The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-02-26

Citizen.
New York. Feb. 25.-A dispatch to tho
World from Havana via Key West
says:
The situation here is critical Every
soldier in every camp in Havana knows
of threatened breaking off of relations
between the United States and Spain.
and they are preparing for it. The
work upon defenses are being pushed
on with great energy and it is rumOred
every five minutes of the day that Cen
eral Lee has received his passports and
that war is declared.
The position of our citizens is bad.
The runOr, whether true or false. has
gone abroad that the American govern
ment would not intervene: that Ameri-
cans can be murdered with perfect i'm
punity, so long as the trade interests Of
the country are not interfered with.
Unless something firm and decided and
strongly American is done by our gov
ernment in Washington. Americans are
in great danger of their lives.
WILL NOT BE RECALLED.
The murder of Ruiz and the demand
lOl ilG 4tlEdSG VI otOlN cAE N4AC oOAI
topics of conversation. The amusement
and the great hilarity which We're OBJ
served at the palace Tuesday have
changed. Minister De LONE has cabled
the captain general that Lee viii not
be recalled: that his resignation is not
accepted and that he may be sustained.
General Lee views the question from
a calm. disp2ssionate standpoint, and
he authorizes me to express the hope
> hot r,a eli orc cd by- the
der of Ruiz and his own determination
not TO submit TO another similar
atrOcity should not be exploited by
partisan advocates of anv particular
policy toward the island of Cuba
The issue. he thinks, is clear 1t is
whether law-abiding American citizens
residing abroad are to be protected or
whether we are to serve notice that
they can be murdered and tortured with
impunity.
WE ARE SCOFFED AT
. For many months past. General Lee
has satisfied himself, and placed over
whelming facts before our government,
that not a single provision of treaty
rights is being observed by the authOri-
ties Of the island These incidents have
been suppressed as they occurred by
the executive branch of our govern
ment. and General Lee could do no
more than fulfill his duty. which was TO
place the facts before the responsible
department of our government. Not q.
single one of these violations Of treaty
rights. not to speak of the humane laws
which bind US all, has ever ELECTED
from the state department sign or
life or even an acknowledgment that
it had been received.
This was the situation when the
murder of DR.. Ruiz took place In the
case of Ruiz, General Lee had notified
the department that no charge had
been brought against the man within
"a hours after his arrest, as the law
requires. and he further notified the
department that Ruiz was being kept
in communicate for a longer period
than the Spanish code allows He took
the same step in the case OF Scott, ana
in every incident. step by step. mas
nointed out the illegalities that have
characterized each and every proceed
ing of the Spanish authorities here IN
their treatment of American citizens.
THE COLD SHOULDER
These cablegrams have never been
answered one way or the other urgent
INQUIRIES addressed to the department
asking for the opinion of the proper
law officer of the government upon the
legal questions of the cases as they
arose have never been noticed, until
the conclusion was forced upon Cen
eraI Lee that in fulfilling his oath OF
office TO protect the lives and property
of American citizens in this terror
stricken country he would have TO rely
only on his own resources and the re-
snec+ and confidence of his fellow citi-
zens. At this juncture. the Ruiz mur-
der which he had fOreSeen and OF
which he had fOreWarned the secretary
of state. took place. General Lee in
vestigated the terrible facts of this
ragedv and without delay caOled the
department. For three days ne re-
ceived no reply $3.50,
act as his sense OF duty and response
bilitv dictated. and as his conscience
toll him was right He demanded the
release of Scott from the illegal re-
straint he was suffering
WON'T STAND ANOTHER
He informed the department of the
raonast that he had made. He told
the washington authorities OF the
gravity of the situation He asked
Them to act promptly TO avert blood
shed and incaIculable losses. He asked
that warships might be sent to Ha-
vana to sustain his just demands ana
he concluded by saying:
L viii not and l cannot stanu an
other Ruiz murder
He wrote this a week ago and he has
repeated it twice since by cable and
by letter.
Since Sunday night last both his res
isnation and request for removal nave
been in the hands of the state depart
ment in Washington and President
cleveland has failed to accept the res
ienation or order his removal
Another Rumor Denied.