The new era., 1910-09-29

Justify Americas attitude In the Cuban mix-up
Weyler was the best hated in Cuba when
the government of his nation finally recalled him.
This book will cause him to be cursed the length
and breadth of the peninsula
wrote IL, he says, Ito give all the facts
about my conduct as general in chief, conduct
admired not only by army officers. high and
low, who wrote innumerable letters, but
by privates. who. their return to the penin-
sua, spoke of me with enthusiastic fer
vor for which thank them enough
Various reasons prevented from doing years
ago (when I could not have freed my mind
from certain bias) work which l can now
do in perfect peace of mind, thanks to the
time that has passed, and which has soothed
the irritation due to the injustice I suffered at
the hands of men.
Furthermore did not wish to sadden Senior
Sagasta by retelling the story of our colonial
disasters; neither did l feel any pleasure in CEN
surng the iustrious Gen. Martinez Campos my
predecessor In Cuba, however uncharitaby he
acted toward me after his return to the capital"
perusal of the book fails to prove that Wey-
Ter kept his promise to treat the subject with
perfect moderation; the generals blood is still
boiling. and with some justification. for atrocious
his conduct in many instances, it could
not very well be criticized in Spain by the Span
fish government
Had Weyler been endowed with the literary
genius of Marriott Las Cazes. he could have
made much stronger case against Spain and
presented his own actions in much more favor
writer's craft is deficient sas his fund of infor-
nation touching political economy general his
tory, national anad international politics is
meager
Weyler is not diplomat; the slippery land
OF nriances and innuendos is to him terra incog-
nita; primitive brute. with rudmentary ethics
though unfinchingly frank and straightforward,
he never ventures assertion which cannot be
supported by documents; he never pays any at
tention to hearsay but quotes peoples letters in
extenso.
fascinating type, after ALL for the observer
blessed with the of history; just imagine
what a Weyler would have developed into If he
had not been born 500 years too late; clad
in steel, he had been riding caparisoned mount.
or If he had been allowed to range over Europe
during the Thirty Years war!
General Weyler's style is very trying; even
his proclamations vainy modelled after Napoleon
lis oratorfcal gems, rarely sound the note that :
makes people or army vibrate. His rela-
tions of the Cuban campaign with all the facts
figures. names recorded in haphazard fashion
day by day, is well nigh unreadable
But the documents he publishes in support of
his thesis lsome Of them of confidential char
akter and which must have been secured through
diplomatic means') make it well worth while
wading through otherwise dull. shapeless and
fndigestible piece of writing. s
First of all made to realize how hope
less the plight of the Spanish commanders had
become in the island when Weyler took the stu
him had been losing ground from day to day;
their cables to the Spanish government gave
Information of pessmistic character of which
the public and the press seldom appraised;
their confidential correspondence betrayed heart
rending facts; more than poor Gen. Marti
nez Campos had humbly confessed himself beat
en- while the cabinet led the Spanish nation to
believe that the practically over.
Weyler himself. when placed in command OF
the Cuban army not given what he was
entitled to. honest account of the situation.
when landed In Cuba" he writes, -T did
not even suspect the terrible conditions that pre-
vailed In the island. I did not know anything