The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1902-07-04

Of Cuba is a tale Of baseness. robbery
and inhumanity. Cuba has always been
governed by SpaniardS sent over for
that purpose Individual industry and
enterprises were discouraged or para
lyZed because the goVernS-s sent over
from Spain left the native producers
barely enough for the needs of exist
ence.
During the last so years Cuba has
rebelied six times. IN order TO keep
of soldiers. two hundred thousand if
accounts are to be credited had been
sent to Cuba. but they did no fighting
worthy of the name and were not in
to serve as a means for the enrichment
of their officers. who appropriated the
money sent to pay them except just so
much as might serve to keen the sol
diers alive. 1t was the policy of the
Spanish officials not to fight the war
out. but to prolong it, and gradually
exterminate the Cuban race. General
Weyler. the most famous captain gen.
eral, the catalogue of whose crimes
and bestalities perhaps surpasses that
of any living being has never been out
done. even by his own countrymen IN
the past. He is the man who caused
Cuban ladies to be abused and who an
Swered. their appeals for mercy by kick
ing and stamping upon them and tear
ing their flesh with his spurred heels.
The maids and women had done moth
ing. to offend him. except to be wives
and daughters of Cubans who were
suspected of disaffection to Spain or
who failed to deliver to the general the
amount of money which he had chosen
to think they possessed. We need not
further detail Weylers crimes: they
had full rein during his lease of power;
he was the idol and model of mis- follow.
ers. and he. as well as they became
rich to the extent of MANI millions by
the theft of money not only from the
(snhanS pmhQZZlQmpnt
sums sent over from Spain to carry on
the war From the first to the last no
one has been found to relate to this
monster one single redeeming trait.
With view to fastening the eXter-
mination of the Cuban race Weyler
conceived and put in execution an idea
which could occur only to one whose
thoughts tound their inspiration in the
Source of all evil. 1t was on October
21st that he issued his famous order of
mand that all the Inhabitants now out
side of the line of Qualifications of the
towns shall within the period of eight
days, concentrate themselves around the
individual. who. after the expiration of
this period. is found in the uninhab BIZ
tated parts will be considered a rebel
and tried as such.'
There were then living in the regions
nelghboring to the towns i'll question
persons whose number has been var
iOusy estimated at from four hundred
to six hundred thousand. Most of these
were women and children. They were
of all social grades from the peasant
to the independent proprietor. Weyler's
order had caused them to abandon their
homes and crowd into barren space
around the towns. where they must re-
main. without shelter. except what they
could erect with their own hands. with
out furniture without food or any
means of obtaining any save by beg
gary.
The homes which these people had
been compelled to leave were destroyed
by Spanish guerrillas. and the land laid
to waste. If any individual were found
still hiding in the outer country. which
was constantly secured by the guer-
rillas they were hacked to death, shot,
or subjected to lingering torture. Many
were murdered for amusement. even
while obeying the RECOMMENDATION order.
But the majority were permitted slowly
to starve to death upon the bare ground
around the towns. They persisted in
heaps and rows. and their bones. for
flesh there was little or none left. were
tossed into pits or left to be devoured
by the vultures. Half a million recon-
centrados had been removed in this
manner at the time that war was de-
clared between Spain and the United
States
Cuba and the other island colonies of
Spain east and west have been Of use
to her in arresting her downward
course. which she has been so long
pursuing. Spains life such as it was,
depended upon them. and now that they
are to be withdrawn. sentence of death
upon the former owner has been passed.
She has no internal resources to meet
her expenses. to say nothing of her in
debtedness to other nations, and she
seems likely to become the mendicant
Of Europe for generations to come, and
finally to vanish from the roster of
nations more completely than Hungary
or Poland. 1t is terrible punishment
but it has been we'll merited
MAE QUAYLE.