juan In Three Weeks.
Copyright 1898. the Associated Press.
San Juan, P. r. September 26-The
American commissioners to arrange for
the evacuation of Porto Rico have been
eminently successful in their dealings
with the Spanish commissioners and 1t
is believed that within three weeks st
the farthest the last of thes Spanish
troops will have sailed for rsshome and the
Stars and Stripes will be unfurled over
San Juan. Their mission has been ac-
complished without friction.
While Gen. Macias and Gen. Ortega,
the second in command of the island, and
one of the Spanish commissioners, in
their conversations with our commission
ers have fully acknowledged the fact that
the loss of Cervera's feet cut of all hope
of succor from Spain they still mains
tain that the American army hal q tre-
mendous task before it in crossing the
mountains and Macias contends that the
army could not have reach the gates of
San Juan without loss of 10000 men.
The little skirInishes on tho south coast,
Gen. Macias refuses to call reverses, be.
cause he claims his troops retired by
his orders to the stronger positions. AS
matter of fact, the only action of i'm
portance-the bonbardment of Morro
castle by Admiral SIMPSONS fleet early
in May-Maoias, insists was a distinct
ed away for three hours. They wrecked
several buildings In the city, but for
their effect on the 30-foot walls Of that
old fortress, the eight ten and twelve
inch projectiIes from the American,
ships had as we'll been paper wsas. Not
a gun was dismounted, NOT man was
killed. After the feet had retired
'Repulsed'' is the word the Spanish use
the 'viotory was celebrated throughout
the city.'
The Spanish authorities realized that
the entire population had become sud-
denly hostile to them and they had been
dispossessed by the high court Of war.
and that they were no longer by any
right but by sufferance. They were al
ready strangers among the D; ople of their
own race, blood and language. These
who had fawned upon the Captain
General in the old days, no longer came
to bestow, and they remained away lest
association with the old regime might
prejudice them in the eyes of the new.
The position of the Spanish authorities
was painful one and though return
to Spain msant heavy reduction in ssla-
ries and the rich perquisites, the sooner
it came to an end, the better they would
like it. This was the tone they assumed.
1t was then that they were confronted
with o new embarrassment. They had
no transports to convey their troops back
to Spain and were powerless to obtain
them. They were compelled to announce
this to the American commissioners.
Until the Madrid government should send
transportation they could do nothing.
Our commissioners realizing the force of
this argument made no attempt TO force
them, although it occurred to them,
as did the other Americans in San Juan
that transports of other countries could
have been chartered for this purpose.
Had there been too much delay this view
of the situation would have been present
ed officially. But in this our commis-
sioners preferred to accept the Spanish
in due time their course was yindicated.
While awaiting the arrival of the first
transport, the whole scheme for the re- .
tirement of the Spanish troops to San
Juan wasS arranged. Bothsthe Spanish
and American authorities are being flood.
ed with appeals for protection. The
former were beseeohed by the Spanish
residents living between the lines and
within the American lines guard their
lives and property from the rapacity or
the native inhabitants who were threat
sning them with all sorts of prosecutions.
and the latter were the subjects Of the
opportunities of the rich Porto Ricans
within the Spanish lines who feared that
the Spanish soldiers as a last act OF cruel
ty, would despoil them of all their prop
erty. Some of the appeals were both
frantic and hysterical.
But steps were Immediately taken
to prevent disorders as far as possible.
HENRY GEORGE DEcL1NEs.