Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-04-14
Senor Quesada Describes Sundays
Proceedings as a Farce.
CANDIDATES CHOSEN BY SPAIN
Gomez Preparing for a Vigorous
Wet Season Campaign.
R E CRUITING FRA UDS

atlNe In washington OF the Cuban republic
returned yesterday from New York, where
he went Saturday to attend the sixth an
nual banquet Of the Delta Chi Fraternity,
OF which he lis a member Senor Quesada
answered the toast Free Cuba" and his
remarks created such enthusiasm that the
banquet became in reality a Cuban celebra-
ton, duril g which Quesada was lifted on
| the shoulders of his friends and carried
| around and around the banouetinR hall.
Star reporter called on him this MORN
ing at the Raleigh to learn something
| about the elections that were held in Cuba
Sunday last. and any general information
| he might have on the subject in which SO
many Americans are interested.
The elections resulted. as I told you
Trey would last week. in a farce" said
Senor Qucsada. "A very light ballo: was
cast and only the conservatives voted.
The candidates already selected by the
Spanish government were chosen and IL
was altogether puppet show"
Senor Quesada here called attention to a
carlcature In the Madrid paper called Don
Quixote," showing Canovas arranging his
mannikinS for the occasion
THE same conditions governed the cleo
tons in Spain," he continued. The gov
ernment had everything cut and dried be-
forehand. In Cuba out of thirty deputies to
the Spanish cortes but four natives of the
| island were elected. aid all their interests
are In Spain and they are the worst ene-
| mes OF Cuba's liberties on earth-tories Of
the worst kind. The other twenty-six are
even worse. In order to disabuse your
mind OF any idea that may be overstating
the case, / would like to quote Spanish
views on the same subject.
Views of "a Spanish Paper.
"El Dia Of Madrid. in its issue of March
2S, says. referring to a friend of the min
lister of the colonies, who could not OBJ
tain seat in the certes from. Spain, but
| who was made car idate in Cuba, as
follows: so We see thai the minister of the
colonies believes that on account of his
position he has the right to impose upon
the electors of Cuba the candidates that
ne chooses, although nobody knows them
in the Great Antilles or has ever heard
them spoken about 1t is thus that the
government holds that elections can be
| held In Cuba 1t would be just as well 10
| appoint the deputies by royal decree. The
voting booths are. indeed. useless ~
I Further on" said Senior Quesada, "El
| D1a says, The world will think that we
| have sent 10000 men to Cuba, so that the
| candidates drowned here in the River Ebro
may De able to triumph in any district
whatever surrounded by the revolution
In looking over the lists of the newly
elected Cuban deputies we find this con-
firmed," continued Senior Quesada For
instance, from the province of Matanzas
the arch enemy of Cuba, Romero RobIedo,
who has always opposed everything look
ing to the ameliora ton of the island and
WHO mas 1OuBnt every movement toward
reform, was chosen to a seat in the Spanish
cortes. He is a fit specimen of all the 9TH
ers Doc
There arc some, like Gasset and Gellego
who for no other reason than because they
arc Spanish newspaper correspondents
whom the government wants to have on its
side, are given seats in the Spanish cortes
| do not wonder that the Indignation of the
people in Spain over the way the elections
have been conducted both at home and in
the colonies Is so great as TO make a revo-
| luton in Spain probable. And yet" ejacu-
| lated Sencr Quesada, there are people who
think that the Island OF Cuba could he
worse governed by the Cubans themselves",
CGbans Organising q New Army.
Speaking of the conditions in Cuba, Senor
Quesada saido'I see the Spanish cable VIC
tories in Cuba continue. but We also con-
tinue to receive gratifying information
| from authoritative sources that our cause
| is progressing steadily and favorably. Gen.
Gomez is organizing a new army of inva-
| sion by means of the thousands of rifles
and cartridges which have been lately
| landed in the island. He is being ably as
| sisted in this by Gen. Calixto Garcia OF
| Hawkins fame. the boat that was lost and
which We now know was scuttled by
| agents of the Spanish government, and
| also by Gen. Francisco Carrillo, who was
tried and acquitted of the charge of fill
clustering at Wilmington.
1.-The vanguard Of this new army is now
coming west fully equipped for an aggres-
! sive campaign during the summer, when
| the unacclimated Spanish troops will be
confronted not only by Vigorous Cubans,
but by the yellow fever as well. The ma
| tive Cuban can fight as well in the wet
season as in the dry. 1t Is mistake to
think that our operations Will be dfscontin-
ued on account Of the wet weather. We
| will only redouble our efforts, and YOU
r,ay expect to see great results very soon.
THE work of establishing the civil gov
eminent and preparing the people for the
establishment of the Cuban republic steadi-
| ly goes on, and recently in the state of the
| east, known as Oriente. Carlos Manuel des
| Cespedes, well known to the American col
| ony in Paris, has been installed gov
| ernor, and in the state Of Las Vegas Dr.
Domingo Mendez Capote, formerly pro-
| fessor in the University Of Havana and q
| celebrated Cuban lawyer, has received
| similar appointment The character OF
| such men sufficiently disproves the asser-
| ton that the best people Of Cuba are not
| engaged in the fight for freedom, and
| equally denies the claim that anarchy Will
follow independence. The Cuban republic
will have no fear Of dissenters when II will
| be established over all the island, as it soon
| will be-"
Those Alleged Recruiting Officers.
In conclusion, Senior Quesada said he de-
sired to again warn the public against the
individuals who were representing them
selves as recruiting agents for the Cuban
| army.
These men are all frauds" said he, with
| vigorous emphasis. Il am sometimes in
| clined to think, from the persistency with
| which they continue their msrepresenta-
| tions, that they are agents of the Spanish
| government and are employed for the pur-
| pose of getting us into trouble with the
| United States government. There is no
| authorized or honest recruiting for the
| Cuban army going on in this country.
''The representatives Of Cuba In tho
United States receive scores Of offers every
week from men, young and old, who
proffer their services in behalf Of Cupa, and
are willing to pay their expenses to the
| island and support themselves while there.
but we decline them all. So please make It
as strong as possible, and say that the men
who are representing themselves as agents
| to recruit soldiers for Cuba are frauds, pure
| and simple"
Cardinal SatOlN RetueninG.