The times., 1897-05-17

derstood the true difficulty md expressed
to the speaker his contempt fer American
/ sympathy. He knew the sympathy of tn.
people at large was with him, but he com
/ pained that it did not materialize. Il
chis spirit were not changed Cuba, wher
free, would necessarily have feeling OF
| animosity to the people of the United
States, and our great opportunities fol
commerce would be lost by the Cubans
making with other people their treaties
When Gomez is president-as he shall be
| (applaHse) Cubans will treat US rs
4 eoidly as we have treated them.
The question of most present interest,
| he said, was the condition of the people
on the island. The suffering was con
fined principally to the pacificos, wht
occupied neutral ground between the
eontending parties, but from which the
Cuban army was drawn. Among these
people starvation was very common The
towns depended for bread and meat on
imports, the country was cut off from
the towns, and those who own fi,id prod
ucts are rot allowed TO use them. MIR.
Decker described the conditions in a
town of $4,000 Inhabitants 900 OF
jects OF public and private charity. Death
| was at the rate OF about five a day
Notwithstanding the charities, one OF the
| berefactors being Consul Barker, who gave
up half his salary in this cause. tApplause }
| Mr.. Decker described a warehouse in
which were 200 Of these poor peasants
! Fifty Of them, he said, were dying, not
| from disease, but from lack of nourish-
| ment. Five died on the day he was
| allowed only TO look in, one OF them being
a boy who had the misfortune of being
a relative of someone In the insurgent army
and was therefore under sentence OF star
walton to death. Weyier thus proposed
TO crush out the rebellion by crushing out
the breed Similar conditions, he said,
existed In Matapzas, Cardenas, and Ha-
vana. In the latter city deaths by star
walton are classified as death by some
disease.
4 voice What would you recommend
to stop all thisy
MIR. Deckcr-I would not recomm end
sending food to the island. would recon-
mend that this Government would force
Weyler to allow these people to go back
to their homes, to their farms, where there
is food enough for them. tAppIause)
Mr.. Decker explained that in granting
this aid il would be hard to pick out the
American citizens who, anyhow, were gen.
orally prosperous and thrifty class OF
residents The proposition to send food to
Americans was utterly nonsensical 1t
would be easy to scare the Spaniards into
doing what he recommended. Weyler was
buffer: you could bluff him with two
deuces He was a coward and a type of
the Spaniard What was needed most
was that the United States should tax G
quick and decided action. In proof of the
cowardice OF the Spaniards, Mr.. Decker
related the rising or the people at Sui
Grande on the passage of the Cameron res
oiution and their demonstration against
Consul Barker. which was allayed W henthey
found that the consul at his house Was
getting ready to fight with his Winches-
ter. 1t wasn't necessary to whip a Span
lard, but merely to hit him. A firm posi-
tion on the part Of this Government would
not make Spain fight at all She wo uldsim-
ply yield. AS to American prisoners, they
would be promptly released II this Gov
ernInent showed It's hands In the right
way. as IN the case Of Sangmlly. LAP
plausel
The chances OF war, the speaker declared
to be In favor of the insurgents.
r. he said, you will give the insurgents
arms and ammunition. they Will fight
their own way TO freedom. tApplause)
Mr. Decker closed by describing the civil
government OF the Cuban republic, it's
various departments and their functions.
lie predicted that, at the coming election,
Gomez would be elected president on ac-
Of ha NJ he
''what do you think ought to be done?"
he was asked from the audience.
"That is question for the Senate and
are dying by the hundreds, and if the con-
ditions are not changed the population
of the island will consist only OF soldiers"
Senator Gallinger announced that Secre-
tary Bonner would read some extracts from
letters and consular reports These gen.
orally were unsigned. and the letters dealt
largely with matter to disprove the ''paci-
fication" of the provinces in which it was
claimed by WeyIer.
1he following document aroused a gen.
uine sensation:
Extract from an official letter of In
structions written by Assistant Secretary
OF State Rockhin to an American consul
in Cuba:
This letter is now on file in the con-
sular office referred to, and a copy of It
is doubtless also on file in the State De
partment, in this city. This letter was
read by gentleman now in this city, who
has Just returned from Cuba, and can be
fully sulstantiated upon demand by the
proper authorities In his instructions to
the American consul Mr.. Rockhi says:
| advise you 60 make your reports less
favorable to the insurgents hereafter, as
the Administration wishes TO avoid all
possible friction with the Spanish govern
Inent
Again, in a later communication to the
same consul, Mr.. Rockhill says:
Hereafter, when you have matters OF
this kind to report treferring to certain
Spanish outrages reported IN the consul 5
previous letter to the State DEPARTMENT.
mark your communications Confidential,
SO that in case of inquiries from the
Senate for consular reports from Cuba
your reports need not be given to the
Senate.
The ercading OF this paper was interrupted
with hisses for the Cleveland Administra-
ton
The following extract from a letter re-
Gently received from Sancti Spiritus is Of
interest:
/ send a letter TO you with the request
that yous will be SO kind as to send 1T to
Col. Agairre.s wife and children in New
York. He was killed last week by Span
iaTds, and half alive, was dragged by the
gnerillas into the town with a rope ar ound
his neck TO Gen Obregan, who was very
angry when he saw Col. Aguirre treated
in that hunlliating and barbarous manner
Col. Aguirre had a silver watch with his
picture IN 1t and about $500 in gold, which
the soldiers took from him Col guirre
is an American citizen who has lived in