The herald., 1897-05-14

American citisens. the administration
would not change its existing position.
| The Senators asked for some official
information about the state of affairs in
Cuba and complained because this infor-
nation had been withheld.
The President replied that If the off,
cial reports of Consul-General Lee and
other Consuls on the island were made
public, they would inevitably provoke a
riot in Havana. He said that he was will
ing to let the Foreign Relations Commit
tee have all the information in the pos
session or 49, Government If 1t would be
carefully guarded. This was really what
the Senators wanted, and after their In
terview with the President they visited
Secretary Sherman for the purpose OF
arranging with him the means Of COM
municating the information. 1t is prob
able that no reports will actually be sent
to the committee, but that the chairman
and centain members will be permitted
to read the reports on file in the State
Department. From what the President
said and from what is already known of
the tenor of the Consul-Generals re-
ports, it is evident that General Lees
sympathies are with the insurgents. Be-
sides to investigate the Ruiz case, 1t is
said that one of the main purposes of
Mr.. Calhoun > visit to Havana will be to
establish the truth of the statements
made by General Lee and other consular
agents of the United States.
A conference was also held at Secre-
tary Sherman's home, to decide what
part of the official reports should be
given to the public through the public
press. The members of the Foreign Re-
lations Committee who visited the
White House were present. 1t was the
general opinion that the administration
should deal frankly with the press re-
garding Cuban information. and that
nothing should be given out for the pur-
pose of misleading the public or con-
cealing the true situation.
THE GENERAL DESIRE.
NEW YORK, May 1S.-American in
tervention in Cuban affairs is the general
desire today, even of those who, few
months ago, were the most uncompro-
missing Spaniards. To such an extent
has this feeling developed that many
important business men, Spaniards and
Cubans alike, have come to realize the
terrible situation on the island and the
general paralysis of business consequent
upon the war. They have pointed out
the heavy loss of American capital and
the great damage to American commerce
inflicted by the continuation of hostili-
ties. More than 100000 900 has been lost
by American merchants. manufacturers,
producers and money lenders in Cuba,
and the embargo upon mercantile oper-
ations since 1895 represents a much
larger sum.
There is the best authority for saying
that number of important bankers and
merchants of New York, who have busi-
ness relations with Cuba. have presented
a petition to the Washington officials,
referring to the state of affairs in Cuba
and the desirability of the United States
doing something to stop the dire dis
tress' in Cuba, particularly in view of the
destruction it is working to American
interests. The petition has the sigma
lures of August Belmont & Co., Law
renee, Turnure & Co., j. E. Ward & Co.
and other prominent New York houses.
This has been precipitated by the issue
of $50 600, 900 in paper by the Government
in Cuba and forcing it upon the people by
Weyler as a legal tender means to ruin
every one who has property or business
there. Before Mondays run on the
Spanish Bank at Havana, the newspa
pers of that city began to advise the
of the evil, but the only
gold redemption, is not within
the power of the Spanish Government to
apply General Weylers only answer
was paper money, wrongly and Grim
inally deprecated, it's value being fully