Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-05-20
lBLEGRAPHIC.
CUBAN CONDITIONS.
rspsular Reports Disclose Facts Not
Before Publicly Known.
SECRETARY oLs.Y's LETTER
Tia secretary ofrrtd the Services OF
The U. ;. Government, but
Spain DecIiaed.

U,surSoroN, May 19.-The secret
...h,vss of the state department
"s,ch have held the consular reports
y, M. Uuban war from the public
wsre partially disclosed today by SEN
,,or Foraker Of Ohio. The facts which
SENATOR Foraker announced, without
stat,nv from whom they came, Gre
.,sd a decided stir. Especially start
ling was the letter from Secretary
oln.y. in which this country offered
redlation to Spain, and the refusal OF
that country to accept the profferei
aid.
while ore Of the consular reports
va. tead without the name of the au.
thar being disclosed, it is slated to be
communication from General Lee
,,h,ch fully gets forth mis- idea OF the
aonditione that exist In Cuba. The ex-
TOO, was quoted ms follows, no date
mI cannot upderstand the truth OF
the claim that all the provinces OF the
island are pacified except that OF bau-
,,sgo de Cuba, because there are more
,rs,roents under arms at this time
,hsn at the period first reached the
i.laud. some ten months ago, and do
not think 1t u fair inference TO draw
i,om ex sting conditions that the war
"a approaching u termination, because
in p,irsuancs OF an established policy
the insurp ents avoid as far as possible
ali ,erious engagements. The impos.
slblllty OF expelIing the Spanish troops
from tnis island by force Of arms 10
well known to them, and they do not
propose to risk the lives Of their men
or ms success OF their cause upon one
ar more pitched battles. 1 conclude
therefore that the war Will drsg its
weary length along so long as the In
surgents can dig sustenance from the
ground on one side or money be OBJ.
tanned by the other. No one can fully
appreciate the situation without being
here In person. The number OF poor,
distressed, starving women, children
and old men OF all races has greatly
increased In this city within the past
few weeks, while IN other points on the
island the suffering has been proper
tionately great"
The letter of Secretary Olney to
Spanish Minister De LONE, under date
OF April A. 1896. is the one In which in
tervention Is suggested. In opening
MIR. Olney said:
oLNEY's LETTER.
1t might BIO well deemed a derelic-
lion OF duty to the government OF the
United States, as wei! as a censurable
want OF csud0r to Spain II were
longer to defer official expression, as
well as OF the npxieiy-with which the
President regards the existing situation
in Cuba, as Of his earnest desire for
the prompt and permanent pacification
OF she island. Any plan giving renson-
able demands OF all concerned, will
earnestly be promoted by him by all
means which the Constitution and
laws Of this country place at his uit-
posal.
Ii 10 now nine or ten months since
the nature and prospects OF the insur.
recti0n were first discussed between
us. In explanation Of It's rapid and up
TO that time quite unorp0sed growth
anu progress, you called atteHtion TO
the rainy season, which from June TO
November renders military operations
imprA cticable. Spain wss pouring
such numbers OF troops into Cuba that
your theory and opinion that, when
they c1ulu be used in an active cam
paign, the insurruCtion would be al.
most instantly suppressed, seemed
reasonable and probable. In this par.
tlcular you said and sincerely be.
lieved that the present insurrection
would offer most marked contrast to
that which began In 1868, which. be.
ing feebly encountered with compare
lively small forces, prolonged It's life
Tor upward Of ten years.
1t Is impossible to deny that ex peota-
tons thus entertained by you in tho
summer and fall Of 1895, anu shared
not merely by all Span,a ards but by
most disinterested observers as well,
have been completely disappointed.
The insurgents seem tUuay to
command larger part Of the island