The Portland daily press., 1898-10-31
CLAMOROuS FOR OFFICE.
Cuban Insurgents Rapidly Becoming
Amerieanized.
ALL WANT FAT JOBS UNDER NEW
ORDER OF THINGS.

ALL WANT FAT JOBS UNDER NEW
ORDER OF THINGS.
There Are Two Factions and the Mem bers
of the One Are Mad When the Other
Gets Anything-Difficulty in Disband-
ing the Cuban Army.
Manzanillo, October 3c.-The visit of
Gen. Leonard Wood, governor of the mill
tary department. Of Santiago, has bsen in
strumental in bringing all the elements
among the Cubans to the front. No fewer
than two thousand insurgents, of whom
five hundred are officers. want offices,
and their oiamor almost amounts to
demand. There ara two leading factions,
one headed by Gen. Jesus Rabi, and the
other by Gen. Rios. At present most Of
the Offices are held by representatives of
the Rabi faction, including the mayoralty
and the custom house inspeotorships.
Gen. Wood, in order to pacify the Rios
faction, has given them six positions on
the rural police force and turned to one
of their people the lighthouse at Cape
Cruz, together with several other minor
appointments. But neither party is sat
isfled, each thinking that it ought to have
all the Offices Gen. Rios Goes not dare
express his opinion pntSatcly of Gen.
Rabi, but he feels that thisds his DISTRICT
as he has had the nominal charge of it for
three years and that it ought to beleng TO-
him SO far as appointments Of Cubans to
offices are concerned, and sA the more
because he represents Gen. Calixto Garcia.
The majority Of the insurgents here
have no money and 60 about living from
hand to mouth and wondering what will
happen next. Armed men are not allowed
rations AS the Oubans win not disband
and will not work, nothing remains for
them but to strut about the city with
machetes and reyolvers. Some Of them
are nearly naked; other appeared in
long legged patent leather boots with
silver spurs, carrying superbly wrought
Toledo machetes. A few wear i'm
maculate white suits and Panama hats.
These are for the most part Of the New
York contingent, each man now a veri-
table Bombastes Furiuso.
Except. when he is on board the gun
boat Hist, Con. Wood is beseiged by
these seekers of office. Among the inter-
views he has had was one with Gen. Rios.
who wanted the mayor Of Manzanillo.
one Of Rabi's faction, dismissed, and his
own man appointed to his place. Gen.
Wood asked on what grounds the dismiss
~ To tTc
not the mayor competent officer9 Has
he not an excellent reputation? Did he
not serve bravely and effectively through
out the entire warp To all of this Gen.
Rios replied in the affirmative. but he in
sisted that his own nominee was entitled
to the position because he was Rios
man. The interests of the city and the
locality were apparently minor consider
ations in the mind of the Cuban COM
mander. But this appears to be the case
everywhere among the Cuban insurgents.
Gen. Wood and Col. Petit regard the
outlook as rather .idiscouraging. Still,
they hope that some means may be found
soon to break up the Cuban army. The
members of the rank and file are anxious
W &O W WOIh, puU uA0 ieeoOA uS0 w
allow them to do SO and the men do not
dare desert as they would certainly be
shot if captured.
Gen. Wood is hoping that the other
towns he will visit in his trip around the
province will not present the same vexa-
tious conditions as prevail here, where
the Cuban problem is presented in
very different form, the most dific ult he
has encountered.
It was necessary to send detachment
of the fourth immune regiment. under
a sergeant, to the Riguey plantation, In
order to compel the armed Cubans to al
low men to work there. The undertak-
ing proved successful, however, and 200
men are now regularly employed.
Lieut.. Young has formally claimed,
on behalf of the United States navy, the
wrecks of the Spanish gunboats that were
sent ashore or were sunken by the United
States gunboats in the memorable en-
gagem.nt. off Manzanillo on July l.
|. After final conference with Col.
Petit regarding the management OF the
district, Gen. Wood left for Santiago at
noon today on board the Hist.