The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-02-23
GENERAL lee RESIGNS.
Alleged Inaction Of Our State Depart,
lnent Said to be the Cause.
Osnsul Asked For Warships to
Protect American
ossisd al washington Tha, Any Serious Com.
pIIcations Exist

ptICduCnS tN'SL
Especial to the New York Heraid.]
Havana, Feb. 22-Consul General Lee
has resigned. lie determined some
days ago to take such step IL he were
not upheld In his efforts to protect ali
American citizens In Cuba.
The consul general asked the state
department. that he be authorized to
demand the release OF citizens of the
United States confined I'm Cuban prisons
under the Same illegal circumstances
as was the ill-fated Ruiz. Such author
fty has not been granted to him
Great pressure Is being brought tc
bear here 10 make Consul General Lee
deny The Herald's Jacksonville dispatch
10 the effect that the diplomatic rcprcs-
entative OF the United States in Havana
had asked the government TO send war
ships TO Cuban waters. AS pretext
foy such denial and as basis upon
which IL can be founded. IL Is stated
that according TO the dispatch. Consul
General Lee had asked for a warshiI
TO take him TO the United States. What
the consul general did do. IL can be re-
iterated on the highest authority. was
to ask for warships to support him In
his efforts to protect Americans in peri
of their lives. and American interests
which were in jeopardy. The Herald's
jacksonville dispatch, therefore, was alb
solutcly correct. and upon indisputab,e
authority can be confirmed in every de-
tail. III necessary, the full official tele.
gram In which Consul General Lee ask.
ed for warships can be secured.
Washington, Feb. 23.-No further
step has been taken by the state dc.
partment In the case of DIR. Ruiz. the
American citizen who was found dead
In his cell at Guanabacoa, Cuba. under
suspicious circumstances. Consul Gen.
eral Lee. who is investigating the AFFAIR.
under the orders Of the department, has
not yet reported the results of his in.
Quiry. In the meantime. all talk OF ul.
tim8tums and calls for warships is pro-
rcunced 20 be without foundation. The
department of state, in this case. as In
others preceding II. has Insisted upon
fm Investigation. and has asserted its
right TO know the charges upon which
persons OF American citizenship are de,
tanned in custody. and Minister Taylor
at Madrid will push this demand to the
end.
There has been some friction all along
between the Spanish officials i'm Cubu
and Consul General Lee whenever the
latter was obliged to intervene In favor
az arrested American citizens. Thi.
has grown out OF a radical difference
In construction placed upon the orga mic
law.
The state department has instructed
the consul general To insist upon hls
Neht to have arrested Americans re-
le&sed at the end OF a period of deten.
uon OF - hours. or else that they be con.
fronted with formal charges. Under the
constitution governing the island, IL A.
provided that psrsens 50 arrested must
be brought before . Judge within A
ROUTE and must be confronted with
charges within T2 hours. or he released.
But. en occasions when the consu
general claimed this privilege for an i'm.
Irts0pe1 American citizen. the Spanish
o0(ctais. from the captain general down
set up the plea that. I'm time of strife like
this, the civil code was suspended. and
with " the privileges claimed. Inas
much "a IL woSld amount to "a total re.
Of the benefits derived from
the Gushing protocol To accept this view
che protocol was drawn to meet sucl
conditions as now exist on the island)
the department. of state has steadfastl,
insisted upon claiming the right to hav,
charges preferred against Imprisoned
Americans. The practice OF Spanish OF
hciais has not been consistent, for IN
some Instances, they have allowed the
justice of our claims, ard have dis.
charged or tried the persons In who's,
oeLaif complaint is made, but in other.
they have ignored our representations
and the indications are that they vii
yield the point only under strong pres.
sure.
AT the beginning OF the present month
the state department had Information
that three naturalized American citizens
were confined in Cuban jails. agains,
whom no charges had been preferred
and IN whose interest demands for re.
lease ARE pending. They are Frank ],
Larrteu. arrested at Cardenas. ava,
hack In May last year: Esteben venero
naturallzed in 1895. and arrested at Los
Palos Niavana province). Sept. % last
and Jose Gonzales. naturalized In 1882
arrested at Las Mangas. Nov. 10 last
"pN 'O" III PiiSu ~ I-lndT DeI HtO
This Is the official list. but there NAV
and undoubtedly arc number OF othe,
American citizens In detention. OF who's,
arrest neither Consul General Lee or tn.
state department. In aware. The diffj.
cuirfes surrounding the effort to secure
knowfedee of AL such cases are VERY
great many OF the arrests being made IN
me In'ef'cr' remote from telegraph anc
an othet means Of communication. ant
IN places where there are no otbe,
Americans to report the fact 10 the con.
sui general.
vi course. the Spanish officials are n,
no pans TO take notice OF an sppeai
oased on American citizenship. nor I,
epo,. 'hc iact that they have arrested
au American citizen To the A,,a,.,,
consular Office.
Eenin E~ehed with Hood.
London. Feb. 23.-A dispatcb ,ro,,,
Rracx n IV.St ..,....