The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1910-09-23

Us pooh. HOW gloomy the outlook was is set
~ - sFapnlcahy In confidential letter from
Gen. Martinez Campos to canovas dal rastilIo
prime minister of Spain
Although from the very first I
reaiized the gravity of the situation refused to
pelieve It; my visits In CUBA Principe and Hol-
gin appalled, me; however in order not to appear
pesslmisuc, did not express all my thoughts and
! decided to visit not only the maritime communi-
Ties, but the towns In the interior The few Span-
iards who live in the island do not dare to men
tlon their origin except IN the cities The rest
81 the population hates Spain Wherever you pass
q farm and ask the women where their husbands
are, they answer with terrifying frankness: In
the mountains with Chief SO and So
You could not get anyone to carry a message
Tor 800 nor 1000 pesetas he would be hanged il
he were ever caught
The rebels who charged Weyler with wanton
cruelty seldom restrained themselves from accom-
pshing deeds Of violence likely to terrorize the
rev remaining supporters of the Spanish rule. To
quote Weyler:
The insurgents did not return In any way the
considerable treatment accorded to them by this
generous commander (Martinez Campos) At the
beginning OF the war Maxine Gomez showed HIM
self very fair; but Maceo, as shall prove by au-
thentic documents, ordered his bands to set fire
to all the sugar mills whose owners were not pay
ing war tribute to plumber and loot the country,
TO shoot mercilessly all the messengers men
caught repairing railroad lines or bringing pro-
Visions into the villages. Worse yet: The insur-
gent chiefs did not hesitate to kill with their own
weapons defenseless islanders, and Maxine Co
mez in his Memories confesses to having shot
personally man he had sentenced to death
deed which call willful murder And still that
individual presumes to call me assassin"
AS his authority for the foregoing statement
General Weyler not only quotes extracts from the
Cuban papers. but appends a proclamation of
Maceo, Gomez's lieutenant. to his bands.
Comrades in Arms: Destroy, destroy every
thing, day and night; to blow up bridges to derail
trains, to burn up villages and sugar mills, to
annihilate Cuba is the only way to defeat our ene
mics. We have not to account for our conduct
to anyone. Diplomacy public opinion and history
don't matter. It-would be sheer insanity to seek
the laures of the battlefield, TO bear the fire of
the enemy's artillery and contribute to the glory
OF the Spanish commanders. The essential thing
Is to- convince Spain that Cuba will be but heap
OF ruins. What compensation will she receive
then for the sacrifice enSailed by the campaign?
We must burn and raze everything. 1t would be
folly to fight though we were an European
army Where rides are of no avail let dynamite
do the work A. MACEO."
The only way to subdue such bloodthirsty des-
perate pirates was to adopt their own tactics The
Insurgents. OF their own admission. never gave
nor accepted battle. but harassed the regulars aud
destroyed their sources Of supply. "Concentra-
ton" seemed to be the only solution OF the prob
lem. for the wives and children OF the Insurgents