Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-03-18

Z
None of our representatives %
met in Cuba are of my po' .oOth,
but there was a broe 81 not
bounded by party linz are all
three true American AVE done
excellent service.
1T has been stated that | said there
was no doubt that the Maine was
blown up from the outside.
This is a mistake. | NAV have
said that such was the general i'm
preston among Americans in Havana
In TACT, | have no opinion about it
| myself
THE SPANIARD.
| l had but little time to study the
| race question, and have read nothing
on it, so can only give hasty impress
| sions. 1t is said that there are nearly
| 100000 Spaniards in Cuba out of a
| total population of 500 600 They live
| principally in the towns and cities
! The small shop keepers in the towns
and their clerks are mostly Spaniards
| Most of the larger businesses, too, aud
/, the property in the cities and in a less
| degree in the country, is in their hands
| did not learn that the Spanish resi-
| dents of the island had contributed
| largely in blood or treasure to suppress
| the Instruction
THE CUBAN.
T, There are, or were before the war.
! about 1,000,00 Cubans on the island.
| 200, 900 Spaniards (Which means those
| born in SPAIN, and less than half a
million of negroes and mixed blood
! The Cuban whites are pure Spanish
| blood and like the Spaniards, usually
| dark in complexion, but oftener
light or blonde, so far as | noticed
| than the Spaniards. The percentage of
! colored to white has been steadily
| diminishing for more than fifty years.
and is not now over % per cent of the
total. In fact, the number of colored
! people has been actually diminished
for nearly that time The Cuban
farmer and laborer is by nature, peace
able, kindly, gay, hospitable. light
hearted and improvident. 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 edu-
cation. They have been educated in
England, France or this country, while
the Spaniard has such education as his
own country furnished.
THE NEGRO.
The colored people seem to me by
nature quite the equal mentally and
physically of the race in this country.
Certainly physically they are the larg-
err and stronger race on the island.
There is little or no race prejudice.
THE MILITARY SITUATION.
1t is said that there are about sixty
thousand Spanish soldiers now in Gu
ba fit for duty, out of over two hum
dred thousand that have been sent
there. The rest have died, been sent
home, sick in the hospitals and some
have been killed, notwithstanding the
official reports. They are conscripts,
many of them very young and gener
ally small men. They are quiet and
obedient, and if we'll drilled and led,
| believe, would fight fairly we'll, but
not at all equal to our men. ! saw
perhaps ten thousand Spanish troops,
but not piece of artillery or a tent.
They live in barracks in the towns and
are seldom out for more than day,
returning to town at night.
They have little or no equipment
for supply trains or for a field cam
paign such as we have Their cavalry
MES. weighing not over 500 pounds,
tough and hardy, but for the most part
in wretched condition, reminding one
of the mounts of Don QuiXOte and the
Squire. On both sides cavalry is con-
sidered the favorite and dangerous
fighting arm. The tactics of the Span
ish as described to me by an eye-Wit-
ness and participant in some of their
AL tEo 70 1t,.tr hoy
threatened by insurgent cavalry, to
form hollow square and fire away ad
libitum without ceasing until time to
march back to town.
Having called on Governor and Cap
tain General Blanco and received his
courteous call in return, | could not
with propriety seek communication
with the insurgents. / had plenty of
offers of safe conduct to Gomezs camp
and was told that if l would write him
an answer would be returned safely
WITHIN TEN DAYS
at most. | saw several who had visit
ed the insurgent camps and was sought
out by an insurgent field officer who
gave ME the best information received
as to the insurgent force. His state
ments were moderate, and | was cred
IDLY informed that he was entirely re-
liable He claimed that the Cubans
had about 10000 men now in the field,
some in every province, but mostly in
the two eastern province and Eastern
Santa Clara, and this statement was
corroborated from other good 6ources.
They have a force all the time in
Havana province itself, organized as
four small brigades an doperating in
small bands. Ruiz was taken, tried
and shot within about mile and a
half of the railroad and about fifteen
miles out of Havana on the road TO
Matanzas. a road more travelled than
anv other. and which / went over four
times.
Aranguen was killed about three
miles the other side of the road and
about the same distance, Is or 20 miles
from Havana.
They were well armed but very poor
Nv supplied with ammunition. They
are not allowed to carry many cart
ridges. sometimes not more than one
or two The infantry especially are
noorly clad. Two small squads OF pris-
oners which ! saw, however one OF
hair q dozen, in the STREETS OF Havana,
and one of three on the cars, were bet
Ter clothed than the average Spanish
soldier Each of these prisoners,
though surrounded by guards, was
bound by the arms and wrists by cords