The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1898-11-29
GETTING OUT OF CUBA'
Evacuation of the Island Will
Be Completed Ten Days
Ahead of Time.
GEN. BLANC0 HAS RESIGNED
General Butler Says Military Rule
Of Cuba will Be Necessary
for Some Time.

Butler, of South Carolina, q member of
the Cuban Evacuation Commission, ar
rived here today direct from Havana, in
response to telegraphic summons from
President Mckinley, and this afternoon
he had two hours' consultation with
the President at the White House. He
made an extended report of the negotia-
tions for the evacuation and of the
terms upon which the Spaniards had
agreed to complete the evacuation by
January 1.
General Butler gave it as his opinion
that all the Spanish troops will have de
parted ten days before the date fixed in
the agreement. He says the Spaniards
hove met the American Commissioners
with reasonable fairness, and that there
has been little friction. Some of the
claims they have made for compensation
for Spanish property have been ridicu.
lous, and they will, of course, be aband-
oned In the end. General Butler denies
all the reports of dissensions among the
members of the American Commission.
In addition to his report upon the
actual work of the joint commission,
General Butler gave to the President
much valuable information. az to the
general situation in Cuba, the ability Of
the Cubans for self-government, the
sanitary condition Of Havana, and,
generally, the results of bis observation
during his stay there.
Military Rule Necessary.
General Butler is of the opinion that
the military government of the island
must be continued Tor some time, but
that it should only be % vigorous ae
may be necessary to preserve order. He
thinks tho Cubans are ambitious for
self-government and anxious to avoid
friction with the American authorities.
If military control is exercised with dis
cretion, be believes there will be little
trouble. One of the most troublesome
features of the situation is the criminal
class and the difficulty of determining
in the case Of prisoners who are incar-
cerated for political ofenses and who
for crime. There has existed In Havana,
in the past, an oath bound organic alton
on the order of the italian Malta, known
% the Nenigo, which was . source of
terror to the inhabitants. One of the
few commendable acts of Weyler was
the deportation of about 700 of tho
members of this organization to the
penal colony OF Ceute. But fears are
expressed that these criminals may re-
SOA0 VI bAot IAo OEuoI mdy U0 IoViV0O
by some of those who are not deported
One of the features of the situation in
which the authorities here arc especially
interested just now is the sanitary con-
dition of Havana. The shipment of
troops, which has already begun, and
the existence of yellow fever in Havana
all the year round makes it absolutely
necessary that the city should be
placed in thorough sanitary condition
General Butler describes the city now -
. pest hole, filed with anmentionable
filth, equalor and daEtitution. The
Spanish authorities have, however,
agreed to inaugurate the work of putting
the city in sanitary condition with the
aid of the American authorities, and
work to this end is to begin at once.
The Dark Picture of DestitutiOn.
Genera Butler paints . dark picture
of the destitution among the poorer
classes, and says it will probably be
necessary for us to furnish some aid to
the starving wretches.
General Butler paid high tribute to
the discipline and accomplishing suffer
ing of the Spanish troops. They en-
dured hardships, he says. which would
have caused American soldiers to revolt.
As an illustration of the admirable dis
cipline of the Spanish soldierv he said
| that at one time there were 43 600 Span
ish soldiers in Havana; vet he never saw
or heard an act of violence, nor did be
hear of or see q single Spanish soldier
intoxicated.