They complain that they were told that Cuba was pacified a month ago, and that nothing remained to be done but to subdue some bands of insurgents that were scattered throughout the island. This was only a month ago, and now they are asked to prepare a fresh army to go to Cuba, and are told that the Spanish cause has met with disaster.
The Spanish papers are openly declaring that the time has come to put a stop to the sacrifice of men and money, and that the mother country must end her wars and give her people peace.
The latest news of the insurgents is that Gomez is advancing on Havana, and promises that at the gates of the city he will show General Weyler whether the island is really pacified or not.
He has issued a proclamation, saying that Spain might as well stop any attempt to grant reforms to Cuba. He says: "We will accept neither reforms nor home rule. Spain must know that this war is one for independence, and that the Cubans would rather die than yield. The day we lifted our flag of liberty, we wrote on it: 'Independence or death.'"
The committee appointed to inquire into the Transvaal raid has sent in its report to Parliament—or, to speak correctly, it has sent in two reports, for the members could not agree.
One report says that, whatever justification there may have been for the people of Johannesberg to rebel against the rule of the Boers, there was none whatever for Mr. Cecil Rhodes to organize and dispatch an invading army into the Transvaal.
This portion of the committee declares that the blame rests entirely on Cecil Rhodes, notwithstanding the fact that Dr. Jameson did finally invade the territory without direct orders.
They find that Cecil Rhodes seriously embarrassed the home and colonial governments, by thus breaking the peaceful understanding between the nations; and further, that he used his high position to provoke a rebellion, and deliberately deceived the home Government that he might be able to carry out his own personal plans. The Government in England is declared to be entirely innocent of any knowledge of the affair, but two officers of the colonial Government are found guilty.
To the surprise of everybody, the report contains no suggestion for the punishment of any of the offenders.