Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1898-04-22

tdlSAu8 Auu mOveulSuk VI. VCVvI0lOu8 OF All
kinds were interdicted. The fields were
mills destroyed, and, in short, everything
that could desolate the land and render It
unfit for human habitation or support was
commanded by one or the other of the
contending parties and executed by ell
the powers at their disposal.
Hcrded in the Towrs.
By the time the present administration
took Office a year ago rcconcentration-so-
called-had been made effective over the
better part of the four central and west
ern provinces-Santa Clara. Matanzas,
Havana and Pinar del Rio. The agricul-
tural population, to the estimated NUM-
Der of 100000 or more, was herded with
in the towns and their immediate vicin-
age, deprived of the means of support,
rendered destitute of shelter, left poorly
clad and exposed to the most unsanitary
conditions.
As the scarcity of food increased with
the devastation of the depopulatcd areas
of production, destitution and want be-
came misery and starvation. Month by
month the death rate increased in an
alarming ratio. BY March, 1897, accord
ing to conservative estimates from OIL
cial Spanish sources, the mortality among
the rc~concentrados from starvation and
the disease thereto incident exceeded so
per centum Of their total number. No
practical relief was accorded Ito the des-
titlte. The o%verburdened towns. already
suffering from the general dcarth, could
give no aid. so-callcd zones of cultiva-
ton, established within the immediate
area of effective military control about
the cities and fortified camps, proved illus
DRY as n remedy for the suffering. The
un%fortunates, being for the most part
women and children. with aged and help
less mon, cnfcebled by disease and hum
ger. could not have titled the soil without
tools, seed or shelter for their own sup
port or for the supply of the cities. Re
concentration, adopted avowedly as a war
measure in order to cut off the resources
OF the Insurgents. worked its predestincd
result. As l said in my message of last
December, it was not civilized warfare; it
was determination. The only peace 1t
could bcget was that of the wilderness
and the grave.
Meanwhile the military situation in the
island had undergone Il noticeable change.
Inc extraordinary activity that charac-
teriZed the second year of the war, when
the insurgents invaded cven the hitherto
unframed fields of pinar del Rio, and
carried havoc and dcstitution up to he
walls of the city of Havana itself, had
resapsed into Il logged struggle in the
central and eastern provinces. The Span
lsh arms rcgained a measure of contro!
III linar del Rio and parts of Havana, but
under the existing conditions of the rural
country, without immediate improvement
of their productive situation. Even thus
partially restricted the revolutionists held
their OWN, and their submission, put for
ward by Spain as the essential and sole
basis of peace, seemed as far distant as
at the outset.
Promise of Autonomy.
In this state of affairs my administers
tlon found itself confronted with the
grave problem of its duty. My message
OF last December reviewed the situation
ana detailed the steps taken with Il view
OF relieving its acuteness and opening the
way to some form of honorable settle
lnent. The assassination of the prime
minister, CanoNas, led TO a change of gov
eminent in Spain. The former admins
t%ration.. pledged to s%ubjugation without
concession, gave place to that of Il more
liberal party. committed long in advance
to a policy of reform involving the wider
principle of home rule for Cuba and ru-
crto Rico. The ovcrtures of this gov
ernment. made through its new envoy,
General Woodford. and locking TO an inn
mediate and effective ame!ioration of the
condition OF the island. although not ac-
c!eptcd to the extent of limited media
non IN any shape, Were md by assurances
that home rule. in q ADJ inccd phase,
out waiting for the war 10 eAf.d. ana that
more humane methods should thenceforth
prevail i'll the conduct of host;litics. In
cldentaliy with these declarations the
new government of Spain continued and
completed the policy already begun by its
predecessor of testifyins friendly regard
Tor this nation by releasing American
citizens held under one Charge or an
other connected with the Instruction, SO
that 10y the end of November not n single
person entitled in any way to our national
protection remained in Il Spanish prison.
While these negotiations were in prog
ress the increasing destitution of the nm
fortunate reconcentrados and the alarm
ing mortality among them claimed ear
nest attention. The success which had
attended the limited measure of relief
among them by the judicious expenditure
through the consular agencies of the
money appropriated expressly for their
May. n, 1897, prompted the humane ex-
tension of a similar scheme of aid to the
great body of sufferers. A suggestion to
this end was acQuicsced in by the Span
ish authorities.
On the 9th of December last l caused
to be issued MI appeal to the American
people, inviting contributions in money or
in kind for the succor of the starving suf-
ferers in Cuba, following this on the Sth
of January by a similar public announce
ment of the formation of a central Cuban
relief committee, with headquarters in
New York City, composed of three menu
bers representing the American National
Red Cross and the religious and business
of that committee have been untiring and
accomplished much. Arrangements for
free transportation to Cuba have greatly
aided the charitable work. The president
of the American Red Cross and represent
atives of other c%ontributory Organizations
have generously visited Cuba and coop
Grated with the Consul General and the
local authorities to make effective distri-
button Of the relief collected through the
efforts of the central committee. Nearly
100000 in money and supplies has al
ready reached the sufferers, and more is
forthcoming. The supplies are admitted
duty free. and transportation to the in
terror has been arranged, so that the re-
lief, ut first necessarily confined to Ha-