The herald., 1897-01-28
THE CONDITIONS IN CUBA
J. A. Wood Contradicts Congress ma n
Money
Havana, He Says, Is Not Infested by
nsurgents-Disputes the
Senator Elect.

The representations of fernando De
Soto Money. member of congress and
sera tor-elect from Mississippi, as to the
state of affairs in Cuba, are pronounced
to be incorrect in many particulars by
j. A. Wood the architect. of 1873 Broad
way, New York, who was in Cuba ut
the time of Mr.. Moneys visit, and has
personally Investigated the situation
| there.
II cannot understand" said Mr.. Wood
| to a reporter for the New York Times
| the other day, how an educated man,
| carrying the passport of another nation,
| and asking protection and receiving T.
| can so degrade himself as to publish
| statements that will work injury with
| out first determining the responsibility
| of the source from which he secures lis
| information"
| Mr.. Woods business affairs have ta-
| ken him to Cuba every year but one
since 1886, and ne is personally known
| to many prominent Cubans. During
| his last visit to the island, which ter
minated Saturday Jan. 2, four days af-
| ter Mr.. Moneys arrival in Havana, he
traversed in safety part of the terri
| tory which Mr.. Money has declared to be
unsafe and at the mercy of the insur-
gents, and investigated for himself tn
| abacoa, which has been cited by Mr..
| Money as an instance of Spanish at
| rocity Concerning this he said:
Mr.. Money states that he was In
| formed by General Weyler that there
| were only a few scattered hordes of
| rebels in the province of Havana, and
| denies it in this language: only a few
days before my arrival the insurgents
| three nights in succession attacked the
| City of Guanabacoa, of $4,000 inha Bit
| ants, within four or five miles of the
| city of Havana, and burned twenty-five
! houses. They were unapposed to Wey-
| ler's troops; they did as they pleased
| and Withdrew
Now" said Mr.. Wood, "I made close
personal inquiry into the affair at Qua
nabacoa, and learned very different
| facts. I was in the city of Guanabacoa
| on the day of the trouble, but did not
hear of it until 1 had returned to Ha-
F., vana. There We're many rumors cur
| rent concerning the damage done and
the loss of life, but the most extrava-
| giant of all these runors placed the
number of dead insurgents at eighteen.
| AS the result of my investiga tions
| learned beyond a shadow of a doubt
that not more than two insurgents were
| killed. And yet. in the report given out
| by Mr. Money, it appears that he added
! of his own volition nine persons to the
list of the dead as it was irresponsibly
| estimated at first.
/ The reports of insurgent attacks on
| the suburbs of Havana are among the
| curious things of the war in Cuba. 1t is
| frequently announced that the residents
| of Havana are alarmed at the sounds
OF hring during the night. the Inference
| being that the insurgents are bold
| enough to assail the outskirts of the city.
| There is shrewd class of cafe proprie-
| tors at Guanabacoa. and other suburbs
| of Havana. They all want their towns
| garrisoned for business reasons These
! mock engagements by night are very
| good means of demonstrating their need
| OF protection. The people of Havana
| have ceased to be alarmed at warlike
noises by night since the cause of most of
| them has become generally known
The inference of Mr.. Money concern
| ing the prevalence of epidemics and the
inadequacy of the Spanish hospital SER
| vice are rot borne out by my observa-
| tions. ] was in Havana eleven days and
| saw but two of the yellow smallpox flags
| Ihere are few cases, but no more than
| usually follow in the wake of an army.
| The disease is not known to be epidemic
| in Havana now. Yellow fever always
exists in Havana to some extent, but It
| is not especially prevalent now. Mr..
Money says: I was al once given an op-
| tion when I arrived of being vaccinated
such experience. 1 was vaccinated on
| leaving the port for the United States OIL
| the day of my departure
In bearing out his statement that the
| country around Havana is not safe from
| lnsurrectionists," said Mr.. Wood, "Mr.
| Money says that the insurgents are so
close and powerful that they levy a tax
on all the fruit, vegetables, corn. milk
| and meat that enter Havana TT is a tax
| IKE tariff said Mr. Money, and goes
| to the height of about 25 per cent ad va
| lorem. Not mouthful of Cuban pro-
| ducts he adds, is eaten today in Havana
that does not pay tariff to the revolu-
| ton. In this Indirect way Weyler him.
| self is contributing TO the revolution
Here are the facts on this point"
said Mr. Wood. THE country lying i'm
| mediately around the towns occupied by
| the spanish is in remarkably high state
| of cultivation. Around Havana the su
| burbs are all under Spanish control, and
the country never looked so prosperous
| agriculturally as now. Plaza Vapor,
! the great Havana market, is always full
of fresh country produce The greater
part of this produce is raised inside the
| Spanish lines. When Mr.. Money decla re- 6
that not mouthful of Cuban products
| is today eaten In Havana that does NOT
pay tariff to the revolution, he shows
that he either did not keep his eyes open
" Niu ifCt Well Tic outlying districts If
| all.
Travellers visiting Havana and net
being otherwise informed would find
nothing whatever in the city to indicate
that there is a war in progress on the
island. The five theaters are open. and
| there is evidence that the people in the
city are not greatly alarmed. The Gus
| toms authorities do not make any more
rigid examination of baggage of Amer
leans than formerly-at least, I was
! treated exactly as on my previous trips
| to the island for year, past. And there
iS no examination of the person, as at
New York and other northern ports. The
hotels are open as usual. Trains are
running regularly on all of the railroads
centering in Havana. l made the trip
| across the island to Batabano which is
on the Caribbean sea, whence steamers
depart for the Isle of Pines, another line
| to the westward and a third line to
Cienfuegos and the east. The trains run
| daily both ways, and the train on which
1 travelled carried upward of 400 passen-
| gers, which is about the regular number
on steamer days-twice a week. This
road passes the Vento water works
which supply Havana. and also passes