Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-02-23

II Consisted Of Questions by the Senator
aud Replies by Mr.. Hoop. a BOSTON Capt..
tnii.t Who Has Recently Returned from
birthday at the Capital Ell to Increase
the Artillery Passed by the Senate.
Washington. Feb. Cuba usurped
the place OF Hawaii in tie executive
proceedings Of the senate yesterday and
was under Consideration for an hour or
more. This proceeding vas based upon
n document presented by Senator Nor
gan CT Alabama as the result of an in
koOp. OF Boston. In presenting the doc
ument Senator Morgan said that MIR.
koor was 4 capitalist who had but re-
Gently returned from Cuba after most
exhaustive exploration of the island.
Senator Morgan laid considerable stress
upon TIE IMPORTANCE Of the document
which resulted from a stenograrhic re-
port Of the Interview between Senator
Morgan and MI. Koop. The document
consisted Of questions by Senator Nor
san and replies ty Mr.. Koop. The lat
ter said that he had teel In thirty-fcur
provinces and had spent more OF less
time in each os them in the prosecution
Of his inquiries.
Dying in Great Numbers.
No place outside CT Havana, he said,
was airy effort made to take care of the
rcconcer:rsdos. and he declared that
the peorie were dying in great numbers
In all places n which they had been col
lcctod together b. the Spanish author
tiles. both &c n result of the cruelty OF
the Spanish troops and for the lack Of
food. He declared that there was no
evidence in the provinces of a more lib
oral treatment Of these unfortunate
people under the administration of Gen.
eral Blanco than there had been under
the Weyler regime, and said that The
people in general were in Just as dcp,or-
able condition nCN as they had been
before the change. In no case were the
rcconceptrados allowed to go outside
TIE military posts Ia collect food, and
while there was soIre effort in certain
instances In grow crops In the immedi-
ate vicinity of tie rarrisons these crop
areas did not extend more than J0oyarGs
from the forts. He added that if the
people were allowed to get out they
could get enough to eat TO keep soul and
body together. but that when even
small children attempted TO go outside
Of the guard lines iheye were shot Down
as ruthlcssly as if they We're enemies
In arms. He said that he had seen wo-
men and children abused by the Span
ish soldiery and that favorite rastime
seemed to be TO kick the women about
as If they were dogs.
Autonomy n Failure.
FIR. hoop also devoted considerable
srace at Senator Morgan's suggestion
to the scheme of autonomy under the
Liberal ministry and pronounced il a
failure from one end of the island to
another. He said that business was at
n stands;ill throughout the country.
that few crops were growing and that
dcsolatiCn and ruin stared the traveller
in the face wherever he went As =.
consequence property was much depfe-
ciated in value ard the people were
greatly discouraged. He said that the
general estimate was that the war had
already resulted in the loss of 600oO0
lives and Mr.. Eoop himself did not con-
slider these figures exaggerated. There
was some comment upon the document
b. Senators Morgan. Gallinger and Ma
son. hut no official action was taken.
Senator Mason said the statement was
m more than he had expected to hear.
and Senator Gallinger declared that the
picture drawn was deplorable one.
He said that two years ago he had ad-
vised that the United States should in
tervenc TO put stop to the war and
that every development since had con-
f-med the wisdom OF the suggestion
then made.