The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1907-05-20
Performed in Cuba by
American Soldiers.
MORAL TRIUMPHS
As Well as Material Achievements
are Credited to the So Called
Army Of PaCifiCatiOn,

Havana. May 20.--Enriched by con-
stant practice in every department OF
military experience save the supreme
test Of battle, the army Of Cuban
pacification. after a bloodless cam
paign of six months, may fairly take
rank as the crack corps of the forces
of the United States. Without hav-
ing been called upon to fire a shot or
to make a single hostile demonstra.
tion It has to its credit a list OF
achievements of which officers and
men are justly proud.
Among its moral triumphs have
been the maintenance of a standard
of discipline and sanitation of more
than Japanese excellence and the
preservation of perfect self-control
while in contact with an unsympa-
thetic population. Its greatest ma
terial achievement has been the pro-
duction, based on countless recopnois-
sances and surveys, of chart OF the
island OF Cuba which officers declare
10 be the most minutely perfect mill
tary map in existence With the
completion of this work the possibil-
ity of successfully carrying on guer.
lila tactics such as formerly enabled
the Cubans indefinitely to prolong
their revolutions against the over
whelming forces of Spain may be
said to have vanished
Should United States troops ever
be called upon to take the field In
Cuba they will begin the campaign
with the inestimable advantage of
perfect familiarity with the topog-
raphy of tn. whole island. including
every trail and by-path and every
mountain fastness in which Gomez.
Garcia, Maceo and other heroes Of
the war for independence were wont
to bid defiance to Spanish pursuit.
Added to this the increase in railroad
facilities and the completion of the
projected system OF highways
throughout the island will afford such
ready means for the rapid transpor-
tation of troops as will make any at
tempt at hostile concentration little
short Of impossible.
The army OF Cuban pacification
which originally numbered $500 men
of all arms. without kicluding ma
rines, has now dwindlcd by the nat
ural process of discharges on eXpira-
ton of enlistments to about $500 men.
There are also under Gen. Barry's
command about 1000 marines. These
It was proposed to withdraw, but on
account Of the difficulty of obtaining
recruits sufficient to fiji up the ranks
of the army they will be retained, i'm
compliance with the request of Gen.
Barry. who believes that his force is
none too large as it is. or these
troops nearly 1000 quartered in
Camp Columbia form the garrison of
Havana and the remainder are scat.
tered over the island in 30 posts, IL
Of which are occupied by marines,
Against this force there is yet TO be
registered a single trespass upon the
persons or property of the people, the
protection of whom against each
other has been the main object of the
army's presence, and this is the fea-
ture of the campaign OF which the
commanding general is most. proud.
It is true that there have been a few
clashes between rural guards and the
American forces in which the unarm-
ed soldiers have been at a disadvaRI-
age with their machete-wearing op-
poDents, but investigation has shown
that these occurrences always have
resulted from the Jealousy of the
Cubans and in no instance have the
soldiers permitted themselves to
make reprisals.