The Story of Cuba

“The Story of Cuba is a tragedy.” Murat Halstead wrote it while the insurrection was still burning — four centuries of Spanish rule, the sugar and slave economy, Weyler’s camps, and an America deciding whether to intervene.

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The Orders and Administration of Weyler

A Vigorous and Comprehensive Series of Orders, Declarations, Decrees and Commands, and Promises of Restoration of Order in these Provinces on the 15th of March--The Difference between the Proclamation and the Performance--The Weyler Administration Signally Fails--The Daring and Success of the Maceos--A Hard Blow at a Sore Time and Place.

THERE has been world-wide controversy over the policy of Captain-General Weyler. The universal Cuban view is singularly simple and radical. It is that Campos was retired because he would carry on war with methods not inconsistent with civilization, and that Weyler was appointed to be barbarous. The definition of the truth about this is important, and the task of being just one that is serious and almost novel, because on this point partisanism is at a scorching heat, and a spirit of moderation is denounced as treason to patriotism, or uniting disorder with cowardice. We have at hand a complete set of Weyler's orders up to the end of March, the first dated Feb. 10, 1896, and give such portions of them as are characteristic and have caused excitement and comment. That is to say, we produce the extracts that possess a degree of popular interest. The first of the Weyler orders, addressed to the inhabitants of Cuba, after a reference to "the difficult circumstances of the present time," concluded:

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