Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-10-18
SPANISH OFFICERS
Regret that They Allowed the
War to Close.
Have Insane Idea that They Could Have
Whipped Our Army.
Peace Commissioners Retarded n ulesk ~
spain's Demand for csba.

Washington, Oct. 17.-Inforxnation
has reached the war department that
q high officer in the Spanish army very
recently made the statement that had
the Spaniards been aware of the condi-
tfon Of the American army, its inAbil-
| ity to Withstand the hardshipe Of a
campaign. it's lack Of medical and
other supplies and general inefhciency
| as told in the American papers, the
Spaniards would not have given up,
but would have continued fighting for
a long time to come, fully believing
that they would have been able to pre-
vent the capture Of Cuba by American
arms.
This statement ID known to have
been made to the American officers
now in Cuba and causes some uneasi-
ness in official circles as 1t may mean
that the Spaniards are not ready to
yield the island under the terms Of the
| protocol.
BY those who are In q position to
know. 1T is asserted that the Madrid
government was aware when it asked
TOR peace and when negotiations were
opened that is was useless to ask that
| the Cuban debt be taken into consid-
GRAFTON by any commission and that 1t
| is only since the reports Of the bad
! condition of the United States army
has reached Madrid that the question
has been raised.
Another matter that causes grave
| consideration in the war department
is the temper Of the Spaniards in Cuba,
| and the fear that the impression which
now prevails there may lead them to
regard the American troops Of not
| much account and act accordingly at
ter the occupancy by the United
States.
The matter has been discussed in the
war department and it Is probable that
| when the troops are sent to Cuba there
will be force of such size and char
acter as to give the islanders a differ
| ent impression of United States sol-
diers from that which they. now enter
| tain.
THE impression among the Spaniads
in Cuba said an officer, yesterday.
| Who Is in a position to know w4ak Is
going on. lis that the Americans SOLE
diers are weak and puny, incapable OF
wfthstanding hardship and whom 1t
will be an easy matter to vanquish.
This feeling may at first make it Diff
cult for the Americans. This impress
sion is due ITO the charges that has
been made against the war department.
with such virulence and insistence dur
ing the past few months
The peace commissioners nave not
yet reached the subject Of the Philip
| pines but are still engaged, not exactly
| with the Cuban debt, but rather in an
effort on the one side, to get that SUBJ
| ject before the joint commission. and
on the other to exclude it entirely as
| not proper for discussion.
Without doubt the friction between
the two sides has become more pro-
nounced within the past few days, but
this is attributed to mistaken ideas
existing on the part of the Spanish
public men regarding the sentiment in
the United States and the probable re-
suits of varying political struggles
here. Under these erroneous impress
sions the Spanish commissioners have
persisted beyond what were believed to
be their powers of endurance upon
their effort to secure by some means
and arrangement, by hook or crook,
preferably just now by getting the
United States to accept title to Cuba.
for the assumption Of the Cuban debt
by this country or at least to relieve
Spain from that heavy obligation. The
Spanish effort will not prevail. but the
United States commissioners are re-
tarded thereby in the contamination Of
their work.
So far as the navy department Is
concerned, nothing is known Of any
tn Ty1vh nff
authorized or unauthorized, against
the establishment of a coaling station
at Guantanamo bay. About month
ago Capt. Goodrich, then the senior
officer on the station, being unwilling
to subject the government to the con-
siderable charges involved in keeping
lcoaling schooners lying in the harbor.
asked permission to have the vessels
land their coal and relieve the govern
ment of the demurrage.
The department authorized him to
proceed IL he could find q tract Of land
open to such use. He did find such
tract and landed his coal, and the de-
partment regards 1t as singular that
objection should be made to this action
in view of the fact that the United
States government now holds all Of the
public buildings and property In Sam
tiago, Manzanillo and other Cuban
cities without objection.
Commissioner P0wderly, Of the Inn
migration bureau. has received vol
luminous report from MIR. Robert
Watchorn. an immigration inspector
at New York, who some months ago
was instructed by Mr.. Powderly to go
to Europe and investigate the cause
which have resulted in diverting the
flow of immigration from United
States to Canadian ports and also the
facts as to the practice Of charitable
institutions in assistin1 Iaarnera ana